My Sweet Chip

I had a great weekend getaway with friends this weekend.  When I came home, called to Chip, like I normally do, however, this time she did not come to greet me by climbing as high as she could and shaking the cage to try to get my attention.  I thought maybe she was asleep, so I tried waking her up.  Nothing.  Then I thought that maybe she had somehow gotten out.  Nope, checked the cage for any sign of escape and nothing.

I called Mr. Bruises to see when the last time he saw her.  He mentioned that she wasn't up this morning running on her wheel like normal and thought maybe she was taking a nap.  The last time I saw her was early Saturday morning before I left to meet with my friends.

I found her, all curled up under her hollow log.  It looks as though she went to sleep and never woke up.  She looked comfy and peaceful.  I am heartbroken.  I expected to enjoy her company for many more years.

I will be honest, I've never researched how long they live.  I also, don't know if she had any issues that wouldn't allow her to live longer either.  The way I look at it, she was supposed to die September 10, 2008.  That was the day that I found her as a baby, soaking wet in the middle of the road.  I scooped her up, took her home and somehow nursed her back to health.  She lost half of her tail somehow, but she seemed to be thriving through these last two years.

I have a new respect and love for these creatures after sharing my home with on for over two years.  She wasn't like a hamster, up all night.  She was like us.  She got up at 7:00 in the morning and she went to bed at 7:00 at night.  In those 12 hours that she was out and about, she ran on her wheel constantly.

When we first got her, she was in a smaller cage and she had a hamster wheel.  She used to get that thing going so fast that she would shoot out of it.  Here's a video that I shot that always cracks me up when I watch it.

For her first Christmas, she got a new, bigger wheel.  She escaped for the first time that day as we were trying to put the wheel in her cage.  We had her in the living room in a huge bird cage with lots of branches and logs for her to climb on.  Each time I would clean her cage, I would not only remove all of her stash of nuts and things that she was storing, but I would move her branches all around.  I felt that it kept life interesting for her.

She was a part of the family.  Travis loved to look at her.  Mr. Bruises shared his breakfast bananas with her.  I would call her name all of the time just to see her react to my voice.

Wow, this just really sucks.  I had no clue our time was going to be so short and I miss her already.

God speed, sweet Chip.