[de4life]

Unfortunately people think that because hamsters come from the wild originally, they can be released back into the wild and survive.

Whilst hamsters do possess basic survival instincts, there is plenty they would really struggle with. They might be able to avoid predators and build themselves a burrow, but food collection and drinking water would be a major issue. Chances are they would eat the wrong thing and die quickly from that, or drink dirty water and again die from complications. Domesticated hamsters are in no way built to survive in the wild, regardless of whether their basic instincts might allow them temporary survival.

I've never understood how somebody can just absolve themselves of responsibility when it comes to pets. No matter how small they are, they depend on you. There are legitimate reasons for people to look to house a pet elsewhere, but dumping them or releasing them into the wild is reprehensible and cowardly. Even if you believe the animal might survive in the wild there is no way anybody can believe the animal would be better off that way. There are so many shelters and advice centres around (in the UK, anyway) that the very least a pet owner should do is ensure the animal goes somewhere safe if they can't look after it anymore.