Motherhood Times Six

This morning my dwarf hamster, about the size of an engorged tulip, gave birth to a litter of pups! A fascinating voyeurship for me, gazing thru the glass of her aquarium home to see three pinkies with their bulbous, lidded eyes, their nub tails and their veiled viscera.

A day later, I count five maybe six little squirming pups. When she leaves her tissue paper and cotton nest, they squeak like frail kittens, tumble over each other, mouths still open, and are not content until she returns.

This is Sport's first litter and her tenacity is amazing. For hours and hours, her body gives to what it produced. The spectacle of their miniature life just makes me grin and hum.