Cosmo and George arrived at the Zamora residence on April 18, 2000. They are a pair of Russian Dwarf Hamsters and utterly adorable. We introduced them into their new home and they immediately began to explore.
Cosmo and George are now one year old. They decided, sadly, that they could not live together as friends. Cosmo, once the timid one, suddenly turned aggressive and for George's sanity, they were separated.
The hammies also now have new homes. They told us quite clearly that they were very unhappy with the plastic cages and requested new Safari cages. They're new homes are loft style apartments with wheels, one tower each, and a round about for storing food. Both hamsters enjoy their luxurious dust baths and running in their balls at night. While fairly antisocial, they are quick to come gnaw on their bars whenever Joe or I are sighted and let us know their desires - anything from a chunk of apple to a ride in their balls!
Jump to Joe & Patti Zamora's Web Page
Choosing Cosmo and George
Joe and I searched everywhere for a store that had healthy Russian Dwarf Hamsters. We spent hours on the phone, searching on the internet, and driving to various stores until finally we found a small store that had one litter of 8 week old Russian Dwarves...
I drove to the pet store and found an adorable, active group of hamsters just waiting for a home. I chose Cosmo right away - he was an active hamster who seemed friendly and anxious to come to the Zamora hamster haven. George was a bit harder to choose, because we needed another boy. We looked at several hamsters and finally found this roly-poly guy who seemed very nice. He is bigger (so far) than Cosmo, so once he was in my carry-home, I sat down and watched them together.
They played for a little while and then settled down in for a nap under the pine bedding. Since they cuddled down together, I decided they were a pair and home they came.
Photo Gallery
Here are some photos of our lovely new friends. We will definitely add more photos as they grow and change. So far, most of the photos are of Cosmo since George has only recently made it to the top of the cage... George is calmer than Cosmo, but they both love to play. If we visit them late at night, they can usually be found running in the same wheel - or rolling around together in a ball of play fighting fun!
Movie Clip
This link (click here) is to a video clip of Cosmo and George on their wheel. It is a bit large (1.74mb AVI file) but it's definitely worth it. I filmed it in the dark with my camcorder in night mode. Both hamsters are running in the wheel together at the same time and it is a crack up! Please note: I did not speed this tape up - you have to see it to believe it!
Hamster Links
Please follow my links below to find some wonderful hamster sites. The first seems to be the most informative site on the 'net (which is why I didn't presume to include any tips on caring for hammies) and is maintained and authored by Lorraine Hill. The others are sites I have found in my travels on the web.
The Complete Hamster SiteThis is an outstanding website that gives comprehensive hamster information.
Bianca and Bernard's Home Sweet HomeThis is Ghislaine's hamster website with LOADS of wonderful photos and some really great links.
This site is dedicated to the memory of our dearly departed friend Sammy. May he find food aplently, ladies a-lovin', and land to roam in hamster heaven.