This article is written for HuHam Bond, a new series of short stories celebrating the close human-hamster bond and friendship. Check out how you can submit your story here.
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Written by forum member viggysidney for her hamster, Viggy Sidney
He knew I was his mommy, and loved me unconditionally. I never saw him as a pet, but a friend who helped me cope with the hardships of life.
My life with Viggy Sidney was like no other. Ever since I first got him, it was love at first sight. I remember watching him sit by the glass window looking around without bothering anybody. He was the only hamster they had and I knew he was the one. The store had a variety of hamster supplies and you bet I got them all! He was spoiled since day one. When I arrived home, I introduced him as the new member of the family. He was so friendly that he let everyone hold him. We even played a little bit with him, before putting him inside his new home.
He didn’t talk, but his presence filled not only my heart, but also the hearts of anyone who saw him.
He adjusted to his new home very quickly, and I remember running home from school as soon as class ended, because I missed him so much. My mom would keep an eye on him while I was at school and she would always tell me the different sleeping positions she would find him in. One of them was lying on his back while snoring with his legs stretched. After a couple of days, he began to recognize my voice, and stood up to greet me whenever I came back to my room. Every time he heard me come into my room with a bag, he knew I had something for him. He enjoyed carrot snacks, rollinis, and “Nut Kracker” sticks. He never accepted organic food, no matter how many times I tried. Our favourite things to do were dancing, watching movies, and playing video games. However, it wasn’t all about playing. Viggy Sidney was a great listener and provided me comfort. If I wanted to rub his back, he stopped (even if he was busy), so I could do so and then, he would go back to what he was doing. There were times, when he gave me a bit of an attitude, but it was the funniest thing he could ever do. He was naturally potty trained, and he made a little toilet room under the stairs. He would dig a whole, do his business and then cover it up like a little dog, and give me one of his “looks” if I interrupted him. Sometimes, he would do his business inside his igloo, and he made sure of letting me know of it by throwing a tantrum! He used to come out of his igloo and sat in a corner staring at me, until I cleaned it. He literally would not move until I showed him that it was clean! Even when he did that, he was still special.
He was ready to go, but he wouldn’t go until, he knew I was ready.
He knew I was his mommy, and loved me unconditionally. I never saw him as a pet, but a friend who helped me cope with the hardships of life. He didn’t talk, but his presence filled not only my heart, but also the hearts of anyone who saw him. He was small, but his soul was the biggest. As he passed away, I told him how grateful I was for having him in my life. He was ready to go, but he wouldn’t go until, he knew I was ready. He lay on my bed where I provided him comfort just as he did to me during his life. He wanted to be in his home for his final moment, so I put him inside his igloo, but he crawled out with all the strength that he had left and went to his favourite corner. The corner where he stood to greet me, where he waited for me to clean his igloo, where he moved his head up to say his final good-bye, as I told him how much I loved him and that it was okay to cross the Rainbow bridge. I painted a plant pot, which was his final resting place. After I closed the pot, a rainbow appeared in the sky. He sent it to me to let me know he was okay and that he wanted me to be happy. He was loyal until the end.
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Credits: HH Designer Maremoto for designing the lovely logo, dusty and maremoto for coming up with the name for this series.
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