Hilarious video of hamsters enjoying themselves by flying around their wheel leaves millions of viewers in a spin

By RUTH WHITEHEAD

On the edge: the two hamsters are flung to the edge of their flying saucer wheel after their run gets up speed

When these hamsters decided it was time to play they got more than they bargained for. Almost 2 million people have watched video footage of two tiny Roborovski hamsters being flung at top speed to the edge of their 'flying saucer' wheel after their run gathered pace.
The footage taken in a pet shop shows how the two tiny creatures become a furry demonstrators of centrifugal forces - the apparent outward force that draws a rotating item away from the centre of rotation.

Running mate: one hamster is almost hurled out of the flying saucer

One hamster jumps into their flying saucer and starts running. Then another hops in and joins in the exercise and both are flung to the edge of the wheel.
But after a few seconds first one, then the other, get upright again and continue running. Then one is flung to the edge again while its mate keeps running, until both are again hurled to the edge of the wheel.
After they manage to start running again the wheel slows right down and even spins in the other direction, at which point one nonchalantly hops out and heads for their food bowl.

Tiny tornado: the Roborovski hamster is the smallest and fastest breed of hamster

Roborovski hamsters are the smallest and fastest breed of hamster, and they are said to run on average the equivalent of four human marathons a night.
Their athletic feat has gone viral. The video on Youtube has been seen more than 1,700,000 times.
Amid hundreds of comments on the video, anxious hamster fans worried that the tiny creatures were stressed to find themselves propelled at such high speed.

What's all the fuss? Without a trace of feeling worse for wear, the hamster hops out of the flying saucer and munches on a snack

But another comment pointed out that the creatures must have been in control of the spinning disc because it slowed down instantly when they stop running.
Another wrote of the scene: 'I dub thee: Hamsterfuge!'



source: dailymail

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At least he has an excuse not to use the wheel! Meet the adorable hamster with NO PAWS

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Furry friend: A trio of photos were posted on the site Imgur depicting a little hamster with no paws

A trio of heart-melting photos depicting a cute hamster without front or back paws have melted the hearts of thousands of online users this week.
The pictures were posted on the popular photo-sharing website Imgur Friday night and have so far received nearly 125,500 views.
Two of the images show the pet perched on what appears to be a wooden table next to a white dish filled with polished rocks.

Mysterious pet: It remains unknown how the little rodent lost its limbs, or whether it was born this way

A third photograph depicts the hamster in the hand of a woman sporting French manicure, who appears to be squeezing the critter around its midsection. Her identity remains a mystery.
Precious little is known about the furry little rodent pictured in the images. It remains unknown how the animal lost its limbs, or whether it was born without paws.

Big squeeze: One of the photos shows a woman's hand holding the pet around its midsection

In the photos, the pet rodent looks healthy, with clear, bright eyes and shiny golden coat.
Based on the description provided by the ASPCA website, it appears that the mystery pet is a common six-inch Syrian, also known as the golden hamster or teddy bear hamster.
Syrians have a lifespan of two to three years. Often viewed as the quintessential kid-friendly pet, hamsters are nocturnal by nature and have a reputation for biting when awakened during the day.

source: dailymail

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Hamster bites off more than it can chew as it scurries across cemetery with food stored in its cheek pouches

By GRAHAM SMITH

Fat face: A European hamster transports food across a Vienna cemetery in its bulging cheek pouches

This cheeky hamster looks as if he has bitten off a little more than it can chew.
But the rodent is actually transporting food in its bulging cheek pouches across a cemetery in central Vienna.
The industrious European hamster is an increasingly rare sight in the wild and is considered critically endangered in many countries on the continent.

Industrious: The breed is an increasingly rare sight in the wild and is considered critically endangered in many countries on the continent

This is largely due to the fact that it is considered a farmland pest by many and has been widely trapped for its fur.
It has also been the victim of a leap in intensive farming and increased building.
European hamsters eat a diet of seeds, legumes, root vegetables and grasses and also insects.

