My 7 year old granddaughter has wanted a pet for several years. In particular she would really like a cat. However, her mother has allergy problems and is not interested in intensifying it with the addition of an indoor cat or dog type creature. Fish were eventually introduced into the household and would have worked out well, except that they died. When all seemed lost, an adult friend gave her a hamster complete with cage, running wheel, and food. She was so excited! She said, “Grandma, can you believe I have my very own pet?!!”

Naming the hamster was not a problem for her. She named it Climber and asked her mother to write its name on a piece of paper so she could see how it was spelled. Her mother wrote C-L-I-M-B-E-R. She said, “Why is that ’b’ in there?” Her mother told her the ’b’ is silent. She thought a moment then said, “But we have to say the ’b’, I know, we’ll call him Climburr!”

Climburr’s cage is in my granddaughter’s room. Before too much time had passed, her parents discovered that Climburr loved to run on his wheel–especially at night. Being a fairly light sleeper, the unaccustomed noise would wake the little girl and she found it a lot more fun to play with the hamster than to go back to sleep. So Climburr was relegated to the laundry room at night and back into my granddaughter’s room during the day.

A year has passed since that wonderful day Climburr came into the life of my granddaughter. Her Grandpa and I are going to visit soon. What are we taking besides treats for the grandchildren? Treats for Climburr - shelled, unsalted sunflower seeds! He is definitely a member of the family.