My new(ish) Chinese hamster is doing very well. Contrary to the impression I had gotten from my research, she isn’t shy or skittish — she’ll happily run about her cage while my hands in there and is not shy at all in taking food from me. She’s not a fan of being held, but I don’t think I would be either if a giant tried to pick me up!
I’m a pretty laid-back owner who isn’t bothered about hands on interaction, so she suits me just fine. 
She’s a pretty poor Chinchilla substitute though, if I’m honest. It’s no slight against her; she’s a lovely pet. I just miss Magic and Gypsy terribly; sometimes it still surprises me when I walk into a chinchilla-free bedroom. Or when I walk past chinchilla toys in a pet store. As a matter of fact, walking past the dog things still upsets me, and it’s been over two years since both of my family dogs died! Apparently I take a while to get over dead pets.
Back to Penny! I took some photos of her last week, so here they are:
- Look how she's gripping my finger! So charming.
- Trying to decide whether to jump!
- Not happy about being woken up!
- Finally ready to go back to her freshly-cleaned cage.
- Peering out from underneath a bridge.
Aw, she’s adorable! I love the pictures of her burrowed under the shavings.
My first pet was a hamster named Candy, and I cried and cried when she passed away. I still haven’t fully gotten over the death of our family dog, Nate, either. It’s hard to move on after the loss of a beloved pet.