The European hamster eats a diet of seeds, legumes, root vegetables and grasses and also insects

This food is often transported in their elastic cheek pouches back to a special underground food storage chamber.
These pouches are big enough to hold 30g of food and carry air when the animal, which can grow up to 12 inches long, is swimming.
Their size means they are bigger than the typical domestic hamster.

The animal transports food in its elastic cheek pouches back to a special underground food storage chamber

As it normally looks: The European hamster is concentrated in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and north-east France

From October and March the hamster will hibernate, waking every five to seven days to feed from carefully stored food.
Also known as black-bellied, or common hamsters, the breed originated in eastern Europe and Russia.
They are now concentrated in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and north-east France.
Such is the threat to their number in recent decades, that in 2001 the European Commission ruled that the German authorities were not doing enough to protect its natural habitat.
The then-Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstroem said at the time: 'We must take our legal safeguards seriously or we face the wipeout of endangered species through the creeping loss of habitats.'

source: dailymail

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'Please look after my hamster, I can't afford her anymore': Is abandoned Snowball the saddest victim of these hard times?

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

'Please take care of my friendly hampster': Snowball pictured with the note her former owner left when abandoning her

For Snowball, it was so nearly the moment she went to the great hamster cage in the sky. The tiny pet had been abandoned on the freezing streets of London, along with a note from her owner saying: ‘I cannot afford to look after her any more.’
And there the one-year-old albino hamster might have met her end had it not been for a friendly passing commuter.
He spotted her huddled inside her cage, which had been left in a bag next to rubbish bins in St George’s Square, Pimlico, on Tuesday morning.
The note left with her said: ‘Please take care of my friendly hamster. I cannot afford to look after her any more. Thank you.’

Defenceless: The Blue Cross are now looking for a new home for Snowball, who would have died had she not been spotted by a passing commuter

The commuter took the freezing hamster to the Blue Cross animal hospital in nearby Victoria. There, vets checked her over and gave her her wintry name. The charity is now looking to re-home her.
Blue Cross receptionist Amanda Marrington said: ‘We couldn’t believe it when the man walked in with a dumped hamster.
‘We are more used to seeing abandoned dogs or cats but it is heartbreaking that someone felt so desperate that they left poor Snowball out in the cold with a note asking for help.

'It is lucky Snowball was found when she was. She’s so tiny that she would not have survived long in plunging temperatures.’
The charity said there had been a 28 per cent rise in animals being dumped or abandoned last year – evidence, it says, of owners finding it hard to support a pet in the current economic climate.
Miss Marrington said: ‘It is never the answer to dump a helpless animal to fend for itself.
'We would always urge people to contact a rescue centre for help if they find they can no longer look after their pets.’

source: dailymail

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Pipsqueak's big adventure! Pet hamster dragged through catflap by predatory puss is found hiding 100 yards away... in pest controller's home!

By EMMA REYNOLDS

Rodent's return: Delighted Callum Chalkley, eight, is reunited with his pet hamster Pipsqueak

When a family's pet hamster went missing and they found his cage ripped open by a cat, they feared the worst. But adventurous Pipsqueak had escaped the clutches of the predatory puss and run down the street to find refuge.
The Chalkleys were amazed when the brave furball turned up in the most unlikely of hideouts - a pest controller's garage.
Eight-year-old owner Callum had given up hope of seeing his hamster again when he went missing from the family home in Clifton, Herts.
But the Siberian hamster, had wriggled free from his feline abductor's claws and raced down the main road, dodging traffic and the dangerous presence of six more cats and a dog.

Callum said: 'A cat got Pipsqueak in his mouth and took him outside, but he escaped out of his mouth and did a runner.
'Pipsqueak is really friendly. I was really upset when he went missing and I am pleased to have him back.'
'He is a really nice man who brought Pipsqueak home to me.'
Callum, his mother Sarah and estate agent father Chris, 35, realised Pipsqueak was missing when they found a cat had broken into his cage on January 12.
They searched their home and believed poor Pipsqueak must have been killed when they could not find him.

