Hamster Adoption and Rescue Centres

Hamster Rescues are big or small organisations that will take on hamsters that are in a neglectful situation, abandoned, given up to, and seen offered for sale on websites in poor care.

ADOPT DON’T SHOP

Adopt a hamster rather than buying a hamster from a shop. Hamsters being sold in pet shops often come from Rodent Mills that keep many hamsters together in tiny boxes with no further enrichment other than being provided food and water. Of course you shouldn’t keep hamsters together as they will fight causing pain and injury to each other but Rodent Mills ignore this basic requirement of the Animal Welfare Act – “to be housed with, or apart from, other animals (if applicable)”.

When a hamster is sold at a pet shop another hamster will then be bred at a Rodent Mill. Rather than fueling this cycle, please give some serious consideration into providing a loving a home to a hamster that needs one.

DIRECT RESCUE

Different countries have various online market places for selling unwanted animals. Often these animals are unloved and kept in tiny enclosures, they will be sold with the tiny enclosure and it is likely the new owner would carry on keeping the animal in the enclosure that they have bought. You could step in and do a direct rescue for an animal you see poorly kept and advertised on these market places:

Facebook Marketplace

Gumtree

Preloved – UK

Marktplaatz – Netherlands

We will be expanding this section soon.

Hamster Rescues

Here’s what a Hamster Rescue will do:

Most rescues will help the hamster by vet checking, taking care and taming them.
They will be looking at your care knowledge and guiding you on the best care.
They will be looking at what cage, wheel etc. that you have got for your soon to be hamster.
They will give you information and will check up to see how everything is.
They will also get you to sign paperwork to say that you will care for the hamster properly and that the hamster is yours.
Some pet stores have rescues attached to them, these rescues are normally for hamsters that get returned or have not been sold or have any other problems, any hamster brought from the adoption section the money will go to the rescue and not the pet store. Most rescues have a small rescue fee, this fee will go to the rescue to cover costs such as vet bills, food, bedding etc.