Tuesday 5 July 2016

A New Addition.....

*An Update* Well I have some news to bring you! After letting 'Berty' settle in when we decided to get 'him' out to start handling 'him', it would appear that Berty is actually Betty. Can't quite believe the shop didn't sex her right but then I really should have checked when we got her home - ironically Alfie originally wanted a girl to call her Betty as I mention in this post!

Bet you thought I was about to announce the pitter patter of baby number 3........! Not quite. We do however have a new addition to our family. Let me introduce you to 'Berty the boy hamster'. After much consideration and convincing hubby we have welcomed this little brown furry into our home. 

Myself and Aldi are no strangers to keeping hamsters, Adi used to breed them when he was much younger and I have had many over the years during my time working with animals. I was always that person that would re home animals that no one else seemed to wante and I therefore ended up with a menagerie and several of these were hamsters. I'd been thinking about getting Alfie a pet for a while, I am an animal lover myself and know the importance of introducing an animal to promote responsibility and encourage a caring nature and I feel that at the ripe old age of 4 that Alfie is ready for this responsibility. Alfie seems to have inherited my love and Adi's for animals and shows a real interest in all types of creatures, more so reptiles but I drew the line at a corn snake at this moment in time! We would also love a puppy but currently feel that we need to settle in our home a bit more and do a few things around the house before committing to a pup, hopefully at somepoint in the future. 

So rewind back to a few weeks ago when we were wandering around the pet section at Notcutts, Alfie was absolutely taken with the hamsters, it was the first time I'd seen him taking some real interest in the smaller animals. It was at this point he asked if he could have a hamster as a pet. It took me aback if I'm honest, I hadn't really thought how to respond to the 'can I have a pet' questions just yet but my default answer was well lets see what Daddy says! 

When I spoke to Adi he wasn't massively keen to begin with but after a little gentle persuasion we decided that perhaps it was the right time for Alfie to have a pet. As we were going on holiday we told him that when we got back he could choose a hamster. Before we left for holiday I took Alfie to get all the things that we needed, this added to his excitement but he understood that we would wait until we returned before choosing his pet. He already had a strong idea in his mind about what it would be called and the colour, he had informed us that he wanted a girl hamster, she was going to be called Betty (no idea where he got this name from) and that he wanted her to be brown.


Before and during our holiday we have been talking to Alfie about Betty, we needed to make sure he understood that she would need feeding, water, to sleep, that she would be nervous when we got her home and that she needed to be cleaned and handled regularly. He seemed to absorb it and kept repeating to us what her needs would be, it was really quite sweet. When we returned home on Saturday he was already reminding us we were going to get Betty on Sunday!  When Sunday arrived I took a very excited Alfie to our local Pets at Home, before we picked Betty I let Alfie choose a few things to add to her cage and some little treats. We then had a look at the hamsters, unfortunately the only hamsters that they had in were male but that wasn't an issue Betty just became Berty! We had a look at the selection they had and in the last little cage were 2 little brown ones, one with white patches and the other all brown. They were curious little things and a little jumpy but were much more interested and intrigued than the others. I had a feeling one of these might the one Alfie chose and when I asked if he wanted one of these he nodded. I asked him to point out which he liked and he pointed the little brown and white one with big ears, this was the chosen one and Berty was picked.



Having had experiences of hamsters escaping from boxes I decided to get a little carrier to transport him home in, Alfie was as pleased as punch as you can see from the pictures and he had him on his lap for the journey home. He kept me informed on how Berty was doing and that he could feel him scrabbling around, luckily we all made it home in one piece with no escaping, phew! 




When we got him home Alfie was so excited to introduce him to Daddy and to his new home. Over the last couple of days we have left Berty to explore his new home and let him settle in, he's still quite nervy but very curious and he's been popping out to see us quite alot. Over the next week or so we are gently going to get him used to taking some food from our hand and trying to get him a little bit tamer before Alfie can start to handle him. He's a cute little thing, huge ears and bright little eyes and I think he might be quite a chunk as he seems to like his grub. 



