Meet Our Hamsters

Behind every RoseLark design is careful observation, lived experience, and a great deal of tiny paws.

Our hamsters — along with those we foster and a small number of trusted welfare-aligned homes — help us ensure that every product supports natural behaviour, correct sizing, and ethical enclosure standards.

They are not “props.”
They are not content tools.
They are individuals.

Each with their own preferences, personalities, and very strong opinions about hide entrances.

How Our Hamsters Help Shape RoseLark

We observe how hamsters naturally interact with:

• Internal hide space

• Entrance width and height

• Turning space

• Sand bath depth and width

• Hoarding behaviour

• Nesting preferences

• Enrichment engagement

• Movement between zones within an enclosure

If a product restricts behaviour, it’s redesigned.

Ethical hamster care means designing around instinct — not aesthetics alone.

Meet the Test Team

Jesse Pinkham

Species: Long-Haired Syrian Hamster
Personality: Shy, gentle, quietly observant
Favourite Feature: Spacious hides with generous internal room
Speciality: Thoroughly inspecting hide entrances and turning space

Jesse is a very late riser and prefers the calm of quiet evenings before emerging to explore. A beautiful long-haired male Syrian, he was rescued as part of a mass overbreeding situation and has always been a sensitive, cautious soul.

He has never fully learned to trust humans — and that’s okay. At RoseLark, we design around who animals are, not who we expect them to be.

Jesse consistently chooses hides with the most generous internal space and comfortable turning room. He is particularly observant when it comes to entrance sizing and will immediately reject anything that feels restrictive or exposed.

His quiet preferences have helped refine internal dimensions, entrance widths, and overall hide security — ensuring our designs truly prioritise comfort and behavioural safety.

Muddy

Species: Roborovski Hamster
Personality: Tiny, lightning-fast, and naturally cautious
Favourite Feature: Dense coverage and low-profile entrances
Speciality: Coverage, sand bath, and dig box accessibility

Muddy may be small, but she moves with impressive speed and precision. As a Roborovski hamster, she prefers environments with layered coverage and immediate access to safe retreat spaces.

We observe how she navigates hide placement, transitions between zones, and accesses substrate dig boxes and sand baths. Entrance height, internal depth, and stability are especially important for a species that relies on speed and security.

Muddy helps ensure our designs support the fast, ground-hugging nature of Roborovskis — where feeling protected makes all the difference.

Princess Lilica

Species: Chinese Hamster
Personality: Agile, quick, and quietly adventurous
Favourite Feature: Elevated routes and stable hide roofs
Speciality: Climbing safety and structural stability testing

Princess Lilica is small, slender, and incredibly agile. Chinese hamsters are known for their longer bodies, mouse-like features, and slightly longer tails — traits that give them impressive balance and confidence when exploring height within an enclosure.

She naturally investigates elevated surfaces, testing hide roofs, accessory tops, and layered layouts with careful precision. Because of her light weight and climbing ability, she plays an important role in assessing structural stability and safety when products are explored from above.

We observe:

• Roof strength and load-bearing stability

• Grip and surface texture

• Secure edges and smooth finishes

• The stability of stacked or layered layouts

Princess Lilica helps ensure our hides and accessories remain stable, secure, and safe — even when used in ways only an agile Chinese hamster would think to try.

Mei Li

Species: Chinese Hamster
Personality: Gentle, cautious, and quietly curious
Favourite Feature: Secure hides with comfortable internal space
Speciality: Trust-based interaction and climbing stability testing

Mei Li is a slender Chinese hamster with the species’ characteristic long body, mouse-like features, and balancing tail. Naturally cautious, she is slowly building trust and confidence through calm, predictable routines.

One of her sweetest habits is walking directly into her 3D printed hide to be gently transported to and from her playpen — a behaviour that reflects both thoughtful design and growing trust.

Mei Li also tests how hides perform when climbed on, carefully scaling roofs and edges before settling back into cover. We observe structural stability, grip, and overall security when products are explored from above.

When offered a treat, she will politely take it before darting back to her hide to stash it or enjoy it in private — reinforcing the importance of secure, spacious interiors that support natural hoarding behaviour.

Mei Li reminds us that good design supports not only instinct, but confidence.

Mochi Pukupku

Species: Dwarf Hamster
Personality: Determined, energetic, and endlessly curious
Favourite Feature: Deep bedding and spacious sand baths
Speciality: Burrowing behaviour and platform stability testing

Mochi Pukupku is the newest member of the RoseLark family. She came from a home where her enclosure was very small, bedding was minimal, and no upright wheel was available.

Now, with space to explore and proper depth to dig, her favourite activity is burrowing.

