My hamster is runt. RUNT?

Lately I have been wondering around youtube and interent generally to find as much informations about hamsters and their care and everything. The theme I found really interesting to write about were runt.

Anyone who owns a hamster should know what runt is. But do they? Well, mostly no! 

Runt is a hamster that is smaller, weaker and has more chanceses to have health problems. There are also higher chanceses for bad temperemant in hamsters. Basiclly, hamster runts are usually born as runts.

Left: Bella- 9 months old adult hamster; Right: FiFi- 6 months old adult runt.

Not only runts and "normal" hamsters have differences in size, other differences are as evident. FiFi is runt hamster that I saved from pet shop. If I didn't buy her, her litter mates would most likely kill her. That's not strange in case of many runts. Ever since they are born, they need to survive. It's not easy with few more litter mates and usually mother that are trying to eliminate the weakest one. Sadly, the old quote "only strongest survive" is pretty much the rule. 

 FiFi's ears were bitten by her siblings and Bella.

If baby hamster survives first few weeks, it will most likely be sold as well as it's brothers and sisters. But due the bad treatment at very young age, there hamsters have really bad temperemant. Runts are well known as skittish, biters or scared of everything. They need more taming and can never be tamed as "normal" hamster. FiFi is pretty tame, even she bites a lot. She is also scared if I don't talk to her before handeling and jumps a lot from my hand. 

Hair loss. Common problem in hamsters with bad health, especially runts.

Probably the biggest problem about runts are their health issues. Their suffer from many diseases that are normal for hamsters, just have higher chances to have many illnesses especially being susceptible to stress related problems. That why your runt should have regular trips to vet and health control 24/7. 

I really hope this article can help someone and inform.

-Marko

All cats of mine

So, before I start, I just wanna say that besides hamster cats are my second obsession. I have had cats since I can remember and they are in very special place in my heart.
Ever since I can remember my family would have a cat or couple of them. But sadly, they would allways end up sad way. First cats I can remember of are Žućo and Sivka. They were brother and sister that I got from my grandma. Žućo was short haired yellow cat, and Sivka was gray long haired female. I don't really know how Žućko ended, but we had pretty much trouble with Sivka. Once she decided to play with already dead mouse trapped on glue. We ended up cutting her hair. She looked pretty scary, but funny at same time. Some other time, she got hit by car. I was really scared and thought she would die. She folowed my and mum ridding bikes. She was bleeding hard from her head. My friend said she will be OK. And she was. I don't remember if she had any kittens, I just know she lived with us couple more years before dying. She was great cat.
After her, I had Cicko. One day I was going back home from school with friend and found lost kitten, actually young cat. I decided to bring it home. At first we thought it was girl, but later it turned out she was he. He lived like 2-3 years until he disappeard. Later I found out that my friend mentioned above, my best friend, shoot it with his shotgun. Cicko was good cat, but he wasn't really house pet.
From that time, I didn't have cat for a while. Then one day my dad called home from work. The local stray near his job had litter and was hit by trunk. We decided on adopting two kittens; Tikki and his sister whose name I can't remember, but think it was Nella or Nalla. Anyway, the next day dad brought home another kitty; Brza. They were like two weeks old. Tikki was hit by car when they were like month old and he lost lower lip. Anyway, two months later family went to summer vacation and left kittens with granny. When we got home only Brza left. Later we noticed other two living in our street at some people's. They were probably playing near street and kids took them. Anyway, Brza made great pet. She lived with us 2 years. It was like May, she was pregnant like baloon, and she got hit by car. Kids were playing on street and said she was hit on purpose.
That's it, I QUIT. Cats suck. They all keep dying on you and break your heart.
In autumn the same year stray kitten moved in our basement. I didn't want to bond with her. But as the time was passing, I started building relationship with her. She had really weird voice and was meowing in strange way sho my mum named her Mao Mao. Eventually next year she gave birth to 6 kittens of wich one was dead. When they grew up, I rehomed all exept Flekica, who still lives with me. Mao was also hit by car. I was really sad she died but it was easier to overcome the sadness with another cat.
This spring Flekica got girlfrind, feral cat whom I named Mamingkah, and they got three kittens.

Let's make some salad

Hello. Just wanted to share a recipe for a fruit-vegetable mix salad I feed my hamsters with. It's all made from food you can alway find in your refridgeretor of your fruit bowl. Here are the things you may use:
Veggies and fruits:
-cucumber (skinless)
-broccoli
-carrot
-endive or cabbage (smaller amounts)
-kidney beans (precooked)
-potato (precooked)
-string beans (precooked)
Fruits:
-mellon (skinless)
-watermellon (skinless)
-strawberries
-apple (seedless)
-kiwi fruit
-papaya (dreid or fresh)
-peach
-avocado (seedless, skinless)
It is important to mix some of these fruits and veggies and make salad. Watch out, you do not need to put whole mellon and ten big cucumbers. Make as much mix your hamster(s) can eat in one meal. Try not to put only sweet stuff and feed your hamster feed salad all the times. They could easily develop diabetes.
The salad you prepare should be served to your hamster fresh. Your hammie should eat this kind of meal as well as regular dry seed mix once a week, or every 7-10 days. Be careful not to give your hammie too much fruits with water, they could easily get wet tail.