Boris, the Robo Hamster

No, not robotic hamster. Boris is a roborovski hamster. This breed also goes by the names desert hamster, russian dwarf hamster, and its scientific name, Phodopus roborovskii. The cool russian name comes from the breed's discoverer, Lieutenant Roborovskii.

I just got him last week and thought I'd share the good news.

Some background info on the breed: Robo hamsters originate from semi-arid desert regions in Russia, Mongolia, and China. They are the tiniest of the dwarf hamsters, meaning they are the tiniest of all hamsters. They live about 3 years. They are super quick and spazzy. (Though Boris has never bitten me out of aggression, he has nibbled out of curiosity.)

The taming process is coming along quite nicely with Boris. It could be because of his getting used to his new habitat, or actually becoming comfortable with human hands around him, or a combination of the two. Either way, he will now come up to sniff and snatch a sunflower seed out of your fingers. After only having him for a week, I'd say this is progress.

Cool things I love about Boris:

His sleeping positions. Because he is so small and compact, Boris looks just like a little ball of fur when he snoozes. He will either sit with his head in his lap, buried under his nest of torn paper; or lie curled on his back, so that you see his little hamster feet poking out in the air; or he contorts in such a way where his body is smushed up against the glass of the aquarium, which is quite comical.

He is tiny, compact, and efficient. He fits comfortably in a ten-gallon aquarium, which happens to also fit comfortably on my desk. All he needs to be entertained are some paper towel rolls and empty egg cartons! Also, I purchased the tiniest water bottle available, and it takes him a week to finish it. (His breed has, after all, the most efficient kidneys out of the dwarf hamsters, being native to the desert.) How cool is that?

He's nocturnal. Whereas other people may have a problem with this, I actually prefer his schedule. At night, he wakes up in the evenings when I come home from wherever, and I get to play with him until I go to sleep. The air conditioning drowns out the noise of his wheel. In the mornings, Boris winds down while I get to sleep in. And I even join him for an afternoon nap.

He turned me on to sunflower seeds. I initially bought them for him but have found myself addicted to them.

Sometimes, he really gets going in his wheel. Occasionally, if the wheel is dirty or off-center, he will slip and come shooting out the side. But he's a tough little guy and gets right back on. This provides hours of entertainment to a simple-minded creature such as myself.

Now, here are some pictures of Boris in action:

Strange fact: Boris enjoys the soothing sounds of the Soviet Anthem; it reminds him of the Motherland.
(Taken from Austin's facebook status: Austin Reams

plays the National Anthem of the Soviet Union to sooth Margaret Norbeck's Roborovski dwarf hamster, Boris. It reminds him of the Motherland.

July 14 at 11:10pm)

Just Chessin' Around

Today, for the first time in the history of my young life, I beat someone at chess. I was so proud of myself, I just had to write about it in my blog.

The theme of the board is Aztecs versus Spaniards. Of course we all know how that turned out in real life, but I always choose the underdogs because it's bittersweet when I finally do win.

My strategy: I didn't really have one (I never really have one), but I did see an opening and took it. Thankfully my opponent was distracted his own plans, and didn't realize his king was vulnerable. My queen moved in, and a tiny victory dance for the clay Mexicans ensued.

Here is a picture of the board at the end of the game:

Here is an up-close of the Spaniard pawns' faces when they realized the tables had turned:

When all is said and done, the chess board folds into a little box for all the pieces to fit in. (Nifty!) I imagine a "Night at the Museum" situation in which the pieces come to life at night and fight inside the box.

My favorite pieces have to be the Aztec llamas. They're llamas, what more can I say?