Scooter the Hamster 10/16/11 - 11/13/13

It's with great sadness that I report the passing of my little friend, Scooter the Hamster. While hamsters are often known for being impersonal, this one was particularly friendly towards humans. A friend asked me to take on baby Scooter, shortly after a surprise pregnancy by Scooter's mommy hamster, produced 6 baby hamsters. For the next 24.5 months, Scooter would add so much fun to my household, which also includes 2 cats. Scooter is perhaps best- known for his appearances on my youtube channel, where he endorsed me as a political candidate, ran in the hamster wheel, and ate sunflower seeds, among other things. 

Scooter was showing signs of aging - including thinning fur and a frail, lethargic nature. However, he never appeared in pain, and it would appear that he died a pain-free and peaceful manner, as he went to sleep Tuesday night Nov 12, and never woke up the next morning. Monday night, I had my last cuddle with him, after I returned home from a long day's work. Tuesday night when I got home from work, he was sleeping but still breathing. I wanted to have a cuddle but decided to let him sleep. Sadly, when I went to bed that night, it was the last time  I saw Scooter alive.

In the morning, I went over to change his water and give him some more food, and I immediately noticed he was dead. He died curled up in a ball in the corner of his cage, all burrowed into the fake pine straw that he lived in.

I gave Scooter a burial in the woods later that afternoon, and filmed a memorial video tribute on site, the next day (today).  Depicted above, is me with Scooter on Election Night, Sept 24, 2013.

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