Tarmund's Babies

I got to see Tarmund's babies today!  They are all so much bigger than they were the last time I saw them.  We got the 7 youngest babies divided up into two groups.  There were only two males and they seemed happy to have so much space to themselves.  The 5 females are still with their mom for now.  Many of them have new homes which they will be going to starting tomorrow and some are staying.  😂  I didn't take pictures of all of them, but I think I got most of them.  They are all SO cute!  😍

This is Pig, also known as Mama.

This one was my favorite of the little girls.  She's sweet and has a pretty white ring around her neck.

Not actually sure which one this is, but I think it is the runt which was also a very sweet female.

I think this is a different female.  There are three that are nearly identical except for one which has a small white dot on her tummy.  I think this is the girl with the extra white dot, but I don't remember for sure.

This is the older male from the first litter named Parkour.

This is another of the baby females which might be the same as the second or this might be the third one.  I really can't tell them apart and might have done pictures of one twice.  Hahaha

This is a baby boy who was very sweet!

Snacking

I love how Laurelin is super flat as she approaches the lettuce and then she curls up to eat it.  That look on her face after she shoved it into her cheek is too cute!

Snuggle Sack

Laurelin looks SO cute in this snuggle sack!  I'm glad I found it so I can use it again!  😊

Mini Orchid

I really love how easy Laurelin is to photograph!  She's such a sweetheart, and she looks gorgeous with every set-up!  💗  

Update on Tarmund: he's settled into his new home well, but taming him is going to take a while.  I'll probably post cell phone pictures whenever I manage to get any good ones because I won't be including him in any photo set-ups until I feel that he's tame enough that I can ensure his safety.  I'm also still trying to figure out what his routine is because I rarely see him awake during the day or even at night when Laurelin gets up.  I did just wake him up to check on him.  He happily ran around with no indication that he wanted to go back to bed so I decided to do a little taming session with him.  He did so well and got a treat.  😊

Meet Tarmund!

I really thought I would actually stick to the 3 pet limit my husband has tried to enforce over the years, and with Laurelin (hamster), Kira (cat), and Beren (dog), we are at the limit.  However, my cousin found herself in a bit of a pickle.  You see, like so many stories, this one started with two little dwarf hamsters, named Cow and Pig, that she took in from an accidental litter.  She kept the brothers together (as can be done with dwarf hamsters), and like a good pet owner, she was prepared to separate them if need be.  Well, she did need to separate them because they weren't brothers, they were actually brother and sister.  Unfortunately, she didn't realize this until she saw two new little faces in the cage.  Cow, the dad, got booted immediately so Pig could focus on taking care of her approximately 2 week old babies.  The joy of having two adorable little babies didn't last though because about a week later, a new litter of about 6 babies appeared.  So, the two older babies each got their own cages since one is a boy and one is a girl, Pig is caring for her new litter that is only a few days old, and Cow came home with me.  I've never had a dwarf hamster, and I resisted because I know they tend to be biters that aren't willing to cuddle the way Syrian hamsters do.  So far Cow is basically everything I expected from a dwarf hamster, but I will be working with him to see if I can get him more comfortable with me.  I also decided to rename him to Tarmund to follow the Tolkien themed names.  In Quenya, Tarmund means "noble bull" which I thought was a nice nod to his original name.  😊  So, please join me in welcoming Tarmund!  He was probably born at the beginning of April, so he's just over 4 months old.  I have no idea how many pictures I will be able to get of him.  He is ridiculously fast!

New Orchids

I have a love of orchids.  I think it started when I bought one on a whim a couple years ago at Lowes because it was on sale.  I thought it was pretty and seemed like it should be easy to care for.  This love grew though when I actually managed to keep the orchid alive long enough for it to bloom a second time.  I got a lot of praise from those around me because I apparently accomplished a difficult feat.  I decided to get another orchid when I saw a sad one on sale at Ikea.  Once again I had success and this beautiful white orchid kept blooming over and over.  So when I saw a crazy good sale at Lowes again, I bought 3 more orchids.  😁  Each orchid is unique color or pattern and I love them all!  My cat did damage one pretty badly and it hasn't bloomed since, but it continues to grow more leaves, so I haven't given up on it yet.