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Well, I am rather fond of hamsters…so I’m pretty happy with the news that the European Court of Justice has stepped in to ensure the survival of this beautiful critter. The black-bellied hamster is found in Alsace, France and has been a protected species in the country since 1993. But despite efforts, the 1200 burrows found in 2000 decreased dramatically to just 180 in 2007. The French government is now working with agencies to create a more favourable habitat for the hamsters.
Photo : Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty Images

Today begins the animal charity RSPCA Week! This vital organisation help rescue animals all over the country every year…but they need our help. Find out what’s going on near you and see what you can do to get involved. I’ll be popping down to the London Pet Show (for the rabbit show jumping and pig agility!) where they will have a stand giving out useful pet info and advice.

I’m going to be offline for a while over Christmas…so here’s the wonderfully round Fatso enjoying a sunflower seed snack in my husband’s jeans pocket!
Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year from us all at Suziesden!
Photos by Suzie Pipes ©

I’ve been reading a lot from people unsure about what to do to help the birds in their garden with the freezing weather. So, here’s some great advice from the RSPB with all the nutritious food birds love! Our blackbirds, sparrows and little robin all love raisins…and the odd bit of bacon rind! It seems ‘fatty’ foods are especially useful at this time of year…which is bad news for our hamsters as it looks like they’ll be sharing that big bag of sunflower seeds!

I’ve got three Winter White dwarf hamsters, but up until now, we’ve only managed to get photos of two of them (Fatso and Minnie – mostly on the Photos page!)
Beryl has remained elusive for two reasons…she’s extremely nippy and moves like a ninja plus she’s quite nervous and suspicious of cameras. However, she’s also very curious and likes to stand on her hind legs (like a meerkat) to see what’s going on, and we managed to catch her in her curious pose today! Unlike the other two, she is a normal dark grey colour and as a Winter White, changes colour to a slightly paler fur to help camouflage herself in snow at Winter. However, as she lives indoors (and we’ve had the heating on) she’s unlikely to change to be as white as our other two furballs!
Photos by Suzie Pipes ©

It’s my birthday, so I’m having a bit of a lazy day…in the meantime, here’s one of my lovely Winter White dwarf hamsters, Fatso, being nosy and very interested in some sunflower seeds.
Winter Whites are so called because the moult their fur during Winter and gain a much paler, whiter one so they are more camoflagued against snow. Fatso however is always white as she is a ‘pearl’ variety, ulike the normal brown-grey colouring. (I do have one hamster who is a normal dark grey, however she is also the speediest hamster known to man and isn’t very keen on cameras…when I manage to get a non-blurry shot of her I’ll post it!)
We called her Fatso because she was twice the size of the other hamsters…however, as you can see, despite her sunflower seed addiction, she’s not all that fat really, bless her.
Photos by Suzie Pipes ©

Welcome to Suziesden from me…and Fatso the Winter White dwarf hamster.
Photos by Suzie Pipes ©