Odysseus, the hamster

We have many pets.

Two nearly-invincible northern leopard frogs survived their metamorphosis and spend their days hiding under plastic rocks wondering why we forget to feed them for weeks on end. They are extremely boring, and if we hadn't grown them from tadpoles, and if we didn't live in the desert we would probably liberate them and use their tank for something more interesting. Like moss.

We also have a 29 gallon freshwater tank full of the meanest, orneriest, breedingest convict cichlids you'd ever want to meet. They have so many babies so frequently (and then eat them) that we have no idea how many there are in there. They range in size from nearly 5 inch Sharky, who is the patriarch, to baby Poo-Poo bandit at the size of Ughabugha's baby toenail. In between we have Tuna, Playdough and Aris-toddle, and Fifi who has adopted highfalutin French manners since she is the only pink fish since the unfortunate fin-ripping incident of '05 that took the life of her mother, Pinky. Then there are the as-yet unnamed masses. These are not so pretty as some aquarium fish, but by heck they are interesting.


And please don't forget Rosey. Sweet, gentle, lonely Rosey Rabbit, who this time last year had a wife (Yep, Rosey is a boy. The particulars of baby rabbit reproductive anatomy were subtle for a 5 year old Dodo) and cage full of baby bunnies with him. Then we get him fixed, sell the babies, and two weeks later Evil Veela (the bunny wife) goes to rabbit Nirvana.

So he's alone now. We only had Veela a few months, and she hated us, but still it hurts. I mean, that rabbit would growl at us like a dog. We've had our Rosey for years and he put up with all sorts of "lets-put-Rosey-in-a-bonnet-and-push-him-in-the-doll-stroller" antics. She bit us when we tried to pet her, she scratched me when I fed her, she even fought with gentle Rosey. In short, she was a terrible pet, but she was the first pet I ever killed. We think her heart broke when we sold the babies and she stopped eating.It was so sad. I haven't the heart to get another rabbit just now, but eventually we will.

Okay, so we have plenty of animals just now, so whatever possessed me to buy a hamster? Dunno. It was a whim out of nowhere one day.

Scote says, " Can I have some sandwhich cheese?" And I'm like, "How about a hamster?"

I suggested we name him Archimedes or Einstein. Scote looks at me as if I am the most retarded person in the world. He does this weird thing where he squinches up his lip, and cocks one eyebrow. "He's not even that smart, mom." he says, " He's a hamster."

Oh yeah. Gotcha.

Dodo suggested Odysseus. "Or Ulysses. they mean the same thing." She says.

"Is he the one with the cyclops that bashes heads on the rocks?" Scote asks.

"Yep."

Odysseus, the hamster welcome to the Eccentric Zoo.