Saturday 18th November 2000
Lee reports on naming new hamsters
One of our previous hamsters, Ebony,
wrote an article at the
beginning of the year in which he instructed us humans to pay particular
attention to what name we might burden our pet hamsters with and it was
something that I clipped out of the hardcopy and kept for just such a time as
last week when both my wife and I came around to naming our two new arrivals.
The first twenty-four hours had gone smoothly
enough with both hamsters sleeping together as would be expected from rodent
brothers - but we simply weren't prepared for what was to transpire over the
next few days. Like most human teenagers, one of them wanted his own room. Call
it independence if you like, but it was source of much worry for both my wife
and I who constantly watched them to see if the split was amicable or a
declaration of war.
What worried me most was the pugilist tendencies
of the browner one who'd box just about any and everything which was placed in
front of him - even sunflower seeds offered as a mark of truce. It just appeared
to me that, if the brighter coloured was approaching him, he might resort to
just such a maneuver, end the familial link and cause us to have to split
them.
We needn't have worried because the compound is so big that
they live in that, up to now, there hasn't been a problem even though they each
have chosen to run their own nest sites and to share the food, greeting one
another as they encounter the other during their waking hours. Meeting one
another head to head in a tube is another matter entirely, however, and neither
really wants to give ground. Watching two hamsters try to push themselves passed
the other is a sight which tends to bring tears to one's eyes just thinking
about it.
So, what about the names?
I took charge of the boxer and was
quick to come up with Rab, meaning 'Boss' or 'Master' simply because it seemed
as if he was trying to be in control of everything. It changed to Harab as the
prefix added denoted the definite article 'the' but I soon changed it back
because, when pronounced, it sounded more like I was saying 'Arab' and that
would have certainly caused me some difficulties!
Kath, considered the bright one for almost a full
day, walking round the house muttering 'Ah! He's beautiful. Absolutely
beautiful' in a voice which reminded me of the Bernard Matthews adverts of
yesteryear. Surprise, surprise when she named him 'Beautiful' in Hebrew, calling
him proudly 'Yafa'.
So, there we had it - Rab and Yafa.
To date, communication has been sporadic, even
though chatting is not a problem. Both Rab and Yafa are intent on developing a
old work* of mine to make it more accessible to rodents across the civilised
world - and to parts of West Virginia, too - and they've been discussing the
matter intensely. They hope to begin work on such a project sometime in December
and I, personally, will be looking forward to reading the manuscript as it gets
put together.
Editorial Note
*We must, once more, thank both Lee and Kath for
their commitment to providing the RW with literate hamsters who they've
supported selflessly as they've sought to bring to the rodent reader the
concerns of hamsters, mice and the like. Their two new hamsters, Rab and Yafa,
feel that a literary career might be best taken in a totally different direction
and intend working on, very soon, a rework of Lee's compilation entitled 'From
Russia with Nuts' that has, so far, never seen the light of day.
While we wish them every success in their
endeavours, we also note that articles linked to the Home Page of the mirror
site on George the Hamster's
web site will cease, though you can, of course, order the Rodent Weekly hardcopy
via the normal channels.
Lee the human doesn't write
at all for the Rodent Weekly.
This article appears courtesy of that
paper.
