The Life and Times of Bubbles

In the spring of 2007, Mina decided she wanted a hamster. Chris and I were not crazy about the idea, so we told her to do the research and learn about hamsters, and with extra chores she could earn the money to pay for most of the expense, we would help her out. We thought this would be the end of it, that it would be too much work and she would lose interest. She didn't. So in April of 2007, Bubbles the Hamster came to be part of our family. Bubbles was a miniature hamster so when we got her as a toddler she was about 2" long and full grown about 3 1/2" long. Sadly, Bubbles died tonight. We are all heartbroken to have lost such a wonderful and goofy little pet. She was fascinating to watch and much to Chris and my surprise, we loved her as much as Mina did. Bubbles started to be a bit sick last month, and after doing what we could for her, we ended up taking her into the vet last weekend. Unfortunately, it was just time for Bubbles to leave us. So here are pictures I wanted to share, to share the joy that Bubbles brought to our lives.

This was just after we got Bubbles and we were getting her used to us holding her and playing with her.
Mina enjoyed giving Bubbles a wide variety of vacation locations. This one is the Barbie Tent. Bubbles was quite photogenic for a hamster!

This is Bubbles enjoying a snack in her bearing less wheel. If you have ever heard a hamster wheel, you know why we had the bearing less type! Bubbles ran many, many miles in her wheel in her short life.

This is Bubbles playing hide and seek with Mina in one of Mina's doll roller skates. The skate was on loan from Bella, Mina's faithful, loving stuffed companion.

See I told you how photogenic Bubbles was. She is posing cutely, waiting for a nibble of dried fruit bites (specifically for hamsters), a peanut (salted, but not dry roasted) or a pumpkin seed. Her other favorite foods were cucumbers, Cheerios, popcorn, broccoli, and lettuce. She also really loved grapes, but it was creepy that she would eat all of the inside out and then the skins would shrivel up in her cage!

We will miss Bubbles, and though we weren't sure about adding her to the family, we will likely have to find a new hamster soon to help fill the holes in our hearts. She was cute, funny, and even when she was attached to your finger, she was a terrific pet.