Tarcil is a Sleepy Head

Today I decided that I am not going to keep waking up Tarcil during the day.  I noticed that he is typically up when I get up in the mornings, but he doesn't stay up long because by that time he is headed for bed.  He is also usually up around the time I want to go to bed.  So I would rather wake him up a little early then, instead of waking him up in the middle of his nighttime.  I really enjoy spending time with him but I also want to make sure that he is always happy and healthy.  :)

Goodmorning Tarcil!

This is what I get to see when Tarcil wakes up!  I love that furry little face!!  He seriously brings so much joy to my life!

Tarcil Sneezing

You have to watch this!  My heart seriously melted into a puddle when he sneezed!  I love my hamster!  He is SOOO cute!!  :)

Making Toys for Tarcil

Recently, I have been feeling like Tarcil's cage is a little too bare and that he should have more things to climb on and play with.  So, when I went grocery shopping, I decided to look at the pet section as well.  I was very unhappy with the small selection and then I got a crazy idea.  I decided to go to the craft section to see if they would have something that I could use.  I found little wooden birdhouses that I liked, but I knew I would have to make changes in order for them to work for a hamster.  And then I spotted a little wooden helicopter that would be perfect for him to play with and chew on.  Immediately, my mind started coming up with designs to build a frame to hang the helicopter from.  I bought some doll rods and Popsicle sticks.  When I got home, I drew a quick sketch of my idea and took down some measurements.  I spent most of my afternoon working on putting my design together.  I had quite a bit of trouble with a few different parts.  But eventually, I finished it.  Here is what I made!

Tarcil says "Thanks for the great toy!"  :)

Tarcil eating an apple and a banana for the first time!

Today I was making my lunch and as I was cutting up my banana, I remembered that hamsters like certain fruits and veggies too.  So I grabbed my list of safe foods to feed hamsters and saw that both apples and bananas made the list.  I decided I wanted to share my lunch with Tarcil and see if he would like it.  I cut up a few small pieces and went to wake up Tarcil.  He was very sleepy, but when I set him on the bed next to the plate, he immediately began to devour the food!  It was SOOOO cute so I had to record him.  :)

Playtime with Tarcil

Playing with Tarcil today was fun!  I woke him up a little later today than I intended, but I don't think he noticed.  As always, I gave him so time to wake up without me poking at him.  Once he was fully awake, I picked him up and put him on the bed to run around and explore more.  He seemed mostly interested in climbing on me.  I decided to stick him in my pocket and he really liked that.  At first he would push and scratch around the pocket to see if there was another way out, but after he had determined the exact size of the pocket, he calmed down and snuggled in my pocket.  I let him stay in it for a few minutes until I realized that he wasn't moving around much.  I rubbed his back and he poked his head out with his eyes half open.  He was trying to take a nap!  I snapped some pictures of him on my phone because he is just so cute!

Handling Tarcil for the first time

He looks so tiny on the big bed!

Today I stuck with the routine I have decided on and woke Tarcil up at lunch time.  He was sleepy but he woke up after a bit.  I gave him some time to roam around his cage and get a drink while I watched him.  I stuck my hand in the cage after he seemed fully awake and let him sniff me.  I offered him treats from my hand and he didn't have a problem stepping into my hand to reach the treats.  I decided that I couldn't wait any longer to actually hold him, so I slide my hand underneath him and gently lifted him up.  He seemed fine with being held which was very exciting to me!  I took him over to the bed and set him down so he could explore.  He seemed nervous in the open space and would run toward me whenever he got the chance.  I let him sniff my clothing and climb over my legs and arms while I sat on the bed.  I didn't want to overwhelm him on his first time out from his cage so I decided to put him back after only about five minutes.  I really enjoyed holding him and I can't wait until he really learns to trust me!

