he talks a lot more. used to "barking" at us when we clean him off, he has taken to barking at us other times when he's just trying to get attention. hamsters are smarter than i thought. i've never heard of a vocal hamster, but i'm telling you it is the cutest thing i've ever heard. especially now that i've determined he isn't always doing it out of annoyance or pain.
his cage has become a regular installation on the coffee table, at first so i could get him up and down in his two storey cage, but now because we like having him around. and talk about a conversation piece! not one person who has come in and seen him in his cuteness has not fallen completely in love with him.