Recently, I was going through some stuff: a medical issue, some family problems, and worries about school. So, as most depressed college freshmen do in this situation, I bought a hamster.
A long haired Syrian hamster named Ed, to be exact, named after Ed Warren the demonologist and parapsychologist. I thought of getting him while I was watching The Conjuring 2, so it seemed fitting. I uber-ed myself over to a pet store with a good friend in tow and went looking for my future little buddy. When we approached the small rodent display, I saw a fluffy little grey and white hamster running super fast on his wheel. He was really getting into it, in the middle of the day (hamsters are generally nocturnal so this was weird). He caught my eye immediately and I knew that he was the one for me.
I bought Ed about $100 worth of toys, food, bedding, and enrichment activities that day. Waiting at home was a big Tupperware tub and lots of love, and I couldn’t wait until Ed got to experience it all. We waited for our returning Uber on the curb, opening his little cardboard carrier and petting him as it began to rain. I got Ed and lost him, both on rainy days.
When we brought him home, I quickly set up his enclosure, full of different chew toys, a brand new wheel for him to run on, and a few tunnels for him to crawl in. He loved the cardboard tubes that we tossed in there, running through them like a little maniac. When we first put him in the enclosure, he immediately ran to the wheel and began racing laps, just like he did when I first found him.
For two weeks, Ed was the center of my life. My entire friend group got to meet him, see his many pictures, and he even became the star of an Instagram account where I posted my favorite pictures of him. He was awake all day, and slept all night, different from what I’d heard about hamsters and their sleeping habits. He never bit anyone, never scratched anyone, and loved to give kisses to whoever was holding him. He also pooped about twice every minute, but we all let that slide. Everyone who met or saw him, loved him. Even my hamster hating mother fell in love.
There was a lot of good in Ed’s life. I hand fed him strawberries and spinach, his two favorite foods, for dessert every night, despite my being allergic to berries. He got to roam around free, under my supervision, when he wanted, but we also gave him space for when he needed to hide or bury himself in his bedding. He was so full of love, running up to whoever put their hand in his tank so that he could get pets from them. And when he drank water, he would put his little hands on the nozzle like a baby drinking from a bottle.
Suffice to say, he was incredible. He was all I could think about for the few weeks that I had him. Then, on Sunday, he passed away in his sleep due to a neurological issue. Earlier in the day, he had been displaying weird signs of rocking back and forth, his little hands would clench up for hours, and he wouldn’t eat or drink. I went to bed worried, and woke up the next morning to his body curled up like he was sleeping, only he was much colder than usual.
I put him in a Triscuit box, stuffed with his bedding and a handful of notes from those who loved him. It took me a few minutes to cry, but once I did, I couldn’t stop. He was gone, part of me felt like it was my fault, and so many people loved to meet him but now they can never hold his little body like I did. I felt bad for all of the people that he did meet, who now had to miss him, but even more so those who never had the pleasure, because they majorly missed out.
Ed very well may have been against the rules of my living situation, but I don’t care. He changed me and my friends for the better, even though he wasn’t with us for long. He was a special little guy who entranced everyone who saw him. And I miss him dearly.
I have too many supplies to throw away, so Ed’s home will soon be inhabited once more, by a lovely hamster we have preemptively named Lo Mein (affectionately based off of Ed Warren’s wife’s name: Lorraine). But I know, deep down, I can never replace him. He was just too good.
Featured Image by Finn-E via Unsplash
