Newt the Cute

A Final Post

2009-11-16T17:46:48Z

found 6 April 2007--passed away 12 November 2009

A few weeks ago, Newt started to show signs of kidney failure. She was having a hard time getting around, and she had stopped eating. Hamsters only live two to three years, so we knew it was her time. I removed obstacles from her cage so she could get around easier without being hurt, and I changed her to a lower-protein diet to keep her comfortable. She didn't appear to be in pain, so we kept her at home and enjoyed what time we had left with her. I fed her baby food each day by hand, and then she'd fall asleep in my lap.

On November 12, she died quietly in her sleep.

I want to remember Newt by adopting another hamster from a shelter some time in the future. There simply aren't enough people who adopt from animal shelters, and I feel that small animals have it especially tough. People don't take in neglected hamsters when they can buy them for a few dollars at a pet store. I will keep my home open to little ones who need me.

Thank you, Newt, for adopting me. You will be missed.

Newtaversary

2009-04-06T13:48:51Z

Today's the second anniversary of Newt's rescue! She's as cute as ever, stuffing her cheeks and running on her wheel. We've gotten a lot of mileage out of our little Dumpster Hamster. Or maybe she's gotten a lot of mileage out of us. I'm not sure which.

Have a fuzzy cupcake!

And smile for the camera. ^_^

Letter to Newt

2009-02-06T21:13:55Z

Dear Newt,

Love,
Dava

Newt's New Digs

2009-02-02T02:35:07Z

Know what we haven't done in awhile? Checked in on Newt! Newt got a fancy new home today, and she's quite impressed.

As a refresher, here is what the old set-up looked like:

The old set-up was a ten gallon tank with 200 square inches of floor space, which was fine when Newt was a baby fresh from the dumpster. Now that she's grown, it was getting cramped, especially when I swapped out some of the smaller toys for some of the bigger ones.

I got a lot of money in my Christmas stocking, and I'd bought everything I needed and wanted, and there was about $55 left. So I went and spent that on Newt, getting a twenty gallon tank with a really good wire screen topper, which will provide plenty of air. Her space went from 200 square inches to 396! So now it looks like this:

The girls at PetSmart gave me funny looks when they found out I was spending so much on a tank for a hamster, even after I explained her story to them. They just don't understand how awesome Newt is. :P

The new set-up has extra space and conveniences. The water bottle is next to the nest, because Newt comes out a lot during the day to get a drink. She's the world's thirstiest hamster!

I also installed a potty bowl. I thought it would take awhile for her to catch on, but Newt's so smart, she used it immediately:

"OMG, do you mind?! Privacy, please!"

There are lots of nooks and crannies for her to explore, and there are two buildings with upper floors, which provide extra floor space.

I was also able to put in more toys, like her beloved log.

After exploring her new home, Newt set about the most important thing--hoarding food. I put the food bowl as far from her nest as I could, just to keep her moving around. Check out that impressive fur!

Newt prefers her right cheek.

Then she took all her food to her house and set about making her nest. It looks like I need to add more bedding!

Sleep tight, Newt.

Someone had an adventure!

2008-06-26T13:28:42Z

I just got out of the shower this morning and came into my office, when I noticed that the top of Newt's cage was pushed up and back. The containers next to her tank were toppled over, and her brush was on the floor. I picked up Newt's house, and she was gone! O_O

I did a little sing-song, "Neeewt... where aaare you? I know you're in here." At least, I was hoping she was. And sure enough, I heard one of her quiet hamster sneezes. She was under my desk! There were some boxes in front of my desk, so I pushed those aside. Newt just walked right up to me.

Best hamster ever.

Hopefully, she didn't get into anything harmful. She must have taken quite a tumble off her shelf, but she doesn't seem hurt. Poor hamster! I've put a book on her tank topper, and I'll be keeping an eye on her.

Happy Newtaversary!

2008-04-07T02:00:47Z

One year ago today, Kris and I found a cold, scared, baby hamster in the garbage bin behind our store. That hamster is now big, healthy, and afraid of no one. ^_^ I gave Newt her birthday treats:

My attempt at a sneaky nighttime photo:

She's acting grumpy, like a human who just turned 40. :P I'll have to lure her out with yogurt later.

