Friday, February 10, 2006
A day of firsts...Tink chatters, gets prayed for, rides her wheel, sleeps on pink quartz...
So, I have read that hamsters will chatter if they feel threatened (or maybe it's angry?) -- anyhow, it's not a good thing. And for the first time ever, ever, Tink did that today. She normally just bites me, and the degree of viciousness
usually corresponds to how annoyed she is. But today, I let her run around in her ball for a long time, and when I picked her up, I found she had soaked herself. That sometimes happens if she pees while she's in her ball, and then just sits there instead of rolling away. I think when she just sits in her pee, it means she's having a bad diabetic-day.
Plus, she had poo stuck to her back! So, I tried dabbing at her with her towel to dry her off. As usual when she doesn't like it, she gently nipped my fingers a couple of times. But then, without warning, she started making this weird noise. It actually sounds more like "tock-tock-tock", than like "chattering". I really wonder how she does it! She doesn't open her mouth. Maybe it's far back in her throat or something? Does she even HAVE vocal chords?
Anyhow, it's pretty loud, and pretty unmistakeable. I was on the phone with Brett when it happened, and he could hear it on the other end of the line. I must confess, even though I know it's probably a bad sign -- it was kind of a thrill to hear Tink making ANY sort of communicative noise! She's always been silent. There's only a few ways she can make noise...like gnawing on metal, or on her china bowls, or running in her wheel really fast. She also makes a crunching noise, sometimes, when she's sleeping, and I guess she's snacking on something in her pouch. And there's the maraca-like rattle, when I pick her up, and the stuff in her pouches shifts around. But none of those noises are done with vocal-chords/throat/voice, and this one, I think, is!!!
It was very exciting for me.
I talked to my Mom and Dad today, and I told them about that, and my Mom wondered if maybe she was feeling bad -- like she had a headache or something? Probably so, I told them. They were very sorry for her, and they said they would put her on their Prayer Chain List. I have great faith in their Prayer Chain List, actually, so I was super-pleased that Tink was going on it. This is the first time they've EVER put a pet on their list, I think. We couldn't think -- between us -- whether there was a patron saint of pets? I'm sure there is, but we couldn't think who, unless it was St. Francis, or maybe St. Blas, on whose saint-day you can bring your pets in to get blessed.
You know what...I should find out when that is. Tink can use all the blessings she can get, at this point!! Poor sweetie.
Well here are some pictures for you....today she was spontaneously climbing her little house and trying to hang from the screen -- she hasn't done that in ages. I think she has to be feeling very energetic. She falls off, eventually, but she went in for a couple of rounds of it today. Once she jumped from her house to the top of the wheel, and then of course it rolled, and she got dumped off. That was the first time I've ever seen her do THAT, too.
I was wondering if she was hot, maybe, today? It felt warm in this back room. I put her pink quartz rock in the freezer to chill it, and gave her an ice cube, in case she WAS hot. But she ignored both the ice and her rock. Later, though, I found her sleeping on it. That's another first. For this particular rock, anyhow.
usually corresponds to how annoyed she is. But today, I let her run around in her ball for a long time, and when I picked her up, I found she had soaked herself. That sometimes happens if she pees while she's in her ball, and then just sits there instead of rolling away. I think when she just sits in her pee, it means she's having a bad diabetic-day.
Plus, she had poo stuck to her back! So, I tried dabbing at her with her towel to dry her off. As usual when she doesn't like it, she gently nipped my fingers a couple of times. But then, without warning, she started making this weird noise. It actually sounds more like "tock-tock-tock", than like "chattering". I really wonder how she does it! She doesn't open her mouth. Maybe it's far back in her throat or something? Does she even HAVE vocal chords?
Anyhow, it's pretty loud, and pretty unmistakeable. I was on the phone with Brett when it happened, and he could hear it on the other end of the line. I must confess, even though I know it's probably a bad sign -- it was kind of a thrill to hear Tink making ANY sort of communicative noise! She's always been silent. There's only a few ways she can make noise...like gnawing on metal, or on her china bowls, or running in her wheel really fast. She also makes a crunching noise, sometimes, when she's sleeping, and I guess she's snacking on something in her pouch. And there's the maraca-like rattle, when I pick her up, and the stuff in her pouches shifts around. But none of those noises are done with vocal-chords/throat/voice, and this one, I think, is!!!
It was very exciting for me.
I talked to my Mom and Dad today, and I told them about that, and my Mom wondered if maybe she was feeling bad -- like she had a headache or something? Probably so, I told them. They were very sorry for her, and they said they would put her on their Prayer Chain List. I have great faith in their Prayer Chain List, actually, so I was super-pleased that Tink was going on it. This is the first time they've EVER put a pet on their list, I think. We couldn't think -- between us -- whether there was a patron saint of pets? I'm sure there is, but we couldn't think who, unless it was St. Francis, or maybe St. Blas, on whose saint-day you can bring your pets in to get blessed.
You know what...I should find out when that is. Tink can use all the blessings she can get, at this point!! Poor sweetie.
Well here are some pictures for you....today she was spontaneously climbing her little house and trying to hang from the screen -- she hasn't done that in ages. I think she has to be feeling very energetic. She falls off, eventually, but she went in for a couple of rounds of it today. Once she jumped from her house to the top of the wheel, and then of course it rolled, and she got dumped off. That was the first time I've ever seen her do THAT, too.
I was wondering if she was hot, maybe, today? It felt warm in this back room. I put her pink quartz rock in the freezer to chill it, and gave her an ice cube, in case she WAS hot. But she ignored both the ice and her rock. Later, though, I found her sleeping on it. That's another first. For this particular rock, anyhow. Hmm. Maybe the Prayer Chain is working....maybe that's why she seems so playful, all of a sudden....
Or maybe she got heat-stroke, and this is the beginning of the end...
Sigh. Ah well, bed time for me. There she goes, climbing her house again -- all lively at the beginning of her "day" and the ending of mine!
