Squeezed

So it was near the close of work.
When I turned around and saw some customers come in with a box.
Not usually a good thing. Because usually within the box is an animal that has died. :(

Today...unfortunately, was one of those cases.
:( I much prefer it when the animal comes back in the box alive.

So, the customers came to me, to return their dead hamster.
This particular box with the hamster within it....
Was different though.
Because it had bloodstains on the outside of it. O.o

I thought I figured out the solution when I saw the paperwork that they brought in.
As it showed that they had bought two hamsters.
Of two different sizes.

So I thought the problem was that more than likely the larger hamster had attacked the smaller one, and killed it.
As I saw it was my greenest coworker who had sold them the hamsters, so perhaps my coworker hadn't known that you don't put two hamsters of different sizes together in the same cage.
-You don't put two hamsters together period-

Not the case. It wasn't that the hamsters had been put together.

The customers were very adamant that I don't look in the box.
But if they're returning the animal.....I kinda need to double check that they're returning what they say they're returning.

It definitely wasn't pretty.
A pool of blood below the hamster's head. It's eyes bloody, one hazed over in death....blood coming from the nose...

It's something that I haven't really seen before...when another hamster hasn't attacked the other.

What happened was just....
Sad.
S.A.D. Sad.

Apparently they got the hamsters for two people.
A boy and a girl.

No idea how old these two people are.
I'm assuming they're younger, possibly kids...

But I'm not sure, as I didn't ask for detail on ages.
In any case....
Apparently, when they got the hamsters to the two people.
The girl, opened up the box with the hamster that met it's unfortunate end.
She reached in and grabbed the hamster.
Like grabbed it, from above....kinda like a bird would dive down and grab onto the hamster and take it away.
You usually want to go under for picking up hamsters, scoop them up in a way.

But she reached in and grabbed the hamster.
So obviously it bit her.
Hard. I hope. Hopefully it drew blood.

She dropped it.
Who knows how far it fell.
But she apparently picked it up.

And stuck it between her legs to hold it in place while she went after the other hamster.

So what happened with the hamster?
Basically it was squeezed to death.
Between this girl's legs.

So the bloody eyes?
Probably it was squeezed so tightly that it wouldn't surprise me if it's eyes had literally popped.

So. So. Stupid.
Such a stupid way for the hamster the die!

Honestly, grab the one hamster, put it in the cage and then grab the other one.
Don't try and grab both of them at once!!

Ugh.
So. So. Sad!

Apparently the hamster that died, belonged to the boy, who was really upset.

I would be too.
Especially because they had bought the hamster earlier that day! Gah!

A hamster dying the same day? Not. Good. Ever. Especially when he was perfectly healthy when he left!

I really didn't want to sell them another hamster.
But I didn't want the boy to get the short end of the stick because of the stupid actions of the girl.

So with a firm "Don't let the girl handle this hamster!" and other instructions like on when to handle them, how to handle them, how to pick them up.

I got them another hamster.

But if this second one returns to us dead......
I've already gotten a contingency plan in hand.

I left a note for all my coworkers, telling them to keep an eye out for customers who come in with the paperwork with "so and so's" name.
And that if they come in with another dead hamster.
To. Not. Sell. Them. Another. One.

As obviously the people they're giving them to, don't know how to handle hamsters correctly.
I also let the managers on duty know.

So. If they do return that one hamster dead.
They're not going to get another one.
Hopefully. So long as my coworkers read my message and remember to keep an eye out....
Hopefully it doesn't have to be an issue, and the hamster ends up fine.
Hopefully.

-Sarnic Dirchi