I'm really looking forward to embarking on this new adventure with Alfie, he's a very caring lad and I think he's going to enjoy caring for Berty. Have you considered a pet for your child?


Best of Worst

46 comments:

  1. What an adorable edition to the family, and the carrier transport was a brilliant idea.

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  2. What a gorgeous first pet :). My kids are on at me to get a dog, but we're renting and not allowed. But a hamster could be a good option!!
    #bestandworst

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  3. ah he looks very chuffed! We have fish and even then she needs prompting to feed them everyday!! #bestandworst

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  4. Dexter loves animals so we recently got 2 Giant African Land Snails. I think he'd prefer a hamster to be honest but I don't like them hahaha. Alfies looks so excited!

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  5. Aww this is so cute - what a perfect first pet! I remember getting our hamster when I was about 10 and it was so exciting. I love the transport too - inspired idea :) #bestandworst

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  6. Aw so cute!! We recently got Sam a fish and he is in love with it!!! xxx #bestandworst xx

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  7. Aw how cute! I love all things furry and can't wait to let our two chose a pet one day. For now though I thunk we'll be sticking with our goldfish. 3 of them. All called Bob. :0)

    Thank you for hosting #bestandworst x

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  8. Ba haaa haaa Betty to Berty. Blooming genius. You'll laugh...I saw this post pop up in my Twitter feed yesterday I think it was and obvi yes at first I thought 'blimey she's preggers' and then I thought 'erm...hmmm...so the new addition is a Macdonalds Happy Meal toy?' (because it looked like that yellow thing was a toy!). Glad I clicked, read and clarified lol! He looks soooo happy bless him. #BestAndWorst

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  9. aww your son looks so chuffed bless him! Pets are a no go in our house unfortunately as no one can all agree on what kind of pet.. the preteen is petrified of dogs, so naturally the teen wants a dog, the husband wants chicken (?!) its me saying no to that one, the preteen said she wouldn't mind a rabbit, but the teen thinks they are boring... and me? well I have a houseful of animals anyway... they're called my family! lol ;) Hope Berty loves his new life with you all! :) #bestandworst

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  10. What a cutie! The trouble I find with pets is that it's always the parents who end up taking care of them. That's why we've gone for a cat which is relatively self-sufficient. #bestandworst

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  11. Ah I love hamsters! He's so cute!

    #BestandWorst

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  12. Oh too cute!!!! We are surrounded by pets in our crazy house. 3 cats, 2 dogs, 6 chickens and a quail! My 1yo is also convinced that she too is a chicken, so make 6 a 7. Kids need a first pet!

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  13. Ahhh so cute! Tyne has been asking for a pet all the time but I'm not keen on animals, I dont want to ban him from having one though so I've been suggesting a hamster to my partner but he's not sure he's old enough!! I'd love to know how Alfie gets on! #bestandworst

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  14. The photo of the carrier gave it away. Our youngest has been talking about hamsters a lot since the dog passed away. Not so sure though 😉 #bestandworst

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  15. I just love Alfie's little excited face in the car pics.

    Such a great idea to have pets to help children learn about responsibility and caring for other creatures.

    Looking forward to seeing the updates of:

    The Little adventures or Alfie & Berty X

    Renee @peonieandme #bestandworst X

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  16. He looks delighted with his hamster! I love kids growing up with pets, teaches all sorts of responsibilities :) thanks for hosting! #bestandworst

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  17. great way to start teaching responsibility. We have a bunny that runs around the house. Trying to keep our pet situation as hassle free as possible for as long as the rest of the family lets me #bestandworst

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  18. Ah I was excited to see this! How cute. I hope the little guy has such fun with Bertie and helps you clean him out! hehe. xx #bestandworst

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  19. Awww Alfie looks like he will do a fantastic job caring for Bertie the hamster #bestandworst

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  20. Aw I love how chuffed Alfie looks! My dad bought me a hamster when I was young and I was made up - I think pets are so good for kids, hopefully he'll help you to clean out his cage! x #bestandworst

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  21. Aw, the hamster is so cute! We don't have pet hamsters in NZ, I was surprised to see it looks very much like a mouse! #bestandworst

