All Hamsters Go To Heaven

At least that is what we have been saying today because my teenager's hamster died today.

I took my teenager with me to Costco this afternoon and when we came back this is what transpired:

Me: (in the kitchen putting away things from the store and getting stuff out to make dinner)

Teenager: comes into the kitchen, face beet-red, tears flowing uncontrollably and says nothing

Me: What happened? OMG! You can't come in here like this and not speak! Tell me what's wrong!

Teenager: I think Thumper died!

Me: How do you know? (this happened once a few months ago and it turned out he was just sleeping)

Teenager: He's not moving and it looks like he's not breathing!

Teenager and I go to her room. I look into the cage. He is definitely dead. Poor little guy :(

Me: I'm so sorry. There was nothing we could have done to prevent it. You loved him. You had him for a really long time (she had him since August 2007)

Teeenager: sobbing loudly

Toddler: What's sissy crying for?

Me: Thumper died. He isn't going to be able to wake up again (she doesn't get it, just really hates to see big sister crying)

Toddler: gives her big sister a big hug, tells her she'll be OK (too sweet)

We finally convinced my teenager that we need to get him out of his cage because it is really going to start to smell bad. We take a cute little wooden box with a top that slides closed and put him in it. We let her say goodbye to him and had my husband take him to the garbage outside the house (without toddler seeing this). We live in the dessert, no grass, etc so we really couldn't dig a hole in the ground to bury him. It was sad. I still feel awful for her. There has been a little talk already of getting another one but I keep telling her that the next one might not last as long as this one did, we have no way of knowing.

We love our pets. We have 3 cats and when their time comes it is going to really, really suck.

Rest in peace, Thumper. You were loved.