Have You Seen Twig Terrariums’ Resident Hamster, Princess Ophelia?

DITMAS PARK – Shortly after relocating Twig Terrariums from Gowanus to 642 Coney Island Avenue in Ditmas Park, owners Michelle Inciarrano and Katy Maslow adopted a Russian Dwarf hamster who has been greeting visitors at their new shop since.

Princess Ophelia lived in a “four-story condo” at Twig and would occasionally explore the studio in her hamster ball. The critter was “adored by all who walked in,” Inciarrano says, and was particularly popular with the terrarium shop’s younger clients.

When Inciarrano and Maslow opened up the shop on Wednesday, August 15, they discovered their little furry friend was gone. “Her door was left open and she was nowhere to be found,” Inciarrano explains. “We would never leave her cage door open and were worried.” The two searched throughout the store and wondered if a customer might have accidentally left the cage door open the previous day.

They left craft paper on the floor surrounding the hamster cage and put some of the hamster’s favorite treats—bits of granola and Cheerios—near the open door, hoping Ophelia would follow the trail of snacks back to her home. However, no signs of Ophelia have turned up and the shop-owners fear she might have been “hamster-napped.”

They are asking if any neighbors have seen Princess Ophelia. “We all miss her,” Inciarrano says. If you have any info on the whereabouts of Twig’s mascot, call 718.488.TWIG (8944).