Another Trip to the Vet!

Ms. Lee- Garcia also recently took her pets to a Veterinarian for Exotic animals. What are her exotic animals? Many of you already know, because she had Harriet in the classroom. Your right it's hamsters.! So I asked Ms. Lee- Garcia to share information about her hamsters and why they had to go to the Dr.
Here is her reply and pictures!

Harriet and Hermione in their cages waiting to see the Veterinarian.

Dr. Chen is looking at Hermione's eyes.

Dr Chen holds them by their scuffs because it puts them in a trance for safer handling.

Reply from Ms. Lee- Garcia

They are Robovoroski Hamsters, a type of dwarf hamster. I bought them both for my classroom in January of 2011, so we think they were born in December 2010. Unlike Syrian hamsters, which cannot be housed together because they are so territorial they will fight until one dies, Robos typically are happier when living with siblings, so I bought the pair, and they lived in my classroom. In March of 2011, however, they decided they did not want to live together any longer, and each one got its own 20-gallon aquiarium. Harriet, the larger and less afraid hamster, got to stay at school, where she was our class pet during the rest of fourth and all of fifth grade. Hermione, her smaller, shyer sister, got to live at home with me. They had to go to the vet to get a certificate that says what species they are (Phodopus Robovoroskii) and that they are healthy, since California has very strict laws in place in order to protect its ecosystems and agriculture industries. (Chinese dwarf hamsters are prohibited, for example.) Dr. Chen, the vet that saw them yesterday, says that they are healthy and ready to travel! She did find out that Hermione has an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) but she says she'll be OK, and that Harriet is very overweight and has to go on a diet of grass pellets, her least favorite food! No more sunflower seeds or corn for her! In the wild, Robos live in Mongolia and Russia, in very cold deserts. They dig long tunneling burrows, with different chambers for all of their activities, like sleeping, hoarding seeds, and going to the bathroom. They are normally very social and live in large groups in the wild.

Thanks Ms. Lee- Garcia for sharing. We will miss you and Harriet as you move to California.