Post by Die Fledermaus on Mar 15, 2004 2:15:52 GMT -4
Rainy died at 1:30 AM on March 10th, 2004. 
Her illness was a long one lasting months that was first seen by a stiff right rear leg that slowly worsened for no apparent reason. Eventually she could not forage long without falling over on her side or back and being unable to get up, requiring me to hand feed her. Near the end she was in real discomfort. It had been diagnosed as brain cancer, or some other untreatable neurological disorder. 
At the end, I was almost glad it was over.
Rainy was my Syrian hamster matriarch. I got her on Jan. 3, 2003 at about 6 PM - a cold very wet rainy night; hence, her name. I keep her dry and warm wrapped in towels in my gym bag under an umbrella. She came from a tank with no males and did not appear pregnant - but she was and had a litter on Jan 9th, 2003. As she was so sweet and gentle (why I took her home) I kept all the babies: nine of them are still here and incredibly docile; only three have died over the past 14 months. Rainy was a very gentle and patient mother and a sweet hamster - all her children are like her.
Gone are Larry the runt (dead at three weeks); Peter a lovely "panda bear" who died almost exactly a year ago on March 17th, and Ringy a daughter who, like Peter, suddenly died for no apparent reason last January. Surviving Rainy are her children Onyx, Boudicca, Zeb, Raven, Theodora, Hypatia, Makeeda, Ebony, and Zenobia. Stanley and the all-white Blanche are her grandchildren (the parents are Makeeda and Zeb - he escaped once!).
Rainy sleeping with two of her babies.
Rainy eating her cottage cheese (when she was nursing).
Rainy and some of her babies.
Note her right ear - distinctive for the little hole in the middle of it.
All of my deceased pets will be buried, deep, together in a famous cemetery here in NYC, in a secluded place early in the Spring. (They are currently in the freezer).
Good-by, Rainy.
BTW, indeed, the babies were super-cute, but please do not breed unless you are willing to care for every one, as I am doing. And it is nice to do so.
Her illness was a long one lasting months that was first seen by a stiff right rear leg that slowly worsened for no apparent reason. Eventually she could not forage long without falling over on her side or back and being unable to get up, requiring me to hand feed her. Near the end she was in real discomfort. It had been diagnosed as brain cancer, or some other untreatable neurological disorder. At the end, I was almost glad it was over. Rainy was my Syrian hamster matriarch. I got her on Jan. 3, 2003 at about 6 PM - a cold very wet rainy night; hence, her name. I keep her dry and warm wrapped in towels in my gym bag under an umbrella. She came from a tank with no males and did not appear pregnant - but she was and had a litter on Jan 9th, 2003. As she was so sweet and gentle (why I took her home) I kept all the babies: nine of them are still here and incredibly docile; only three have died over the past 14 months. Rainy was a very gentle and patient mother and a sweet hamster - all her children are like her.
Gone are Larry the runt (dead at three weeks); Peter a lovely "panda bear" who died almost exactly a year ago on March 17th, and Ringy a daughter who, like Peter, suddenly died for no apparent reason last January. Surviving Rainy are her children Onyx, Boudicca, Zeb, Raven, Theodora, Hypatia, Makeeda, Ebony, and Zenobia. Stanley and the all-white Blanche are her grandchildren (the parents are Makeeda and Zeb - he escaped once!).
Rainy sleeping with two of her babies.
Rainy eating her cottage cheese (when she was nursing).
Rainy and some of her babies.
Note her right ear - distinctive for the little hole in the middle of it.
All of my deceased pets will be buried, deep, together in a famous cemetery here in NYC, in a secluded place early in the Spring. (They are currently in the freezer).
Good-by, Rainy.
BTW, indeed, the babies were super-cute, but please do not breed unless you are willing to care for every one, as I am doing. And it is nice to do so.
