Giveaway

Alright, only a few days 'til the new year, and here comes the New Years giveaway.

I'm waiting for some more responses from Etsy stores and the like, but I've got one 'yes' that just has to be negotiated.

HAMSTER 1x1 inch Images Digital Collage Sheet Download and Print (2-196)

Thank you Alexandra for the generous sponsorship, and check out her Etsy shop, Artvision!

So, this is how the entries system stands so far:

 If you are eligible for any of these entries, comment on this post, (aka: "I follow your blog, 1 entry.")

Mandatory Entry: Follow this blog. 1 entry,
Extra Entries: Friend Rory on Facebook 1 entry,
'Like' the Inky the Hamster Mommy Blog page  2 entries,
Blog about (and link to) this giveaway 3 entries,
Buy something from Artvision (link above) 5 entries,
Tell me what you would do with the prize (really, I want to know!) 6 entries

Thanks for being awesome followers,
Inky

Hey, world!

Sorry for the lack of posts, getting some end-of-the-year slash giveaway stuff done... right now I'm at a tech store typing this on their demo MacBook Pro, so I should probably get off, but I'm just online to post some cute hamster pix to hold your hamster-cuteness meters for a while...

Thanks for bearing with me and my hectic holidays,
Inky

Pinterest

Rory has a Pinterest page! 

Check it out! 

Inky

Looking toward the New Year!

To start off this post, take a look at this.

I'm actually going to try it when January spins around for sign-up, I think. I'll be busy this April!

Anyhow, here are so photos from last night.

TIP OF THE DAY: Otherwise boring food becomes instantly desirable of placed out of reach. When I stuck bread through the cage bars, Rory was suddenly interested.

Wait... one last thought!

Wheatgrass-- The Hamster Gift that Keeps Giving

Yes, I know this post title sounds like a cheesy insurance company slogan.

But, wheatgrass is truly a great hamster gift, and the one that I gave Rory. Wheatgrass is good for the immune system and offers nutritious fiber to growing hamsters. Plus, it just plain tastes good.

So, here's Rory enjoying her Christmas gift.

Wheatgrass is probably the easiest thing on earth to grow... just water it every day and it sprouts in less that a week.

Finally signing off from blogging today,

Inky and Rory

Hammie Holiday Happiness!

Merry Christmas, world!

{thinking about that giveaway I promised at the end of the year}

So, I was surfing the web today, looking for delicious holiday dinners for Rory, and I found this site. I've blogged about this before, so I scrolled down until I found the Hamster Birthday/Holiday Cake. Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 slice of wheat bread
1/4 cup of mixed fruits(bananas, strawberries, apples)
3 baby carrots
4 chopped up milk bone dog treats

Cut the crust off the wheat bread.

Put the mixed fruit, carrots, in a blender for about 10 seconds.

Spread the blended fruit/carrots on bread.

Sprinkle chopped dog treats on top.

Let sit for 2 hours or until topping gel (carrots/fruit) cakes the top of the bread.

Cut into 6 small pieces.

Feed to your hamster, and your hamster's hamster friends at his/her next holiday/birthday party!

Yum... sounds great.
Because of my broken blender, I revised it so that I would merely crush the fruit up into little pieces and place it on top of the bread like garnish. Let's take a look at the result.

Whole wheat bread {Whole Foods 365 Daily Value} and dog biscuits {Mother Nature Oven-Baked Chicken}

Organic carrot

Dicing the carrot....

... into bite-sized pieces

Carrots and dog biscuits arranged on bread.

With a little fruit and yogurt drops...

Place setting

 Rory ready to eat!

 

 

Yum yum yum

Merry Christmas from Inky and Rory!

Merry Christmas Eve!

I'm still wrapping gift after gift after gift, but the main stress of the Christmas season is over. Whooo-hoo!

Anyhow, for those who are done with gifts and ready to be extravagant to make Christmas day special for their hamster, here is how to do it.

• Check out tomorrow's post. I will definitely be trying out some recipes that I found online and there will be a cooking post. 
• Do some Googling! Lots of people have set out on an adventure to make Christmas special for their hamster, and probably blogged about it. Plus, a little adorable entertainment has never hurt anyone. 
• Set up a winter wonderland for your hamster to wake up to. I'm envisioning ornaments, glitter, trees, the whole shebang. 

Beautiful... imagine being a hamster and waking up to a miniature version of this!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Yours in holiday spirit, 

Inky

Christmas ADVENT Post: Cute Holiday Hams

So, my busy life gave me a minute to write this post.

See, I meant to do a Christmas ADVENT Post every single day to give my readers little tidbits of Christmas hamster info... but no. So now I'm sitting here at my laptop watching How I Met Your Mother reruns on CBS and writing this post.

As you can see, I don't have a whole lot of time, so I'm just posting some cute hamster pix for you to enjoy.

Happy Holidays!

