In Honor of Minnie Monster

This post is in honor of our oldest dwarf hamster Minnie, aka Minnie Monster.

Minnie may be the longest-lived hamster we have had yet. Most of my reading about dwarf hamsters has shown different estimates of lifespans, but the average appears to be about 2 years.

Tiny, delicate animals such as mice and dwarf hamsters can pass away very quickly and unexpectedly. We had a dwarf once with such a bad case of wet tail that it had to be humanely euthanized because her system was deteriorating so rapidly. Another dwarf passed away at the vet while being given fluid and oxygen. She had been running on her wheel a little over 24 hours earlier. (I can't imagine such a tiny thing on a respirator...wow.)

Then there are those dwarfs that don't seem to know when to go. Minnie is definitely one of them, although it appears that her time has finally arrived.

We adopted Minnie from the animal shelter when she was still pretty young. She was always a lively little girl. She didn't like the exercise ball, but had her fun on the wheel and running along my arms. She liked yogies, nibbling on little crunch toys and was the smelliest little hammie I have ever had. Even my pet-sitter said so.

Minnie began growing old a few months ago. She is a gray ham, but her fur started to turn whitish. Then her back legs started losing control and she dragged herself about. Then her whitish fur started to turn brownish around the neck. She had little tumors grow. But she kept eating, drinking and allowing herself to be picked up. If she ever had any pain, I never knew it, because I would not have kept her alive if her quality of life were suffering in any way.

Tonight, Minnie is barely moving, although she did snack on a yogie earlier. For the past month, we have been amazed every day we checked and she was still here. I'd like to think that she enjoyed life too much or was too well cared for to feel the need to leave. But who knows?

I don't think Minnie will be around in the morning, but we have enjoyed her company and admire her perserverance. Amazing how even the littlest being can maintain such a tenacious hold on life. It is indeed a very precious thing.