Learning to tame Tarcil

Today I decided that Tarcil is healthy and thriving so I could start the process of taming him more.  I was very excited to do this!  It has been so difficult these last couple days to give him some space to adjust to his new environment.  I have been holding my hand in his cage every day for him to get a chance to sniff me and get comfortable with my hands.  I want to build up trust with him so that he isn't scared.  I have been giving him treats out of my hand so that he has to touch me and climb into my hand to reach the treats.  He already seems to be better with this.  Some of the treats he doesn't seem interested in so I want to figure out what he likes and doesn't like as well with this process.  I am very excited with the progress I am making with Tarcil!  I even tried to pick him up just to move him from one end of his cage to the other and he seemed fine with this.  I think tomorrow I will try letting him out of his cage for the first time...  I can't wait!

Naming My Hamster

As you know, I have had my new furry friend for a couple days now and I hadn't given him a name yet.  This has been bothering and so I have decided to research names and provide a list to present to my husband.  If you didn't know, I am very fond of the Lord of the Rings triology and am currently re-reading the books.  I am about halfway done with The Return of the King.  I actually love anything relating to Middle Earth in any form, including Peter Jackson's movies.  (Side note, I am SO excited to see The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies!!)  My husband shares this love with me which is why he originally suggested Tauriel for the other hamster.  Last night, when I was telling him that I want to find a really good name for this new hamster, he suggested that I look through the LOTR Appendixes as well as search online at the LOTR wiki site for names that aren't as popular.  I didn't hesitate at all this morning to start looking at names.  I wanted to find a name that was similar to Tauriel as a way to keep the memory of her alive.  So I searched through all the names that started with "T".  There was quite a list.  I got rid of quite a few names just because I didn't like them.  I started writing down the names I did like as well as any information that I found interesting to go with the name such as the race, other titles, meanings, and background info on the people.  By tracking all this extra info to go with the names, I was realizing that I was interested in a specific type of person to name my little guy after.  I was drawn to the elven names for the kingly quality and elegant beauty of elven men.  This hamster is a golden creme color and his hair will grow long, so I thought such a name would be fitting.  I got my list narrowed down to five names that weren't all elven but were still quite fitting.

I am terrible at making decisions no matter how big or small, but I was able to decide that I want my husband's input on the final name.  When he got home from work today, I presented him my list of five names and we discussed each of them.  It helped to say them out loud and hear how they sound.  We were able to narrow that list down to two or three.  (I kept going back to one that he didn't like much.)  He told me that he liked the idea of having a name that would be fairly unknown.  I agreed that this sounded like a good idea.  It occured to me that since this little guy is gonna be a star, I wanted to make sure that if his name were searched, that it would lead to finding this blog or something related to LOTR and not something super obscure or inappropriate.  I did a quick google search on each of the two names we were down to and the choice became pretty clear to me at once.

So, after all the waiting, searching, and debate, I decided on Tarcil.  According to LOTR wiki, Tarcil was a man born in TA 280 to Arantar and his unnamed wife.  As a descendant of Isildur, he ascended the throne of Arnor in TA 435 on the death of his father.  His reign was without event for eighty years and he died in TA 515 and was succeeded by his son Tarondor.  He was two-hundred and thirty-three years of age.  The name Tarcil also appears in The History of The Lord of the Rings as another nickname for Aragorn: its meaning is apparently "High Man", a synonym for Dúnadan.  I didn't end up picking an elven name, but I love the background and meaning that surrounds this name.  So that is the story of how I named my hamster, Tarcil.  :)

Tarcil is waving "Hi!"

Getting to know my hamster

Today has been a long day and I wasn't able to be home as much as I would have liked.  This Sunday morning was earlier than usual.  I checked on my hamster as soon as I got out of bed, but he was sleeping.  I could see he had eaten all his food and his cage was showing signs that he had been very active during the night.  I had to get ready to go, so I didn't stay with my hamster long.

