“Literally crying”: Ancient hamster named “Grandma Bambi” goes viral on TikTok and promptly dies

A briefly TikTok famous and very old hamster passed away just as the internet was falling in love with her. Her owner first started posting about her in June, and by the end of July, the era of Grandma Bambi was over.

Meet Grandma Bambi, tiny TikTok star

On June 12, 2025, TikToker @angelinasanhz graced us with Grandma Bambi—a tiny, ancient, balding hamster. Two months ago, she was still surprisingly spry, with bright eyes and quick feet. The short video, to the sound of a woman saying “you can’t get rid of me, b*tch,” racked up over 21.4 million views.

@angelinasanhz how are u still alive my bro #fyp #oldesthamster #hamster #dwarfhamster #oldpets #foryou ♬ you cant get rid of me bih – Randomgyrl100

Follow-up videos showed young Bambi with a full coat of white, brown, and gray fur. According to PetMD, old age is a top cause of hamster alopecia (hair loss).

As she aged, Grandma Bambi began to show other signs of her advanced years. Her back legs grew stiff, reducing her mobility and causing her to tumble over periodically. Her owner did what she could to help her out, using her hand to right the balding creature from its back.

@angelinasanhz she’s trying bless her 😭 #fyp #hamster #rip #oldesthamster #dwarfhamster #baldhamster #oldpets ♬ Whisper of Peace – The Brazilians of Bossa Nova

One particularly adorable shot shows Bambi on her hamster wheel, still working out at her age. She can barely move the oversized wheel, toddling along and stopping to rest at times, but she keeps going. In other shots, she’s pretty mobile in spite of some shaking.

By the end of her life, most of the remaining fur stayed around her face like a shaggy white beard.

The TikToker announced Bambi’s retirement on July 18 with a video of the tiny, exhausted thing resting on her chest. The death announcement came with a compilation of past clips posted on July 31 asking, “wdym she’s gonna pass away in my arms 10 minutes after i take this video?”

@angelinasanhz we’ll never forget you baldy ❤️ #fyp #oldesthamster #dwarfhamster #baldhamster #trending #bambi #rip ♬ Picture You – Clara Smallman

“Literally crying over an old hamster”

Grandma Bambi gained legions of fans after her owner first introduced her with that mega-viral video. If there’s one thing people love even more than cute animals, it’s extremely old cute animals.

Many had never seen such an elderly hamster before, except perhaps in movies.

TikTok commenter @deli_jnz asked, “but why he looks like a really really old Disney character.”

“HE LOOKS LIKE PAPA SMURF,” cried @bitationsanimations.

On the death announcement video, many commenters grieved for the hamster they had just met.

“WORST DAY OF MY LIFE I JUST MET HER TWO MINUTES AGO,” wrote @aspenswurld.

“Literally crying over an old hamster I saw for the first time 5 minutes ago,” said @nadinelle.e.

Rest in peace, Grandma Bambi. You were truly loved.