I Can Really Love A Pet With An "Off" Button

Have you heard of zhou zhou? I suppose they were the rage this Christmas. We got lucky and found a few on a Walmart shelf, so I bought them for my boys and nephews. My boys had never mentioned them before, so I wasn't even sure if they knew what they were. We celebrated Christmas up at the farm today, and there was a zhou zhou debut. The boys cast them aside rather quickly in favor of a Nerf sword battle, but a certain someone was absolutely charmed and delighted with the concept of a battery operated rodent, and swooped right in to get better acquainted.

At first, she chased one all around the floor, cheering and clapping. Then, bravery set in and she finally picked it up. It was love at first sight. She was totally smitten.

She cuddled it.

And sang to it in a high pitched little voice. (It talks back to her, but can anyone out there explain why the zhou zhou hamster crows like a rooster? And fox whistles??)

Zhou zhou doesn't bite, scratch, pee, or smell. So I am smitten too. It even has an "off" button, which is a feature that would come in quite handy on our real live pets. As far as I can tell, it's only requirement is a steady supply of tiny batteries to keep it scurrying across the floor and cock-a-doodle-doo-ing (which we still don't get). Who would choose a real hamster over this? This is pet ownership at its virtual best.

There's only one small snag. There are two zhou zhous in this house, and neither of them belong to this person. The person who looooooves them. Looks like I'm in need of one more zhou zhou. Pronto.

What do you suppose my chances are of finding just one more of this season's hottest toy?