My husband and I were helping move sound equipment from our church to a pavilion in a park down the street where our church service was held this morning.  I personally made three trips back to the church for items that had been left behind, forgotten, or needed in some capacity.  The set up went fairly well and I was able to sit down and eat an apple I brought for my breakfast.  Before long, some more people began to arrive.  I went with one of the youth group girls to the play ground next to the pavilion.  We swung on the swing set and climbed up the monkey bars.  We sat at the top for a while and talked.  I told her I bought a hamster and she said he sounded cute.  There was a surge of new people arriving for church so we got down and went back to the pavilion.

The service was nice and short.  The weather was perfect except for some strong gusts of wind that occasionally blew papers and other items around.  I had to help tape a mike stand during the service that wasn't staying in position, and I grabbed some sheet music that was blowing away.  We had boxed lunches catered in after the service was over.  My husband and I helped tear down all the sound equipment and returned it to the church.

During the afternoon, I decided to wake up my hamster to watch him and play with him for a bit.  He was sleepy at first but then got up and moved around.  I pet him and let him sniff my fingers and hand.  I also gave him fresh food and water.  He stuffed his face with food while I pet his fuzzy back.  When he was done eating and drinking and had filled his pouches, he went back to his bed.  I was so glad that I could spend time with him!  I really want to name him but I can't come up with a name that I like.  My husband and I discussed this some today, but we didn't decide on anything.

We help out with the youth group at our church so we left to go back there.  At youth group, I told more of the kids that I bought a new hamster.  I felt bad that I didn't have a name to give them when they asked.  Someone suggested Tarzan, but I don't really like that.  So, for now, he is still nameless.  I have decided that I will come up with a list of names for him tomorrow and hopefully I can find one that I like.  I think this is difficult for me because I want to find a name that is absolutely perfect for him in the way that Tauriel was perfect for the first hamster I had.  I take names very seriously.  :)  Check back tomorrow and hopefully I will have a name to tell you!

The Story of Getting a Hamster

My new hamster is King of the Mountain!

I have been struggling this past month with wanting a new pet.  My husband and I own an orange kitty named Penny.  She is very sweet, but she doesn't like to cuddle with me much.  She prefers to be left alone to stare out a window all day.  And that is generally what I let her do.  And because of this, I realized that I wanted a little more company while I am at home working.  I wanted to find something so freakin adorable that I would have an uncontrollable desire to constantly take pictures of it.  (Penny doesn't like when I try to take pictures of her.)  I wanted something small and easy to take care of.  I wanted something that wouldn't stink up my house or take up a ton of space.  And that is when I decided I needed, not even just wanted, but needed to buy a hamster.  I began to do research into what type of hamster I should buy.  I had a couple different dwarf hamsters growing up, but I had a feeling that another type might suit my needs better.  It didn't take that long for me to learn of the existence of Long-haired Syrian Hamsters.  I immediately fell in love!  And I knew that I needed to buy a long-haired syrian hamster and not just any other hamster.  Throughout my research into the typical care, habitat, food, toys, health, lifespan, and personality of these hamsters, I knew I was making a good decision.  And then it was time to find one to keep.  I was a little discouraged that most of the numerous pet stores here in town don't carry this breed of hamster.  But I found one chain of stores that do: PetSmart.  At this point, I knew I needed to present this idea to my husband and get his approval for a new member of our little family.  Surprisingly, with every little effort on my part, he agreed!  And so, on the 13th of September, we went out to one of the three PetSmarts here in town.  I requested to look at the long-haired syrians, and they showed me three.  I was trying to focus on the questions I knew I needed to ask from the research I had done and to watch for any signs that the hamsters weren't healthy, but the amount of cuteness that my brain was trying to comprehend, was just too much to handle.  I chose the hamster that seemed most interested in me.  She was very small still, just the size of a full grown dwarf hamster and had a orange head and rear with creamish white in the middle.  I was so in love!  On the way home, my husband and I discussed good names.  He suggested name her Tauriel.  I thought it was a perfect fit and the name stuck.  When we got her home and opened the box, I was a little surprised at how sleepy she seemed.  She also appeared to have wet herself on the ride home.  I had to coax her out of her box into her new home.  She finally came out, ate a little, and then went to bed without exploring much.  She seemed tired and stressed from such a traumatic experience of moving to a new home that I decided that as much as I didn't want to, I needed to leave her be.  I checked on her every hour or less and she was always sleeping.  I figured this was normal due to the fact that hamsters are normally most active at night and into the morning, but sleep during the day.  However, that night, she didn't seem to get up before it was time for me to go to bed.  I continued to check on her every couple hours for the next two days.  She was always sleeping when I would look into her tank.  I couldn't help myself and I woke her up a couple times but she almost always would immediately try to go back to sleep.  I was trying my best to give her some space for 2-3 days so that she could adjust to her new home.  On Monday night, I was worried because she didn't appear to have eaten any food since the morning we brought her home.  I decided I had to wake her and make sure she actually got up to eat.  It took a while, but she finally came out of her box.  She looked sick, weak, and dirty.  I was very upset because I realized that she probably wasn't going to live much longer.  I quickly did some more research on illnesses to try to figure out what to do.  The reading was very discouraging.  I found conflicting articles, but one point seemed to be consistent: hamsters showing the all signs I saw in Tauriel, generally didn't live for more than 24 - 48 hours.  I knew that she was already too far gone.  And I realized that I had missed all the initial signs of sickness when I had first opened her box at home and probably even before that at the store, since she was the most active out of the three at the store.  I went to bed that night hoping for a miracle, but the next morning, I found her dead.  I was really upset at myself and I tried to figure out if there was anything I could have done sooner.  But I realized that she was most likely already sick at the store.  I returned her body and got a refund.  I threw out everything from her cage that I could and sterilized the rest.  And after everything was clean again, I set the cage up again, being hopeful for another chance at having a pet hamster.

