Miss Nutmeg

I didn't think I could care for and love another creature like I do my kitties, Sparta and Piddy Paws. But then Stuart and I got this little hamster! She's just the cutest and happiest thing in the world, and I love her to death! I want to squeeze her, but that would be literally loving her to death!

Sparta planning his move

The noticeable change since we first got her at the end of April is astounding. When she first arrived in our little apartment, Nutmeg was just a little bit of a hamster who needed to be chased around her cage before you could hold her. She didn't like to be held, didn't want to be touched, and ate only what Stuart calls "her Cheerios" food. Now, she's a chunky girl that has grown nearly twice her original size and eats anything we put in front of her... including Cheez-Its.

The best change has been now when you open her cage lid, she usually runs to her igloo house and perches on the roof in a perfect manner to be swooped up so she can play in her ball. She knows that if the lid comes off, she's either getting food or going for a run, and she loves it!! I had my doubts at first as to whether the websites were right in saying hamsters could be tamed. But, her memory and intelligence are remarkable, something I never suspected from a small rodent. Believe me, I was happy to be proved wrong because it's a delight to see her so ready and eager to interact with Stuart and myself.

Out of her new foods of fresh fruits and veggies, her favorite is blueberries. Morgan recently picked five pounds of fresh blueberries, and Nutmeg has been in Hammy Heaven! There is no greater joy in my day than watching this little creature nibble and consume an entire blueberry that's nearly as big as her head in one sitting. Immediately after, her blue paws and face get a good  scrub down then she's back on her wheel running like mad.

I wonder how she does that! If I were to eat a blueberry-to-hamster-scale equivalent meal then go running on a large wheel for five minutes straight, I'd get the worst stomach cramps in the world! It doesn't even phase her! She could gobble down a kernel of corn, two sunflower seeds, and a chunk of fresh broccoli stem and still run without flagging for five to ten minutes. She's incredibly athletic and really puts away the food.
Her favorite toy is, of course, her wheel. If Morgan or I ever have to remove it momentarily to oil the spoke, Nutmeg throws a fit! She runs up and down her cage and about in circles where the wheel used to be in a complete tizzy. Morgan's first suggestion when we first got her was to remove the wheel if it got too squeaky and kept us up at night.
"But what is she going to do for fun?" I had asked.
"She'll be fine," Morgan assured me.
But as soon as I saw how she reacted, I put my foot down! It was downright cruel to take her wheel away.

Later, we decided to fix the squeaky wheel problem by getting the new Silent Spinner (If you click on the link, do you see how the rat seems to be coming off the side??). It's a giant bowl turned sideways and while it really is silent, it wasn't to Nutmeg's liking. Since Morgan was I work, I was the one who introduced the new wheel. My heart broke! First, Nutmeg explored the cage looking for her old and favored toy. Then, she tested the new wheel and promptly fell off. The size of wheel we purchased was too thin for her long and chunky frame. There was also a knob in the center that she was too tall for and the side of the bowl rubbed against her fur in an annoying manner. One of the saddest things I've ever seen was when she went to the opposite corner of her cage and just huddled down to do nothing. 
"She doesn't like it," I texted Morgan that night. "She's getting her old wheel back. She's clearly upset!"
She's running on that wheel, now warped and squeaky, right now! These days, hamster and cage get placed underneath the dining room table when we can't take the squeaks anymore!

The horrible Silent Spinner

Squeaks aside, Nutmeg has been the perfect pet for Morgan and I to further our relationship by sharing the responsibilities of caring for a living animal. Both of us adore her and her silly antics of making the perfect nest inside her igloo, charging down the hallway in her Run-About ball, and stuffing food as big as her head into her cheek pouches. When I leave in August, Nutmeg will be staying here in Raleigh with Morgan. I will miss her dearly! But... as she loves riding in the car, Morgan will be able to bring her down every time he visits!!

With Sparta and Nutmeg