Any owner will know the difficulty of being parted from their pet when they go away, but one woman who returned home after a vacation was greeted by the cutest reaction.
Skye Cotter hated leaving her pet hamster, Oscar, in the U.K. when she traveled to Spain recently, but it was all worth it when she eventually came home. Cotter filmed the moment when Oscar realized she was finally back, after 10 long days apart.
It wasn't easy for Cotter be away from Oscar for so long and she told Newsweek that she "hated leaving him" and had a camera installed so she could check on him. She noticed that he "didn't really want to come out" when she wasn't home, despite having plenty of space to roam around.
Oscar wasn't completely alone as Cotter's mom visited him frequently to feed him and check in on him. But being able to see her beloved hamster for herself with the cameras was important.
"I got cameras specifically for going away, just so I could see him whenever I wanted to," Cotter said. "That way I knew when he got up and went to bed too. It was so strange leaving him, and I definitely won't be leaving him again."
"I actually thought that when I got back he was going to be upset with me, but he was completely the opposite," she said. "As soon as he realized I was back, his little legs ran so fast to me."
According to PetMD, hamsters are very easy-going pets and can typically live up to three years. It's suggested that they have at least 150 square inches of space to roam, but it's safe to say that Oscar has more than that.
As hamsters are very active, they need lots of stimulation, so PetMD suggests a running wheel, plenty of bedding to encourage tunneling and time being handled by their owner each day to maintain interaction. Although not all hamsters like being held for long periods of time, it's vital for owners to play with and fuss over hamsters daily.
Since getting Oscar, Cotter has spent a vast amount of time teaching him commands and earning trust, so she can have complete confidence in allowing the hamster to roam around her home.
Cotter told Newsweek: "I spend all my time with my hamsters, so I can free roam them. I personally don't get an animal to keep it in a cage its whole life, so I work hard with them to allow them the freedom they get.
"I also teach him commands as he will come to me when I call him, go to bed when I tell him to. He understands no, off and get down."
Cotter posted the video of Oscar's reaction to her returning home on TikTok (@skyecotter) on July 3 and it's already been viewed more than 976,000 times and received over 66,000 likes. Alongside the adorable clip, Cotter wrote: "The way he runs faster once he knows it's me, I'm so happy to be back with him, I missed him so much."
Thousands of people have commented on the post already, with many TikTok users praising the bond between owner and hamster, and some demanding a tour of his epic enclosure.
One comment reads: "What a nice welcoming."
Another TikTok user wrote: "This sweet boy has the BEST LIFE."
A different person commented: "This has to be the most precious video. I am in awe of the hamster's house though."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