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  22. We have two house cats - so definitely couldn't get a hamster! #bestandworst

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  23. I grew up with various animals hamsters, fish, dogs and chicken. We've presently got a lovely goldfish which the eldest likes watching. #bestandworst

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  24. Aww look at the way Alfie is peeping into the container - you can just see how pleased he is with your 'new addition'! #BestandWorst

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  25. Oh there's nothing cuter than seeing your child interact with a new pet is there? As a child I was never allowed a pet (cue the violins!) so hubs and I have compensated since moving in together 10 years ago. So far we've had a cat, two Guinea pigs, a rabbit, fish and just this week - a gecko! So my son will never go without lol! Enjoy you new furry friend x

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  26. How wonderful and he looks like he loves his new pet thanks for hosting #best&worst

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  27. How lovely! He looks so cute! I think Pets are a really good way to help teach children some responsibility. #bestandworst

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  28. Haha! I really thought you were announcing your baby number 3! Alfie just look so delighted with his new furry friend Berty! Love it that you were able to persuade hubby to have pet. Great job mama! :) Thank you for hosting. #bestandworst

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  29. Ah least it was an easy name to adapt! #MarvMondays

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  30. Oh bless! He looks so happy! :) and oh no about the name/gender!
    #MarvMondays

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  31. That's so sweet! It's lovely when children grow up with pets, I think it keeps their heart soft. We have a cat who was part of the family before the kiddies arrived and they absolutely love her. She's not keen on the kids but endures them anyway x #bestandworst

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  32. Aww bless! I had hamsters as a child, but have managed to become squeamish about them as an adult! I'm not a big animal person really. Scared of rodents, snakes & spiders, bored by fish, annoyed by dogs! I like cats & we have a cat. She pre-dates the kids though. Not really sure what will do re pets if they start asking for them! #bestandworst

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  33. This is just too cute!!! We've always had a pet ever since my son was first born, he's often quite indifferent to her though! #bestandworst

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  34. I just love hamsters. The easiest animal to take care of.#bestandworst

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  35. Hope the novelty hasn't worn off yet! Back again for #bestandworst

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  36. Awww he looks so happy with his new pet. We would consider a pet for Amelia when she is a little older! #BestAndWorst

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  37. I still remember my first hamster, and the several that followed. I loved having them and when L is just that bit older he will definitely be having a pet. It teaches so much. Plus look at Alfie's face on those pictures, he's completely delighted! #bestandworst

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  38. Haha aw bless little Betty! How lovely that you ended up with a girl hamster after all? Good to hear that she's settling in well x Thanks for hosting #bestandworst

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  39. Brilliant...can't believe she was sexed wrong! Hope Alfie still loving it xx #bestandworst x

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  40. We had this happen with our cat, we were told he was a girl and then when I took him for his jabs at the vet we were told he was in fact a boy! He was called Blue so no name change needed. I like what you did changing Bertie to Betty, very clever. She is very cute and Alfie looks so pleased in the pictures. You are right that having a pet helps teach kids responsibility and how to be kind/gentle.xx #bestandworst

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  41. Awwwww, how lovely! Getting your first pet is such an exciting time and I think 4 is a great age as you say to begin to introduce the cocept and responsibility of pets to little ones. It sounds like Alfie is taking it very seriously - good start! Cant wait to hear more about how you all get on. Please to read that Berty turned out to be a Betty after all ;-) Emily #bestandworst

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  42. You are one brave lady; I cannot quite go to the pet yet. Still reeling with kid wrangling. Though Alfie looks well chuffed!

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  43. As long as she isn’t expecting, that's the main thing!! #bestandworst

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  44. Haha! I probably wouldn't have ever noticed!! Love that - at least he has his Betty now!! xx #bestandworst

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  45. Wow Bertie is a Betty! Fab news!! My friend has a vintage dress business called 'Call Me Betty' (just saying!) - random fact. #BestandWorst

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  46. Ah those pictures are adorable, his face!! We used have hamsters when we were kids, they make great pets, I hope he/she settles in quickly xx #bestandworst

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