G'morning, Newt!

2008-03-31T13:10:50Z

G'morning, Newt! I haven't updated in awhile, so here's a little Newt Overload to start your morning off right.

Newt was rummaging around in her bowl, trying to find something to eat. We were down to the very bottom of the food container, so only sunflower seeds and barley were left.

Newt does not like barley. Every time I refill her bowl, everything is picked out except all the barley. LOL! Having grabbed a snack, she hid behind her wheel to munch on it.

That's when she noticed me. "Omigod, it's that crazy woman with the flashy thing!"

Then she went all Bruce Willis on me. "Hey, do you MIND?! Don't make me take that camera away!"

"Fine. Ya know what? You can just take a picture of my full cheek pouch. I hope that flash ruins your photo."

Curses!

Serious Hamster is serious.

2008-02-16T18:01:13Z

Why so serious, Newt? And here's a bunch of other, blurry photos. I keep forgetting that I actually have to focus this camera. :P

Newt's First Peanut

2008-02-05T22:59:55Z

I'm salvaging photos from the old camera, and we're long overdue for a Newt Overload. And now, a break from all the politics:

I gave Newt her first peanut, and she was none too sure of what to do with it. It smelled good, but she couldn't get to the yumminess!

She chewed on the end...

She chewed on the side...

She thought, "Maybe I should hide this away and figure it out later!"

But no good hiding places were to be found!

And, finally, she just said, "Oh, screw it!" and stuffed it in her cheek.

Poor Nootle Doot. She waited until I got her back in her house before she figured out the inner workings of peanuts.

Newt's First Halloween

2007-11-01T16:03:34Z

I got to carve my very first jack-o-lantern this year. Never got to before because my mom thought pumpkins were nasty. I drew the face, and my husband carved it! :D We played with the pumpkin shell, and Newt got to play with the pumpkin innards.

Comic fans may recognize this as a Tim Sale pumpkin. The mouth is a modified Batman symbol. Yay! It looks awesome at night.

We set most of the seeds aside and baked them, and they are soooo yummy. Then, we gave a bunch of the leftovers to Newt. It was an edible playground!

Om nom nom nom.... Newt was very polite and only took what she could eat. Nothing went into the pouches. Aw!

A new set-up

2007-10-09T17:01:07Z

I like to rearrange Newt's cage every now and then to keep her from getting bored with her surroundings. Last week, when I cleaned Newt's cage, I decided to rearrange it a little to make it more interesting. I came up with a layout that gives her a little more floor space, and better utilizes the upper levels.

It also gives Newt opportunity for exploration and exercise, as she now has to climb to get food.

If you're wondering why she looks funny in that picture, it's because she has a whole hamster pretzel stick in her cheek. Those things are two inches long!

She does seem to enjoy the extra space, though. She's been running around a lot more and is using her wheel more, too.

After exploring a few minutes, she set about building a new nest and food stash. You can see the bright green pretzel, which was the first thing she unloaded. Crazy hamster.

Sleep tight, Nootle!

At war with the flea

2007-09-23T23:42:27Z

We finally waged war on the flea this morning, and Newt was caught in the crossfire. Kris and I would try to catch it every time we had Newt out, but it was too fast and Newt was too wiggly. So we finally bought some spray, and today, we waged war on the flea. Newt was not too happy about this.

First, We built a pen on our countertop with some boxes of Magic cards. (Boy, that's something you don't hear everyday.) Newt was excited at first, because she likes new places.

Little did she know, she was doomed. We started spraying at her back end, then working it into her hair and skin. She made a vain attempt at escape.

By the time we had her soaked, she was thoroughly peeved. "I'll have my vengeance!"

We mollified her with a piece of pancake. You can see her flea on her forehead. :P

"I begrudgingly accept your peace offering. Nom nom nom."

To Grandmother's house we go

2007-09-18T22:38:55Z

Newt has a flea. A single, solitary flea. Every time I take her out of her house, there it is, but it dives right into her fur before I can grab it. Newt wiggles too much for me to get the flea, so I will be getting her some hamster-friendly flea powder.

