Arlington Pet of the Week: Pockets and MIRV

This week’s Pet of the Week honor goes to a pair of quirky dwarf hamster brothers named Pockets and MIRV. While the two share the same genetics and an extravagant cage in Arlington, they could not be more different.

Here’s what their owner wrote about them:

Pockets and MIRV are brothers born five months ago from the same litter. I adopted them from a local pet shop and they continue to call Arlington home.

Despite being brothers, the two roommates have vastly different personalities, like a smaller and furrier Odd Couple. Pockets – named for his check-based storage capacity – is shy, relatively tiny, and the cleaner of the two. When he was adopted, we noticed he was missing part of his left ear, which gives him an ironic “bad boy” look. If his cage was the mean streets of The Outsiders, Pockets would definitely be more Ponyboy Curtis than Dally Winston. He loves yogurt chips and hiding in an old margarine container called Ft. Butter.

MIRV – named after a type of ballistic missile warhead because his owner works as a nuclear wonk in DC – is always curious, willing to defend his cage through finger bites, and very messy. MIRV enjoys running and making a mess in his wheel at 6:00 am, which is good exercise for him and a cheap alarm clock for me. His favorite snack is a peanut.

We try to give them a fun and spacious living environment with two levels, two wheels, a couple hideaways, and a fresh supply of fruits and veggies always on the menu. Pockets and MIRV really like their doctors at SEAVS in Fairfax and look forward to calling Arlington home for many years to come.

The Arlington Pet of the Week is sponsored by Dogma Bakery, which has locations at The Village at Shirlington (2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive) and the Lee Harrison Shopping Center (2445 N. Harrison Street).

Want your pet to be considered to be the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected]. Each week’s winner receives a $25 Dogma gift card.