After several months of debating whether I should get another hamster or try to introduce a new gerbil into Bruno’s cage, I decided to see if I could find another Teddy Bear Hamster so I stopped by the pet store where I got Teddy. The owners have been going out of business for a couple months and the store was in pretty dismal shape. But, they had a 10-gallon aquarium with about a dozen 5-week old Black Bear hamsters.
Ignoring any warnings that the pets might not be the healthiest due to the overcrowded conditions and the overall look of the store, I bought one of the male hamsters, brought him home, and put him into Teddy’s old bin cage. He was clearly out of his comfort zone with so many toys, so much space, and no cage mates. He spent the entire day exploring and going around in his wheel.
Whether by sight, scent, or sound, or a combination, Bruno seemed to sense that there was another small creature nearby and he played constantly that day — a first since Fang’s death. The cages are side by side and Bruno appears to be very aware of his new neighbor and has perked up considerably.
One of Bruno’s favorite sleeping places is on top of the wooden house on the very top level of his cage in the corner closest to Blackie’s cage where he can look down into Blackie’s cage.
Blackie is very reclusive and trying to hand tame him is proving to be difficult. However, Teddy wasn’t hand tamed and it isn’t imperative that Blackie is.