US boy, 9, bursts into tears after younger sister surprises him with hamster

Daniel, nine, hugging his sister Abigail after she surprised him with a pet hamster. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM FACEBOOK VIDEO/ RACHEL STOUT

Two young siblings in New Jersey, United States, shared a heartwarming moment when a little girl surprised her elder brother with a pet hamster that he had been saving up for.

Their mother Rachel Stout shared a video on Facebook on Feb 15 showing Daniel, 9, being led excitedly into a room by his six-year-old sister Abigail, who had received a pet hamster for her own birthday on Feb 4.

In an interview with ABC News, Mrs Stout said that Daniel loved her sister's hamster so much that he was so determined to get one for himself.

He even started doing extra household chores to prove to his parents he deserved one too, Mrs Stout said.

But Daniel's parents told him he could save up the money to buy his own hamster, but they were not going to pay him for chores he was already expected to do.

His sister, however, decided to buy it for him, using the money she received for her birthday.

"I want to surprise Daniel and buy him his hamster," Abigail said. "He has been working so hard."

Mrs Stout and Abigail went to a pet store while Daniel was at a sleepover.

"She asked for the exact hamster Daniel said he wanted, held it to make sure it was nice and excitedly told the woman all about how she was surprising her brother," Mrs Stout wrote in the Facebook post.

When Abigail showed Daniel his new pet, they both hugged and burst into tears.

"Are you crying, because I am?" Abigail asked, before she continued sobbing.

The video has been viewed over 2 million times.

Mrs Stout said that the siblings "absolutely love each other".

"People have written to me telling me they've been dealing with really difficult things lately and this was the only thing that's put a smile on their face," Mrs Stout said. "I'm glad my kids made them happy."

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