Hairless hamster gets tiny sweater

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- When you're chilly, you put on a sweater, right? Well, when you're a hairless hamster, someone nice crochets one for you.

Silky the hairless hamster, now a ward of the Oregon Humane Society, has a tiny white sweater to help her keep the chill off.

Silky's family had to give her up and she is now being cared for by the staff at OHS in Portland, Oregon. The one-year-old hamster was born with no hair due to a genetic mutation.

OHS staffer Diana Gabaldon said Silky, who loves to cuddle and play, "does need to be kept in a heated environment, especially during the winter, and have a higher protein diet to keep her warm."

And of course, she needed a sweater, so when OHS Animal Care Technician Selene Mejia saw Silky shivering in the corner of her cage, she decided to help out by crocheting the teeny weeny sweater

She only wears her clothes, though, for special occasions. The rest of the time she goes au naturale in her cozy, heated environment.

Silky will be available for adoption on Monday.