Technical Difficulties

Hey guys! We've been having some technical difficulties on our end for the past week, so the website hadn't been updating Lizzie's progress through New Mexico. However, it's all fixed now and luckily her distance traveled during that time was still recorded, so if in case you noticed that Lizzie traveled a massive distance over the past 24 hours, it's not because Tommy and I are slave driving her with whips. ;)

A new state at last!

Lizzie enjoyed the scenery in Arizona so much, she decided to dawdle a bit to soak it up as much as possible. But eventually, the call of duty summoned her back onto her epic trip across the US. So at last, Lizzie has crossed the border into the state of New Mexico! Not only that, but she has now officially run over 800 miles total since we launched this website. Let's just hope she doesn't get lost along the way like a certain other famous furry rodent...

Pitter Patter

After what sees like a brief winter slumber, it seems Lizzie has resumed her journey across the US! I had my suspicions when I started hearing the distinctive pitter patter of her wheel more, but I had Tommy check the data to double check, and sure enough, Lizzie is back to her old way running ways, though she's still not quite as active as she once was in her youth. We're not quite sure what caused the dramatic slowdown in December, but I am happy to report it's over. :)

Hamster Hike

Woa! A fan who found our Instructable has set up their own website to track their hamster, Horatio, as he journeys across the U.K.! We're super flattered! Go check them out at Hamster Hike!

Update

Fear not, my friends, Lizzie is still alive and well. Though she isn't running as far during her nightly jaunts in her middle age, Tommy has made it easier for her to get around the vast carpeted plains of my room by giving her rides on his iRobot Create. The two of them get along pretty well, though occasionally Liz will push his buttons.

"How do I launch the missiles?"

Looking Back

Hey guys! Wow, sorry for the long delay in between posts. I'll admit up front I've been pretty delinquent about them lately. Thanks though for all your emails! We really love receiving your comments and feedback, so write away! :)

Since it's the new year, I thought it'd be fun to show Lizzie's progress over the course of 2008. Tommy put together the following graph showing Lizzie's daily running activities.

There's definitely been a decline in the average distance she runs per night as she's gotten older. We're not sure on her exact age, but she's probably somewhere around the 1.5 year mark, or about middle-age for a Syrian hamster, given her life expectancy of about 2.5 years. For some reason in the past couple months her running has shown a particularly large drop-off in her daily mileage. Tommy and I are still scratching our heads as to why.

Brawndo - The Thirst Mutilator

Tommy and I are extremely pleased to announce that Lizzie has gotten her first corporate sponsorship ever. Actually, come to think of it, has any hamster ever had a corporate sponsor before? Maybe Hampton of Hampster Dance fame would be the closest contestant, but pumped up on Brawndo - The Thirst Mutilator I'm sure Lizzie is more than a match for old Hampton, especially with all those electrolytes pumping through her veins. One sip of this stuff and she'll be charging off across America at light speed.

Of course, the improved running is just the beginning. Initial clinical tests revealed Brawndo can give incredible new abilities we never thought possible. Here are just a few of the results of our tests:

6x increase in upper body strength


Development of pop-star-quality pipes and a seductive voice to match


With such a dramatic increase in strength, intelligence and dexterity from drinking Brawndo on a twice-daily basis, our lab hamsters began taking on all kinds of new activities:

(Note: Brawndo is intended solely to be consumed by humans and plants. Like other processed human food and drink, we do not recommend or endorse actually feeding Brawndo to your pet hamsters)