Yours in Christmas spirit,

Inky

Christmas ADVENT Post: Gifts for Hamsters

Rory officially has a Christmas stocking.

Since the holidays are nearly upon us, I thought I'd start a gift-giving list for hamster owners.

After all-- they're worth it.

HAMSTER GIFT LIST 2011

• Kaytee Hamster Treats - This page has almost every kind of treat imaginable, yogurt drops, seed sticks, chew biscuits, Nutra-Puffs, and my favorite, yogurt-dipped timothy hay. What I recommend:  Rory enjoys the yogurt drops (in conservative moderation, because these are very fatty) and the yogurt-dipped timothy hay. The Healthy Bits, which are basically compressed seeds, are either-or for her, depending on mood-- sometimes she loves them and sometimes she has to step on them before noticing their presence. 
• Super Pet-- Hamster Toys - The place to get pet toys, treats, et cetera. What I recommend: Rory has the Kritter Kabob and loves it, as well as an almost infinite amount of chew toys from this company. LOVELOVELOVE.
•  Remember "it's-the-thought-that-counts," that feeling that authenticity should be part of the holidays? Well, bring on the tasty homemade hamster treats! Go here and here for tons of hamster-friendly treat recipes. (check back later, because I am completely trying those recipes out!)

That's the abridged hamster gift list for now. Good luck hamster shopping!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

CHRISTMAS HAMSTER OF THE DAY

This photo from acuteaday.com

 Yours in holiday spirit,

Inky

Chirstmas ADVENT Post: Hamster Christmas Cards

With the holidays coming around, you know that annual ordeal of writing cards to every last family member, that unwritten rule that demands you wish every one of your second-cousins-twice-removed a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

So, being a hamster lover, I decided to go online and just take a look at exactly what Christmas cards are out there featuring our favorite rodent.

Etsy
The crafter's haven offered several adorable hamster-themed Christmas cards.

Cute Dwarf Hamster Anime Girl Christmas Card

Christmas Hamster Cards and Envelopes Set of Six

Hamsters Winter Cards

Have a Happy Holiday/Have a Merry Christmas

Zazzle

The Hamster Christmas Card Page!  Go there to see a list of all the card links. 

Cafepress

Gorgeous portrayal of a Syrian hamster wreathed in, well, wreaths!

Syrian Hamster Christmas Cards 

Happy Holidays, everyone!

CHRISTMAS HAMSTER OF THE DAY

This photo from thedigeratilife.com

OH! WAITWAITWAITWAIT!

I just discovered something that I (sorry,guys!) forgot in the Rodent Holidays Playlist. Here it is.

Yours in holiday spirit,

Inky

Christmas ADVENT Post: Charities Benefiting Small Animals

With the holidays coming around, there are two things you hear most people are buying.

1. Presents (big surprise there)
2. Money donated to charities in the name of the gift receiver 

This post focuses on the latter of the two.
There are literally zillions of charities out there with mottoes like "donate and save a horse," "donate and save a dog," "donate and save an African elephant," et cetera.

But where are all the charities that benefit hamsters in need? What happens to unwanted rats?

Below is a list of several charities that benefit small animals.

ZAMS Animal Charity- Small Animals
The link above opens a Causes page that allows you to join the Facebook Cause, at which point you can donate. The money goes toward the SPCA International. For more info, check out the ZAMS Club Animal Charity page.

Animal Care Trust-- Queen Mother Hospital for Animals
This is a UK animal hospital (in affiliation with the Royal Veterinary College) that includes a small animal hospital. The money goes to funding for the hospital in areas such as equipment. For more info, check out the ACT's Charity Choice page.

PetSmart Charities
Browse around for charities benefiting almost any animal.

Sussex Pet Rescue
This charity rescues some small companion animals like ferrets and guinea pigs. Click to donate.

Cavy Rescue
This charity is my favorite in the bunch. It applies to almost every small companion animal.

• Chinchillas
• Degus (yes, I am also saying "what the heck is a degu?" For degu info, go here.)
• Gerbils
• Guinea Pigs
• Hamsters
• Mice
• Rabbits
• Rats

Affiliated Rescues give you several more small animal rescues to choose from.



Happy Holidays, everyone!

CHRISTMAS HAMSTER OF THE DAY

This photo from djibnet.com

Yours in holiday spirit,

Inky

Rory vs. Ribbons, a Christmas Photoshoot

This commences your cute-ification for the evening.
Yours,
Inky

All-time Best Photo

What you wouldn't necessarily notice, just reading this blog, is that I take zillions of pictures, and post a tiny percentage of them. (Namely because Rory is completely incapable of sitting still.) So this is an old photo that got buried in piles of unused ones, and now it has resurfaced because it is officially the best one of Rory. I think.

I just set the broccoli on top of the cage for a second...

Playing with the Box-- Last Night's Photos!

Adorable pix from last night!

Picture perfect Rory!

"I can't see the camera.... I bet it can't see me!"

Saying hi!

Awwww... camera shy.