We have varmints, too. Exterminators came today to get rid of some termites in our house. I packed up Baylor, Newt, and Newt's flea and took them to my mother's house until the fumes clear.

Peekaboo!

2007-09-06T04:56:39Z

Who's that playin' peekaboo in the covers? Sneaky little hamster with a carrot!

And other cuteness! We're getting rain again. And when it rains, we get frogs.

Hello, frawg.

Newt vs Yellow Squash

2007-09-06T04:55:45Z

I cooked yellow squash last week, and I made sure to set aside a piece for Newt. And Newt... was very uncertain of this new food. I set the dish down in front of Newt, and she spent a good amount of time sniffing the air. What was it? Was it edible? She wasn't sure she wanted to investigate.

After a lot of sniffing, she cautiously ate the seeds one at a time. This was adorable beyond words.

Very methodical, that hamster. :P Now she was faced with the squash itself. "I'm not so sure about this!"

A cautious nibble, and it was love at first bite. She ate it very slowly, which is really unusual for Newt.

Gah, and look at all that hair. o_O Her coat's getting really shiny, though. I switched her to a better dry food mix, and I think it's making a difference.

Newt-1, Squash-0

Hamsters love crickets

2007-08-28T22:49:59Z

I've learned that hamsters love to catch and eat crickets.

Newt eating crickets is utterly disgusting. Her attempts at catching them are hilarious, though. She'll see a cricket, lunge at it and grab as if to say, "Aha!!" and realize she grabbed bedding instead of cricket. :P Unfortunately, her hunting is too quick for my camera.

Sick again?

2007-08-28T20:47:38Z

I was playing with Newt last night, and she seemed a little less playful than usual. I thought maybe she was just bored with me, and I thought nothing of it. Tonight, she was behaving the same way. She sniffed around and nibbled on yogurt, but she didn't scamper and climb as much as usual.

Her fur's not ruffled, and her eyes are still bright, with no discharge. It doesn't look like her breathing is labored, and her nose isn't wet. She's drinking tons of water, but is maybe eating a little less than usual. It's hard to tell with a hamster, since they hide more food than they eat. Her face seems to be a little thinner.

I don't know if she's tired, or depressed, or if it's something more serious. I haven't had her long enough to know what her usual behavior is, but tonight was the first time she nodded off while outside her cage:

It's probably nothing, but I want to check it out anyway. It could be anything--she came out of a dumpster, after all. I have to work Thursday, but I think I'm going to call my vet Friday if Newt doesn't perk up.

Newt Overload

2007-08-27T04:59:05Z

I think Cute Overload should be renamed Newt Overload. Just sayin'. ~_^ I got Newt a new toy yesterday, which she inspected with interest:

But this was the spot where she'd had a cardboard tube. "Where's the tube?!"

"There's the tube! OMG, why is it up there?!"

LOL, hamster butt!! :P

Hamsters have a fatal flaw, which is that they cannot back up when they get stuck in something. So I took the tube out of her house and laid it to the side. Newt looked at me like I'm crazy.

Incidentally, I put the paper towel in her tank Sunday after changing her bedding, hoping that she'd chew it up to make a nest. Instead, she just pulled it halfway into her house to make a sort of entrance tunnel. >.< I'm happy to say that she's over her dehydration, though. Her ears are up straight now, and she takes regular breaks at the water bottle.

And one last, hilarious thing Newt is doing. She's building a food wall!

We watched her work on that for about fifteen minutes. She'll chew on a piece of food, getting it down to size, then plaster it to the wall. If it doesn't fit, she'll chew on it some more and try again. o_O Some of the food is plastered with her own poop, which is pretty gross. Eeew! But before you go thinking how nasty and dangerous that sounds, I should point out that hamsters are coprophagic. It's part of their digestive process. Newt just gets creative with her poop-eating. >:P

I went and checked out the pet store in our shopping center yesterday. I can say with a fair amount of confidence that Newt did not come from there. They only had two Siberian dwarf hamsters. Everything else was lizards and fish. So the guys next door aren't hamster-tossing assholes! :D While I was there, I bought the hollowed-out log for Newt. It was the only one they had, and it was too fun to pass up.