Mochi immediately tunnels beneath platforms and hides, testing whether structures remain stable and secure when bedding shifts below them. Because dwarf hamsters are enthusiastic diggers, she helps us ensure platforms are reinforced, weight-distributed correctly, and safe even when fully undermined.

She also plays an important role in assessing sand bath size and depth. Dwarf hamsters are particularly fond of rolling and digging in sand, and Mochi makes full use of the space — helping us confirm that dimensions allow proper, unrestricted grooming behaviour.

Mochi reminds us how quickly hamsters thrive when given the opportunity to express their natural instincts — especially when those instincts include digging, rolling, and disappearing into freshly made tunnels.

GusGus

GusGus is proudly cared for by @TreasuredPaws.

Species: Syrian Hamster
Personality: Gentle, cautious, delightfully dramatic
Favourite Feature: Wide entrances and stable layouts
Speciality: Accessibility testing

Affectionately named after the little fat mouse from Cinderella, GusGus is bursting with gentle charm. He startles first and asks questions never, often making a dramatic dash for cover at top, three-legged, speed. But offer him a treat and you win his affection, and maybe an accidental nibble of the finger in all the excitement. Cute, chaotic and irresistibly squishy, GusGus will steal any heart.

GusGus is a male Syrian hamster who recently underwent a leg amputation following an injury. His mobility may be slightly different now, but his spirit certainly isn’t.

Because of this, he plays an especially important role in helping us assess accessibility within our designs. We observe how easily he navigates entrances, turning space, hide interiors and transitions between areas within an enclosure. Products must feel secure, stable, and effortless to move through — not restrictive or awkward.

GusGus reminds us that thoughtful, welfare-led design should work for every hamster, including those with additional needs.

Lilo

Lilo is proudly cared for by @thefluffymindspace

Species: Syrian Hamster
Personality: Energetic, particular, and a true burrow engineer
Favourite Feature: Deep bedding and customisable hides
Speciality: Burrowing structure and enclosure redesign testing

Lilo is our 12 month old Syrian queen and the true ruler of burrow engineering! Every fresh enclosure set up turns into a full construction project — she builds what we can only describe as the hamster equivalent of the London Underground inside her 120L BUCATSTATE home. She’s endlessly busy, full of personality and always on the go, whether she’s tunnelling, foraging or redesigning her space overnight.

As a very particular lady, Lilo loves products that meet her “needy girl” standards, which is why we adore RoseLark’s 3D printed pet safe range. Their items are not only practical and easy to clean, but can be customised in beautiful shades to match our themed set ups perfectly.

Lilo’s determination means we pay close attention to how our products perform once bedding has been thoroughly reworked overnight. Her ambitious tunnelling helps us ensure hides remain secure, internal space stays usable, and designs continue to support natural burrowing behaviour.

Lilo helps ensure our designs remain stable, secure, and supportive — even after a full night of enthusiastic “renovations.”

Waffles

Waffles is proudly cared for by @thefluffymindspace

Species: Syrian Hamster
Personality: Gentle, affectionate, and people-oriented
Favourite Feature: Enrichment-led enclosure layouts
Speciality: Exploration and engagement testing

Waffles is our rescue boy and the gentlest little soul you could meet. He absolutely thrives on human interaction and is happiest when he’s out spending time with us or exploring a brand new enclosure design.

His sweet nature makes him a joy to be around and to create enriching spaces for — he truly appreciates every little detail.

Waffles’ gentle, inquisitive nature allows us to observe how new layouts and enrichment pieces are explored at a relaxed pace. His engagement helps us assess whether spaces feel inviting, easy to navigate, and comfortable for longer periods of time.

And replacing his final line with something more balanced and aligned:

Waffles helps ensure our designs feel enriching, accessible, and thoughtfully arranged — not just functional.

Our Welfare Promise

We do not design based on trends.
We do not prioritise aesthetics over safety.
We do not promote co-housing.

Every product is created to support:

• Ethical hamster care

• Species-appropriate enrichment

• Long-term welfare standards

• Education-led ownership

Because tiny pets deserve thoughtful design.

Our Welfare Standards

Every hamster featured here lives in:

• Enclosures meeting or exceeding 100cm x 50cm minimum standards

• Deep bedding suitable for burrowing

• Species-appropriate solitary housing

• Properly sized wheels

• Enrichment-led layouts

• High-quality, species-appropriate nutrition

Ethical care is not optional. It is foundational.

💛 Why Transparency Matters

RoseLark exists to improve welfare standards, not just sell products.

By sharing the hamsters who help inform our designs, we remain accountable to the animals themselves.

Products must work for them — first.