Cute little Scout is my oldest son's best friend. Scout winks, sits, and loves to play "find my way through the maze of plastic cups"  all day long with my two sons.  He likes to be hand feed...  put to sleep in your arms.  Little Scout even is considerate and waits until way after the boys go to bed to "get his exercise" on the spinning wheel in his cage.  So cute!

There is just one problem...  he's got "shifty" eyes.  My son doesn't believe me, but I tell you... that little quick tempered, quick witted, bug eyed hamster loves to nip my fingers when I reach inside his cage!  Not my son's fingers... just mine!   Well, I'm sure it has something to do with my obsession with clean cages.  You see, in my opinion, an inside animal doesn't have to smell like an outside animal - so, what do I do?  I  pick up after our hamster!  I guess I wouldn't normally do this with animals, but  little Scout likes to live in a mess.  He likes his nicely groomed cage to be scattered with bits of half eaten food and cotton bedding.   If I try to clean it up at all...  he nips me!  He likes the mess.  So, I got the idea to take the little critter out while I "pick up" the mess in his cage, but it's as if he knows what I'm going to do.  He wont let me!  Nip, nip, nip!  Of course, if I go into the cage with the intention to just hold the little guy - everything is fine.  Scout lets me pick him up.  I just don't get it!  I tell you, he has a duel personality!!!  

So, as cute as he is - as friendly as he is...  there's no giving up little Scout.  It's all me!   I think I might need to call the Hamster Whisper (is there such a person) to help with my obsession for a clean cage!     Can you imagine a video plea to ABC (like they do for Extreme Home Makeover) from me - a clean cage-obsessed homeschool mom?  Hmmm, that just might earn me a ticket to the looney bin! 

What do I do?