This is a little late posting, but four months after the devastating loss of Hammy the Hamster, the niece and nephew got two new hamsters, Dumpling and Sizzle (pictured). They are much smaller and mouse-like compared to the teddybear hamster chunk that was Hammy.
Two months later, the family returned home from dinner to a hamster crime scene: Sizzle was dead! No blood, no sign of struggle. The two had been fighting earlier in the day and had to be separated, but then later they were running tandem on the hamster wheel.
Of course, Maddie blamed herself, and my sister accused Dumpling of murder and was ready to rename him Killer. But no blood or marks on the body? Did the fat one smother poor little Sizzle to death? Would they continue to live with a murderer in the house?
What we really needed was a hamster CSI team.
Unfortunately, one was not available. But I did mention it to my go-to animal expert, Zoo Melanie, and she said that occasionally social hamsters can put so much stress on the other that their hearts can't take it and die. Or, he could have been old or sick and no one knew. That helped console the niece and alleviate her guilt over Sizzle's death.
I think once Dumpling calls it quits they will move on from hamsters. Two hamster deaths within a few months seems a little excessive. There are only so many potted plants you can bury them in before you have a hamster graveyard in your living room.
R.I.P. Sizzle
