RIP Hanny-Wanny

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The hamster is no more. I can’t even begin to tell you what happened. Let’s just say, I’ve vowed that, other than our cat, we won’t have any more pets until after the summer.

Summer 2018.

Our astounding failure at rodent petcare aside, I’ve been answering some tricky questions about hamster heaven.

“Is it on a cloud?” (yes, very high up); “What do they do up there?” (they’ve got wheels, tunnels, exercise balls and all sorts); “How do they get there?” (erm, fly); “Can you see them go up?” (no, it’s too fast).

Hamster heaven: The fun never ends

Hamster heaven: The fun never ends

And the question that had me stumped: “Which was the first hamster to go to hamster heaven?”

Then there’s the difficult, thorny issue my older son is really angry about: “Why did the vet kill Hanny-Wanny?”, followed by a dramatic outburst of tears.

He was surprisingly attached to his hamster, despite the brevity of it all (two weeks!), and even my DH wouldn’t sign the euthanasia paperwork, leaving that one on my conscience.

But it was the kindest thing after the unspeakable, and the vet (who was gorgeous!) was very understanding.

“It’s a good idea to replace the hamster,” he mentioned helpfully as we said goodbye to dear Hanny-Wanny, “for zee emotions.”

“And, for boys of this age group,” he said, glancing at BB and LB standing silently and solemnly by the examining table, “I suggest a guinea pig. They’re a lot more robust.”

13 thoughts on “RIP Hanny-Wanny”

  2. So sorry to hear about Hanny Wanny. So hard losing a pet. Amazing how quickly the kids get attached and the questions they pose when losing one. If it makes you feel any better….when my DH was younger, he had a hamster who escaped from his cage. When the family was looking for him, DH’s dad stepped backwards onto the beloved pet…..ooops!

    If that doesn’t make you feel that much better, check out my blog of 18 September 2012 ‘Back to Soni’….you won’t feel such a failure after that!

    Hope the boys bounce back quickly.

    • Erm. He had an accident. I say, accident. He fell (read: was pushed) from the top bunk and fell on the marble floor and broke his back, poor thing. There were several kids playing at the time and they all blame each other, so we’ll never know exactly what happened! He could still get around, but vet said it was unlikely to mend (plus she was 2 already). I feel guilty that I wasn’t keeping a better eye on what they were up to!

  4. I carry the guilt of possibly being responsible for our hamster’s demise. Our hamster was a “robust” fellow who lived a happy long life -for a hamster. Then the boys went to boarding school. I would check in occasionally on their pet. Water it and feed it and clean out its cage. One day I went resentfully to restock the rodent with food and water and there he was stiff as a board and very dead. I comfort myself and say that it was probably old age. But then again if I had been more kind and caring and visited said pet every day I might have noticed it was unwell. I do still feel bad about it. And have never confessed my fears to my sons.

    • Hello there! Your comment really made me smile – it sounds like your boys’ hamster lived to a ripe old age and you don’t need to feel guilty! Their lifespan’s not very long I just found out – 2-3 years. Hanny-Wanny was 2 (maybe equivalent of nearly 70?)…that did make me feel better! Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂

  5. I know it’s sad and I really shouldn’t laugh, but – well, I just won’t laugh. I think you have us beat for brevity of life, though. Our experience with hamster euthanasia was so complicated and drawn out that I can’t even write it down here. Suffice it to say that I understand. And maybe I will have to write a post about this. Deepest sympathies to all involved, and I think 2018 sounds like a very realistic date….; )

  7. Pingback: Questions about heaven | Circles in the Sand

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