Today, I want to share with you a story about "the happiest hamster in the world". Speaking of happiness, what do you think is the most enjoyable thing in life? Is it being a wealthy person living in a mansion and driving a sports car, or being an emperor with thousands of concubines? Actually, there are many things that can make people feel great, but one thing that might not have crossed your mind is becoming a pet.
Imagine this: if you were a pet, you would be served every day, meals would be delivered right on time, someone would clean up after you all day long, and when there's nothing to do, you'd be petted and cuddled. You'd stay home all day without having to work. Doesn't that sound pretty great?
There is a 22-year-old young man living in Scotland who owns two adorable hamsters. One of them is the star of today's story (pictured on the left), named Marshmallow, who is two years old this year. The other is Licorice, just recently born. Since these two hamsters came to this home, they have not only had an ideal environment but also a devoted owner who prepares snacks for them three times a day. It feels like they are living the ultimate pampered pet life... or is it?
Actually, it's even more than that. This owner dotes on his little hamsters so much that his way of caring for them goes far beyond what most pet owners would do. Marshmallow has a good appetite and usually eats whatever is fed to her. But the owner wanted to know her preferences better, so he conducted a series of taste tests, giving her every edible item once to find out what she liked best.
The first trials included broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and grapes. The owner noticed that Marshmallow seemed to especially enjoy grapes—once she was so eager to eat them that she almost bit the owner's hand. After testing all the fruits and vegetables, it turned out the hamsters didn't reject any of them. But what about cooked food?
So the owner looked up hamster recipes online and first cooked some unsalted, sugar-free scrambled eggs for Marshmallow. It turned out that cooked food was a bit unfamiliar and somewhat rejected by the hamster, but if she was willing to try a bite, she would finish the eggs. Next, the owner prepared some pasta, sugar-free popcorn, and other cooked treats. After trying a variety of cooked foods, Marshmallow didn't reject them either. However, since there were very few recipe options online, the owner decided to invent some himself!
He developed mini versions of human dishes, including a tiny pizza and even a small pancake topped with banana. Gradually, the variety of dishes expanded to include pasta, strawberry cake, salmon rice bowls, and even fruit smoothies for Marshmallow.
This entire process was not done quietly. The owner created social media accounts for the hamsters, which over time have attracted a large following. Currently, the account has 600,000 followers. Many fans are very interested in Marshmallow and Licorice's daily lives and even envy the hamsters' diet and lifestyle. In a way, these little hamsters have transformed from simple pets into internet celebrities.
