Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Growing Hamster or Baby Wookiee: You Make the Call

Ted the hamster was bought around Thanksgiving. Both the books we've read about hamsters and the dispassionate observations about Ted made last time we (Monkeyboy in DC and I) posted his picture leave us wondering if we really have a growing hamster on our hands or something that's due to grow even bigger:




We figured if you had a common object to compare his size to, you could help us decide.

Hence the Pringles can.



This third picture really doesn't help with perspective, but doesn't Monkeyboy's new spring haircut look great? Makes for a much less sweaty head after Little League practice, too.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is some hamster you got there. It seems to be growing at quite the alarming rate. I have seen this in movies, for I am a horror/monster movie fiend. You might have yourself a peck o trouble.

The first photo does put the "little" guy in perspective, it is big and hairy as well. It might be almost as big as my mom's dog (5.5 lbs).

Nothing beats the spring haircut...I used to get them too for almost the same reason.

dmarks said...

How cute. My brother had one when we were kids, but my mother made him get rid of it. She hated rats. Really REALLY hated rats, and anything roughly that size and is furry and scurries around was "rat" to her. Once it was loose in the kitchen once around her feet, that was it.

Moonbeam said...

It cant be the Pringles making him pudgy...I notice they are the "reduced fat" variety. If Monkeyboy gets cold from his Spring haircut, he can just put Ted on top of his head for warmth. A fashionable hair piece, indeed.

Long ago a member of my family was startled off of the toilet in the early morning dark hours by a hamster that had escaped from my son's room looking for an adventure to the opposite end of the house I assume. The furry hamster ( I have forgotten his name ) scampered over the feet of the person sitting on the toilet in the dark....needless to say a loud cryout was heard by the rest of the family.

Mrs. Hairy Woman said...

Both very cute... I'm pretty sure you have an invasion of "The Wookies".. since they are harmless.. I think you are all pretty safe..

ANON1 said...

YES. TED IN THE HOUSE. That hamster is huge and very hairy. Ted is the man...

Monkeyboy and Ted make a good 1/2 combo.

laughing said...

That is an impressive looking hamster. But the hair makes him look a bit larger. Probably nothing to worry about.

But they do get tumors.

Probably not in this case, but it does happen.

Looks like the kiddo is taking good care of his pet.

Anonymous said...

David,

Listen to the chubby unemployed housewife above me. She has no medical training yet she can diagnose tumors on hamsters.

Ted is fine. Just a little fat but I like his hair.

ANON1

Tara said...

I'm not a big fan of hampsters and gerbils and stuff, but that is one cute wookie. Maybe he's been snackin on the Pringles when you guys aren't looking. Sure it says "Reduced Fat", but Pringles are addictive.

Nice haircut, Monkeyboy! :D

David in DC said...

OK. I feared I would need to do this.

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:

Attacks on me, including my politics, psychiatric condition or genitalia, permissable.

Attacks on my guests, cause for exclusion from the conversation.

I MEAN IT.

That goes for everybody. No hitting ANON1 back for his one only slip-up on this. The rule is prospective and applies to all.

Except Laughing: She gets one (and only one) free penalty kick, if she wants.

dmarks said...

I wonder where that kick is going to land?

Back to the topic. On second thought, that hampster looks like a tribble with eyes.

Anonymous said...

Wow! That's a big hamster! I'd say he's about 4 servings.

But he looks happy enough. Monkeyboy's haircut looks great, and that's a cute picture of him! Maybe the hamster could get a summer cut? Or dreadlocks!

Rachel said...

That hamster is bigger than D's rat was.
dmarks ~ It does look like a tribble. "Trouble With Tribbles" is the only original Star Trek episode that I remember. I loved it when I was a kid.
I bet that is where they got the idea for Gremlins.

laughing said...

I don't have any medical training, but we did raise a few "batches" of hamsters. And several years later, my sister had a teddy bear hamster, not related to those my mother raised. He had tumors. She didn't take him to a doctor or anything, since hamsters only live two or three years anyway. The tumors did not seem to bother the little guy, and he died about when expected.

Now, if you notice two really huge swellings on the hamster near the tail, don't worry, those are not tumors. You just have a male hamster. Proportionally, most male rodents have larger balls than most men.

Which is not to say that some rodents don't have actual size male organs than some "men", cause that happens too.

laughing said...

I don't know why you guys thought I was going to kick someone.

Anonymous said...

I would like to see more closeups of Ted.

Churlita said...

That is definitely a Wookie you have on your hands. And Monkey Boy? He could be in commercials he's so cute.

laughing said...

Perhaps anonymous didn't read the part about hamsters only living two or three years.

Ted is a minor.

David in DC said...

This is how it starts.

Please don't bait the bear.

I do not have the time or inclination to check this site all day long and I don't want to moderate comments.

I said one free penalty kick.

Most of my life sucks right now.

Please don't make this one bright spot a burden.

laughing said...

Sorry. No more talking to strange bears.

Anonymous said...

David,

Please post more pics of TED.

Thx,

ANON1