I called the other PetSmarts in town to find out if they currently had any long-haired syrian hamsters and to ask some questions.  After doing some inquiry, I decided that I wanted to wait for a new shipment of hamsters to come in and be ready to be sold.  And so I waited until today!  Called the stores again to find out how many new hamsters they had and as some other questions about them.  I was very excited about the description of one of the hamsters at the north store and so my husband and I headed there so I could see this hamster in person.  The salesperson hadn't actually moved the new hamsters from the back into the cages on the floor, but he said that the hamsters were ready and I could buy one of the new ones if I wanted.  He took me to the back to show me the one I had been interested in on the phone.  It was love at first sight when I saw this hamster.  After my bad experience with the last hamster, I knew what to look for in this one.  I was very pleased at how friendly and active he was!  And he was about twice the size of the last hamster I had.  I decided he looked very healthy and told the guy I wanted to buy this hamster.  He gently picked up the hamster and talked to him as he put him in the box.  I couldn't believe how well the hamster handled being picked up!  I knew I made a good choice.  The box was taken to the register while I signed the paperwork.  The lady who checked me out couldn't believe how much the hamster was shaking and moving the box he was in.  I was also very surprised at how determined the hamster seemed to be at escaping the box.  The whole car ride home, this hamster scratched and chewed at the box.  I kept seeing a paw or a nose stick out through one of the holes as he fought to escape.  When we got home, we opened the box and let him into his new home.  He ate some food and then began to explore every inch of his cage while borrowing through all the bedding.  He popped his head out and cleaned his face off.  Then he climbed up on top of his tree trunk bed.  He finally found the hole in his tree trunk bed and curled up inside, falling asleep.

I checked on him every hour the rest of the day and he was still sleeping until around 10, when my husband and I were about to go to bed, I saw that he was awake.  I watched him for a bit as he explored some more and found his way back to the food bowl to eat more.  I went to bed that night with a smile on my face knowing that this guy would be okay.  :)