Hi everyone,
Sorry it's been a long time since my last blog entry.
I have another hamster story.
It has been very cold recently and so Chu has been spending almost all of his time keeping warm in his コタツ(暖かいコタツに引篭もっている). He only comes out to eat, chew on things（かじる）, and sometimes run around on his wheel（ホイールで走る）. But he ussually comes out when he hears me cooking(料理をしている音を聞くとだいたい出てくる), because I give him vegetable scraps（野菜のくず）. His favorites are spinach stems（ほうれん草の茎, carrot skin（人参の皮, and peanut shells（ピーナツの殻).
The other day, I was cooking in the morning and he didn't come out of the コタツ, even after I opened the door and put some vegetables in his bowl（かごを開けて、野菜をあげても出てこなかった). I then noticed that the kotastu had become unplugged(コタツのプラグが抜いていた), maybe for a few days. I got worried so I opened up the コタツand found him all curled up and not moving（丸めて、動いていなかった）.
I picked him up and still no reaction（反応がなかった）. His body was very cold too, so I was sure he was DEAD. I felt bad, so I put him back in the コタツ, plugged it in, and went to work.
I was thinking about what to do with him all day at A to Z and starting to plan a hamster funeral（ハムスターの葬式を考えていた） and final blog post.
After I got home from work I got out a paper towel and a small box to dispose of the body（死体を始末する）, but then I noticed that all the vegetables I had given him were gone. When I opened the cage and looked in the コタツ he came running out, healthy and very hungry（コタツの中をのぞいたら、元気いっぱいで出てきた）. I was relieved. (ほっとした）.
I searched the Internet to find out what had happened. It turns out that hamsters don't hibernate(普通の冬眠はしない）, but if the temperature drops below 10 degrees（温度が１０度以下まで下がると） they will become torpid (無気力、無感覚). Being torpid means that they have no energy, their body slows down and they stop moving. It can be dangerous if it continues for too long, but a short time is natural.
So that is my hamster story.
Has anyone else every had a torpid hamster?
Does Chu deserve a new name or an award for his death-defying (死に挑むような) miracle (奇跡）?
Let me know what you think.
Derek
Sorry it's been a long time since my last blog entry.
I have another hamster story.
It has been very cold recently and so Chu has been spending almost all of his time keeping warm in his コタツ(暖かいコタツに引篭もっている). He only comes out to eat, chew on things（かじる）, and sometimes run around on his wheel（ホイールで走る）. But he ussually comes out when he hears me cooking(料理をしている音を聞くとだいたい出てくる), because I give him vegetable scraps（野菜のくず）. His favorites are spinach stems（ほうれん草の茎, carrot skin（人参の皮, and peanut shells（ピーナツの殻).
The other day, I was cooking in the morning and he didn't come out of the コタツ, even after I opened the door and put some vegetables in his bowl（かごを開けて、野菜をあげても出てこなかった). I then noticed that the kotastu had become unplugged(コタツのプラグが抜いていた), maybe for a few days. I got worried so I opened up the コタツand found him all curled up and not moving（丸めて、動いていなかった）.
I picked him up and still no reaction（反応がなかった）. His body was very cold too, so I was sure he was DEAD. I felt bad, so I put him back in the コタツ, plugged it in, and went to work.
I was thinking about what to do with him all day at A to Z and starting to plan a hamster funeral（ハムスターの葬式を考えていた） and final blog post.
After I got home from work I got out a paper towel and a small box to dispose of the body（死体を始末する）, but then I noticed that all the vegetables I had given him were gone. When I opened the cage and looked in the コタツ he came running out, healthy and very hungry（コタツの中をのぞいたら、元気いっぱいで出てきた）. I was relieved. (ほっとした）.
I searched the Internet to find out what had happened. It turns out that hamsters don't hibernate(普通の冬眠はしない）, but if the temperature drops below 10 degrees（温度が１０度以下まで下がると） they will become torpid (無気力、無感覚). Being torpid means that they have no energy, their body slows down and they stop moving. It can be dangerous if it continues for too long, but a short time is natural.
So that is my hamster story.
Has anyone else every had a torpid hamster?
Does Chu deserve a new name or an award for his death-defying (死に挑むような) miracle (奇跡）?
Let me know what you think.
Derek
あービックリしました…
…でもChu元気が戻ってヨカッタ！！
今年の東京は寒いです。デレック先生も
Chuも風邪などひかないで下さいね。