Found: Pest controller Stuart Lazenby spotted the creature in his garge just up the road from the Chalkley's home

Mrs Chalkey, a 41-year-old healthcare assistant, said it was clear from the damage to Pipsqueak’s cage that he had been attacked by a cat.
'My husband accidentally left the inside door open, so we think a cat came through the cat flap and got him,' she said.
'There are at least half a dozen cats in the area and one of our neighbours has a dog so it is amazing that Pipsqueak survived.'

Suspect: Jessie the cat, who lives with Callum, is one of the felines who may have dragged Pipsqueak from his comfortable cage

But two days later pest controller Stuart Lazenby, 40, who lives 100 yards down the road from the family, knocked on their door with Pipsqueak in a bucket.
He said: 'I was in the garage and I heard a noise and thought it was a cat, but when I looked down I saw a little white Hamster.
'It is lucky my wife was walking past at the right time and heard two mothers talking about a hamster in the playground. And lo and behold it was Pipsqueak.
'I think I got there just in time or the cat would have eaten him.'

source: dailymail

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Meet Dolly the high-wire hamster... who hauls herself back onto the tightrope when she takes a tumble

By LEE MORAN



Acrobatic: Dolly the adorable hamster loves to perform the tightrope in front of an audience, said her owner Mirko Waltermann



A high-wire hamster who loves to show off her circus skills almost came a cropper when she slipped off a tightrope in the middle of a routine.



Dolly's delightful trick could have ended in trauma as the cute critter misplaced a paw. But, teetering on the edge, she managed to haul herself up to finish off her routine.



Luckily she was only inches from the ground, and would not have suffered injury had she taken a tumble.





Twist and turn: Dolly, who had slipped off her tightrope, hauls herself back onto the rope so she can finish off her routine





These adorable photographs were taken by keen photographer Mirko Waltermann, 37, at his home in Hamm, Germany.



He said: 'Dolly is very curious and funny - she likes to play and hang on the rope for a couple of minutes or so at a time before having a break and starting all over again





Aftermath: Dolly relaxes after performance, maybe pondering starting a game of hide and seek, her second favourite past-time





'She really enjoys performing for us and I'm pretty sure she is showing off. She likes to be the centre of attention.



'My daughter Lara has had her for three years now and she doesn't seem to be slowing down, if anything it is harder to get her off it.



'As much as she loves it though I think her favourite trick is to hide somewhere so all the family has to search for her.'



source: dailymail

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Lewis Hammy and Jenson Button Nose battle it out in Hamster Grand Prix

By Daily Mail Reporter

Ready, steady go! Jenson Buttonnose, Rodent Barrichello and Lewis Hammy battle it out on the race track


An adventure park for children has begun staging the unusual sport of hamster racing.

Adventure Valley in Brasside, near Durham, is home to 'drivers' Lewis Hammy, Michael Chewmacher, Rodent Barrichello and Jenson Button Nose.

The animals each have their own wheel, which slots into a racing car, and races along a five meter track.

The races, which feature live commentary, end when one car crosses the chequered line first.

Owner Marco Calzini said: 'Our hamsters love to race and have been doing practice circuits.

'Competition is fierce and the hamsters have been pulling out all the stops to ensure they win.


Fierce competition: Hamster races at Adventure Valley in Brasside, near Durham, feature live commentary


'Extremely funny and very entertaining, we know our visitors will love this as much as our hamsters do.'

Visitors are encouraged to take up a free bet on the pet-powered cars in a grand prix style event. Whoever guesses right gets a treat.

Mr Calzini said: 'We wanted to introduce something a bit different and something new and exciting. It is something I don't think most people will have seen before - it's pretty unusual.

'But it has gone really well and people seemed to have enjoyed it.'





Furry fun: Visitors are encouraged to take up a free bet on their furry friends. The hamster 'drivers' have to complete a grueling five metre course


Mr Calzini's six-year-old daughter, Alessia, who attends Saint Godric's Primary School, in Durham, got the first race underway.

She said: 'It is really good fun when the hamsters are racing each other. People are cheering the one whose name they have picked.

'Sometimes they go backwards and sometimes they go forwards - it's really funny.'


source: dailymail

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