My Christmas wish granted.

I got just what I wanted for Christmas.

Santa brought me my escapee dormouse....although it may have had something to do with some chopped peanuts as well.

Merry Christmas One And All.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

We all hope you have a fantastic Christmas and enjoy it as much as my gorgeous Audi intends to.

He is very well organised and has all he needs to make the most of this festive season.




"Its not Terrys its mine"

Tescos were kind enough to make Audi sized mince pies this year. Mmmmmm yum :)

Osmosis..the best ever Duprasi.

Osmosis.

I was given this glorious little boy because his previous owners said he bit people so they were going to put him to sleep.

A real lover of meal worms and wax worms but a hater of sand baths.

Osmo was a real super star.

I loved him to bits but very sadly he left us on the 7th of December, I miss him loads.

The Pygmy Mice get a delux new house.

I was lucky enough to find a fantastic huge tank.....

.......and they love it.

Theyre wonderful little creatures, the water bottle may be huge but it doesnt stop them.

African Pygmy Dormice...too cute.

I have to admit I am now totally addicted to Exotic Rodents.

The pygmy mice are amazing........ then Andrew gave me Ozmo, the Duprasi, who was a total one off......


.....then Claire gave me Fandango the locust eating monster Spiney Mouse.

Then I was given the opportunity to buy these cuties


......is it me or are they too cute :)


Since writing this post one of the Dormice has escaped and is living in my cellar.



I want them back home....wish me luck.

Fandango the Spiney Mouse.

This is my wonderful Spiney mouse.

We called her Fandango.

Unfortunately her sisters bullied her and bit her very badly around the neck. She had to be separated from them and now she lives with me.

She is really great fun and loves to chase and eat locusts.

Both her ears were badly bitten by her sisters.

.....but now she has her own place she is really happy.

Modern art.

This piece has been created by one of my new mums.... Tabasheer.

Not only is she a wonderful mother she is also a hopeful entrant for next years Turner Prize .

This piece is as yet untitled but is depicting the need for us all to recycle.

Tabasheer is very creative.

Recycle loo roll middles ... its environmentally friendly and such fun.

Campbells Dwarf Hamsters.

I wanted to post these photos to show that Campbells Dwarf hamsters don't all bite.

I bred this little girl. She is as yet unnamed but is the daughter of The Pythoness and Zorro.

This is a male Campbell I bought in. As you can see he is really sweet.

Another of my new Campbells, this time a very pretty Argente platinum mottled. Again showing how easy they are to handle.

The Pythoness and Zorro

My first breeding pair of Campbells.

Zorro (left) and The Pythoness.

They both love mealworms....yummy.


A very pregnant Pye just a few days before she had her babies.


Pye is a beautiful Mottled Agouti. This photo shows her amazing ruby eyes.

Pye having a drink.

Zorro is Black and White Mottled. His markings looked just like a mask so that's how he got his name.

Zoz has a wash.

Pye and her babies.

I just cant get the staff.

I'm so sorry for the recent lack of postings.

I have been setting up new pairs and working really hard to make sure the hamsters aren't affected by the credit crunch.

My P.A Audacio (pictured here ) hasn't yet come to terms with Windows Vista so we have had a communication black out. Normal blogging should resume very soon.

Thanks for your patience. Lydia

Chiaroscuro...A Tale Of Two Ears....Part 1.

Chiaroscuro and Mistletoe.

This a tragic love story.

Luckily neither the hero or heroine die...but they might have done.

I'm posting this to show all the people who want to keep more than one Winter White together what can happen when it goes wrong.

I have to stress that this, although distressing, was a mild attack.



He absolutely adored her... kisses all around.....all the time..
I paired them on the 5th of December, I hoped that they would be a lovely new Pearl pairing for 2009....and be together for life, as most Winters mate for lifer.
She is a beautiful, almost white Pearl and Chiri has the stunning markings of his father Avalanche.






....they spent two weeks making a wonderful home together,
17 days later....thing would be very different.....






....Chiaroscuro,

....my beautiful boy.
One of the models for my blog.......the last photograph I have of him as he was.






Mistletoe attacked Chiri two weeks and 3 days after they were paired.
She bit his back, abdomen and ripped both his ears, nearly removing his right ear. If I hadn't been at home to hear him screaming she may have killed him or caused him such serious wounds that he would die as a result or have to be put to sleep.

One of my boys, Rubellus, died from bite wounds, it was horrible and very upsetting. I didn't realize he was being attacked because he didn't make a sound when she bit him so,when I found him, it was too late. There was not a single mark on the female.

A very distressing photograph of Chiri as he was recuperating.
Taken three days after the attack when I knew he was going to be OK.
He had to have antibiotics from the vet which I had to administer daily.









Another three days on and the wounds are healing well.

Chiri is a strong and resilient boy.

He is very brave, friendly and also doesn't mind the attention he has to have to administer the medication he needs.









Another 3 days and he is doing really well.

Here, being held by my mum, he is showing what a lovely temperament he has.

You can still see how sore and injured his right ear is.

Chiaroscuro...A Tale Of Two Ears.....Part Two.

Chiaroscuro's ears are mending really well, as you can see in this photograph taken on the 3rd of January.

Mistletoe was pregnant.

This may have been why she attacked him.....his babies were born on the 5th of January, a week and a day after she attacked him.

The babies are gorgeous.
One grey, one sapphire and five pearls. One very dark and one very pale.

Sleeping peacefully.

Mistletoe is a brilliant mum, although she wasn't so kind to Chiri, she has raised the most wonderful seven babies.

All grown up....the magnificent seven are so beautiful.

It's hard sometimes to spot the babies from the bedding, thy're so pale.

They are still only 4 weeks old today.... they're huge for their age.

Chiaroscuro was given a clean bill of health by my amazing vet. His ear is still mending but still really tender. He may well have nerve damage.

Poor Chiri has had a horrible experience but has got through it mostly intact. I have lost hamsters from biting wounds. This is why I won't sell two hamsters together when all someone wants is a pet.

Do you believe it would be worth risking any of this?

Screamers and "Swearers"..Are they Monsters? ..NO.. Not at all!

Look at this little man, he is gorgeous, but he's a Screamer or "Swearer" (as I call them).
His language would make EMINEM blush.... :)

He is beautiful and calm and sweet and would make anyone a fantastic and loving pet.

Winter White Dwarf hamsters can sometimes be very vocal. I have talked about it on my website so I thought it might help people to show what "screaming" or " swearing" looks like.


This is the same little boy with his litter mates, he was quite wary of me looking them but he wasn't worried when I started photographing them.

Then, when I moved some bedding to take better photos he started to Scream or "Swear", you can see his open mouth showing his teeth and see how he raises his hands....

...this time, bearing his teeth again, he is giving his father Hiro a real ear-bending.......

..."Dad I don't like her taking photos of us".

When they scream they raise their front legs and often go up onto their back legs or sometimes they go right over and lie on their backs.

"I hate it"............a typical Swearer, mouth wide open looking very aggressive...but not really and not going to harm anyone. They are as sweet and as kind as the other Winters...but they are just more vocal more and opinionated.............

..."oh no its her again, stop photographing me"...

....."I mean it...leave me alone".....

Just after taking the photos of him swearing I put down the camera, picked him up ant took this photo and the one at the top of this posting. He didn't make a sound when I picked him up and, as you can see, he is a lovely, calm sweet little boy.

I hope to keep this wonderful boy to breed from...his personality is delightful ..his language...well maybe it isn't so sweet.....I love him anyway ...watch this space!