My eye was on those hairless hamsters though. About a decade ago I was breeding hamsters for the pet store I worked at, and it was so much fun. When I learned about hairless hamsters I did a ton of research on them and wanted to get into them, but couldn't ever find any for sale. I managed to get some tricolor hamsters and was breeding some pretty interesting colors. Then I got into Satins just before the store closed down. With no pet store and no place to buy hamster cages and supplies, people stopped buying hamsters, and the market went dry. I had to sell them all.
I loved having hamsters. This is the first time in a decade since I first heard of them existing that I found hairless hamsters for sale anywhere near me. Now, you have to have a quick basic knowledge check here. The gene responsible for hairlessness is interlinked with the genetics for mammary development. This is why hairless female hamsters cannot produce milk, and thus all of their babies die. In order to breed hairless hamsters you have to cross a hairless male to a furry female, and then take a carrier female (furry but carries the hairless gene) and breed to a hairless male. The resulting litter will be half hairless and half furry that carry for hairless. All I wanted was one single male to try my hand at breeding again. Imagine my frustration when I found the hairless hamsters in the warming house... two cages, each with one male and one female. Why would they do that!?
The first cage came up and I was quickly outbid and bidding went fast. There were about five people in the crowd vying for them. The first cage sold for more than I could afford to a guy two rows ahead of us. The second cage... I knew this was my only chance. Tony had given me a spending limit (for these hamsters specifically - he thinks they're ugly) and I was pretty sure that wasn't going to cover it. I decided on the spot that I could go hungry and use the money we'd set aside for food to boost my buying power a bit. I bid and hung on for dear life. The bidding wasn't as aggressive this go round, and I managed to sneak away with a winning bid at the highest end of what I could afford.
We did buy one other critter while we were there. A lop buck. Sweet looking rabbit, #2 wanted him to pair to his doe (Quince). Quince is half French Lop and part English Lop. This new guy was labeled as Mini Lop, but there's no way - he's huge. He's currently in quarantine (as all incoming rabbits go through), but we already have a cage space picked out and waiting for him in the barn once he's cleared his hold time. I have not snapped a photo of him due to the cage he came in not really allowing a clear photo and not getting him settled into a decent cage until after dark.
Back to the hamsters though. The photo above was taken in the car on the way home with them. This is the cage they were sold in. The gel and Live Animal sticker on the side indicate they came from out of state. On our way home we went the long way to stop at the pet store to pick up a female furry hamster. Much disappointment - it turns out the local Petsmart only sells male small animals... Male mice, male gerbils, male hamsters, male guinea pigs... no girls at all. When we got home, my husband got on the computer and found that the Petsmart an hour away does have female hamsters, but we were too exhausted to drive anymore.
That's all I remember before I passed out. Husband says I was in a feverish delirium all evening. I didn't eat dinner, I even turned down a cup of coffee one of the kids made for me (and I never turn down a cup of coffee). I passed out on the couch and around midnight my husband had to coax me to go up to bed, where I passed out before waking up feeling much better. These auctions take a lot out of me.
For now the hamsters are still in their little box they came in, though now they have food and water. Tomorrow I plan to dig out all of the supplies to get their permanent homes set up. They will be in glass aquariums to keep out drafts, with lids to keep out the cats. Their bedding will be fabric to avoid scratching their delicate skin, and to make cleaning that much easier. Yes, they will have to be separated. They're both young right now. The female is probably just past weaning age. I'm hoping they're not old enough to have bred yet (but yeah, they're hamsters so...). The plan is to buy a furry female the next time we have the ability and time to go the hour trip (two hours round trip) to the other store. Until then, we're just going to enjoy these two and get them used to handling. I think the little girl may be available for sale soon, since she's of no use as a breeder.
In other news, today little Mercy went off to her new home through the rescue. We will miss her, but we're glad she found a good home that will treat her well.