Herbert “Herbie” The Hamster

Sep. 2011- Feb. 2013

The weekend of President’s Day, a member of the Charger family was lost.

Herbert the library hamster, or Herbie for short, died peacefully in his sleep. He was survived by his surrogate mother and primary caregiver, media center paraprofessional Stacey Latowksi.

“Herbie was like a year and a half old, that’s about the average for hamsters,” Latowksi said. “He was a nice little Syrian Fancy hamster.”

Students could spend time with Herbie in the library or they could check him out during the hour to bring him back to their classes.

“He was such a cute little bugger, such a good snuggler,” senior Brooke Ehrlich said. “He always got stuck in his little hamster ball, he didn’t want to come out.”

Latowski purchased Herbie at Soldans, where she also works, in Sep. 2011.

“He was a good pet,” Latowski said. “I thought he’d be here a couple years, he made it through two Christmases here. Herbie liked everyone, except he would pee on you sometimes.”

Herbie died a happy hamster.

“Herbie was cool with his freaked-out hair,” Latowski said. “He died peacefully in his favorite place, in bed.”

Several students have shared their favorite photos of Herbie.

Mary Husser and Sabrina Orbeck contributed to this story.