Buddy was my sister's third hamster, whom she bought on January 31, 2003. He was the only male hamster either of us owned. I rarely got to see Buddy since my sister lived in another city, but whenever my sister went on vacation, she would leave Buddy with me. He was quite possibly the gentlest of all of our hamsters, as he never bit any of us. He had a tumor in his backside sometime in 2004, which was surgically removed. Buddy also had low blood sugar and therefore drank a lot of water and would have to be fed sugar cereals. Buddy spent his last few days with me, as my sister had just gotten married and was on her honeymoon. This really gave me a chance to bond with Buddy, for even though he was old, he still managed to have enough energy to crawl into my hand and hang out with me outside his cage. The morning before his death, I noticed he was inactive, spending the entire time lying in one place and breathing heavy. I recognized this behavior, as my hamster Pixie exhibited the same behavior before she died. The next morning, June 13, 2005, the day on which my sister was due to return, Buddy passed away in his sleep. He was more than two years old. He is now burried in my backyard with my sisters' other hamsters, Lucy and Ethel. I am thankful that I had a chance to bond with him in his last days and that my sister and her husband do not hold his death against me.