I am a girl and my first pet was a budgie. At the time I despised my parents’ decision to procure a budgie as our first pet, but over time I have come to understand their reasoning. Much of it is to do with the fact that we did have a pet before Old Blue, and it met its end in a very unfortunate way. For this reason – and also owing to the fact that Little Fella didn’t survive more than a day – we have never really counted that little Hamster as a first pet. Personally I think it’s a psychological defense: if we pretend he didn’t exist then we (or I) don’t have to face up to the terrible thing that happened that morning–

This was back in the days before anti wrinkle skin care product ; and I was only two years old, so I don’t really think I can be held accountable. That would suggest that I find my parents accountable, and that suggestion would be correct. I do!

Little Fella had no more than set foot on our house carpet than he was placed in to a large plastic ’fun’ball. From there he was given free reign of the carpet. What a fun first day for Little Fella!

Anyway, so while my parents weren’t paying attention, my devious two year-old self set about a game of football. I don’t remember this, but it’s the conclusion that my folks have come to (from their hearing all of Little Fella’s bizarre shrieking) that I was kicking him about all over. When they found me I was on the floor wrestling the ball about, and apparently Little Fella was blasting all about the inside. And he was blasting. His little body was moving so fast that mum and dad couldn’t make out what the moving thing was. It took them a second to realize it had to be our new hamster Little Fella–

But still, you live and you learn. And you also keep hamsters away from small children, duh.

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