Hungry caterpillars

Caterpillars are interesting creatures that come in all shapes and colours. Most people concentrate on their adult form, the butterfly but the caterpillar is a fascinating creature in its own right. Before becoming a butterfly, it needs to first survive and eat all it can. To do that, they have to evolve means of protecting themselves and every caterpillar has its own ways to do so.

Eggs are laid in really high numbers too, to ensure that some reach adulthood. Not all will make it, the amount of food needed and the number of predators around make it difficult for caterpillars to reach their final stage.

It was all fairly simple for the hungry caterpillar in the children's book. Unlike real caterpillars, the hungry caterpillar ate plenty of fruit. We all know caterpillars aren't the same as fruit flies but butterflies do occasionally sip from fermenting fruit.

If you want to read more on caterpillars, especially the kind of things they like to eat, I've got an interesting article. It also briefly talks about some defence mechanisms used by some caterpillars to ensure their survival. Click here to read more on the subject: What do caterpillars like to eat?

How we met and some interesting treats (plus PHOTOS!!!)

I met Coco (often referred to as Coshu, -shu being mouse in my native tongue) almost a year ago now. He was the only one who stood up, two little hands pressed against glass and eyes frantic to get noticed. To be honest, he did not have to try very hard, considering how the rest of the hamsters were too lazy to get up!

Today, he is still as lively as he was the day I got him. For something so small, he is quite demanding. He does not accept 'I'm busy' or 'We'll play later'. It could almost be called magic, how he stands there, trying to catch your eye - don't even think about looking away, because he will eventually catch your eye and he does it silently. Before you know it, the cage door is open. Hypnosis, perhaps. I would advise anyone who is interested in having a hamster as a pet. They are crafty little things. Do not underestimate them because they are small! And for anyone who is buying one soon, make sure you have the time play. They have such a short life span, every day of play is important to them!

I went to Hong Kong last month for 4 weeks. Unfortunately I could not bring Coshu with me, instead he had a holiday of his own at a friends'. I was told he had fun, his cage was placed close to my friend's cage and both the hamsters spent a lot of time looking at each other. Whether this was due to love or hate or a simple curiosity, we never did find out because the number one rule is that no Syrian hamster be placed together unless they were mating. They did spend quite some time chasing after each other in the comfort and safety of running balls.

While I was away, I found some hamster treats that were not available in UK. These were quite interesting

and here are some photos:

These two are freeze dried fruits, one is strawberries and the other is apple. My hamster preferred the apple. Infact, he quite disliked the strawberry enough to throw it out of his house. To annoy him, I did put one back in later.

This one was carrot and lettuce jelly pots. He likes to lick it. You simply open the plastic lid and leave it in the cage. I was somewhat concerned about sugar levels and tried some of this jelly. A bit on the sweet side, so only good for occasional treats. Water content would be too high too.

This was dried fish, smelt a bit salty. He treated this like the strawberries. They got thrown out of his home. My cat liked them though!

These are like hard compact biscuits that resembled cat litter. Peanut flavoured (although there was a large selection of other flavours) and possibly really good for hamsters that refuse to gnaw wood. A favourite. 

Fried pumpkin, carrot and beetroot crisps. A bit oily but I guess it is ok in moderate amounts. He really likes these and they taste like human veg crisps minus the salt!

Thats all for now... And I'm sure you'll agree that these treats do look cuter than the usual ones in England. 

Coshu and Mei