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Old 07-22-2021, 07:47 AM   #1
Imogen
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Question Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

I’ve noticed a lot of people bury their hamster in a small plant pot inside their house after they’ve passed away. Is this okay to do?

It’s not that any of my hamsters are close to leaving me as of yet, one is only 8 weeks old and another around 4 months old.

Asking as I’ve always buried my animals in the actual ground in my garden, and find it giving me a few slight chills knowing theirs a body right under that plant in the pot.

However, if this is fine to do. I would like to do it as well though for my small hamsters when their time is here. I find it cute knowing that they can be placed inside your home with a plaque and always be by you at home. Also is a great idea for whenever you move house as you grow up (I’m only 20 so have a lot of that to come in future I imagine with upgrading houses) and they can come with you as well.
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Old 07-22-2021, 08:49 AM   #2
Amethyst_ice
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Default Re: Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

Hello,

I bury all my hams and rats in pots outside but since moving have a garden now. I wouldn't bury in a pot for the house, the depth needs to be quite deep even for a hamster so people tend to do pots outside. I had to leave some of my burial pots behind in the move which did upset me a little but I brought some with me and I find it comforting.

I did dig a large pit for some and hadn't done it deep enough and found a nasty scene in the morning, so even small creatures need to be buried deep or have a rockery placed over them to protect

I personally like it, as when I see the plants grow and flower, I know my loved one has become a part of that plant and seeing it grow reminds me life goes on, the circle of life!

I'm also an archaeologist though so bodies and bones etc don't phase me!

Some people may keep a memorial plant in their home of their pet. Cremation is always another ooption but can be expenive
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Old 07-22-2021, 10:01 AM   #3
Imogen
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Default Re: Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst_ice View Post
Hello,

I bury all my hams and rats in pots outside but since moving have a garden now. I wouldn't bury in a pot for the house, the depth needs to be quite deep even for a hamster so people tend to do pots outside. I had to leave some of my burial pots behind in the move which did upset me a little but I brought some with me and I find it comforting.

I did dig a large pit for some and hadn't done it deep enough and found a nasty scene in the morning, so even small creatures need to be buried deep or have a rockery placed over them to protect

I personally like it, as when I see the plants grow and flower, I know my loved one has become a part of that plant and seeing it grow reminds me life goes on, the circle of life!

I'm also an archaeologist though so bodies and bones etc don't phase me!

Some people may keep a memorial plant in their home of their pet. Cremation is always another ooption but can be expenive
Ahh, I'm still a little confused though. This person I saw placed their hamster in a deep plant pot so I looked it up.

It mentions how it's okay to bury your hamster in a plant pot if you have no space or if it's illegal to do so where you live (considering some places you live have regulations like that). It stated at least two feet is enough and also states how you can either...

1. Dig a pit, place the pot into it and put stones on top with a plant.

2. Place it on your windowsill straight away

or

3. If you're worried about smells/bugs, place it outside on a balcony or in the garden for 2-3 months and fetch it back inside to place on your windowsill.

I've just asked on FB so going to see some more advice there as well.
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Old 07-22-2021, 10:06 AM   #4
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Default Re: Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

Agree. Most people who bury them in pots do so in large planters for outside. It has to be done right so there isn’t anything unpleasant (like seepage etc). I haven’t done it personally. Two of ours are buried in the garden. I did a two foot deep hole - anything less and they could be dug up. And even then you need to put something heavy on top for a month or two - like a large stone.

I put a stone bird table on top with our first hamster and a pile of stones with the last one (which were then removed after a couple of months and something planted there.

In both cases I also still “fenced off”
The area they were buried as our neighbours cart and rabbits can still dig down beyond the stone if the get a scent. I used an old fire guard round it!

After two months there will be no scent and safe to remove everything. There is no way I wanted our hammies being dug up! And you can then plant something over as a memorial or put a memorial pebble there with their name on.

After the first one died I couldn’t face burying another one in the garden so had our second one cremated. Individual cremation and the ashes are given back to you in a nice cardboard tube (or something more glamorous if you pay more). You can then either keep the ashes/urn or scatter them or bury the whole thing (no worries about it being dug up then).

But it is really expensive! The first time I opted for cremation I had no idea how big the bill would be! It was about £90 for an individual cremation. There are cheaper options of you opt for a “group” cremation where they are cremated with other pets and they can scatter the ashes for you if you want.

Our third hamster was also cremated. I still haven’t decided what to do and they are still on the window sill in a spare room! But all three of them had to be pts. With the first one it was bringing him home after being pts that I found so hard, before burying - hence opting for cremation for the second two who also went to the vets to be pts. Then you just leave them at the vets and they arrange for the cremation. The cremation service rings you later to pay and organise it.

With our last one - he died in his sleep at home so I buried him near our first one in the garden.

It is hard and sad whatever you do. Personally I like the idea of cremation and a reminder memorial - like a photo in a frame with their life dates on. Rather than the garden turning into a hamster graveyard if you have had a few! But I still keep putting off dealing with the ashes!

Our vet says she keeps all her dogs ashes in urns in the house!
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Old 07-22-2021, 10:13 AM   #5
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Default Re: Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Imogen View Post
Ahh, I'm still a little confused though. This person I saw placed their hamster in a deep plant pot so I looked it up.

It mentions how it's okay to bury your hamster in a plant pot if you have no space or if it's illegal to do so where you live (considering some places you live have regulations like that). It stated at least two feet is enough and also states how you can either...

1. Dig a pit, place the pot into it and put stones on top with a plant.

2. Place it on your windowsill straight away

or

3. If you're worried about smells/bugs, place it outside on a balcony or in the garden for 2-3 months and fetch it back inside to place on your windowsill.

I've just asked on FB so going to see some more advice there as well.
Posted at the same time . Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. If you think about it - something the size of a hamster needs a fairly big pot to have enough soil etc surrounding to allow it to decompose and become part of the soil and plant. I believe it’s recommended to put some stones in the bottom of the pot - then soil or compost - then the hamster, then more soil or compost. But haven’t done it myself.

You probably could keep it in the house after two months when everything is fairly decomposed- if it’s a large pot like a planter and a plant that will survive indoors - but house plants tend not to live as long as outdoor plants. Also bear in mind other pets may try to dig it up from the plant pot. They can scent things for much longer than us. Which is why a 2 foot hole is needed in the garden.

One other thing is to bury the hamster on something biodegradable - like wrapped in tissue paper inside a cardboard coffin or cardboard box. Some people bury them in a favourite house - but it does need to be something biodegradable. Not a plastic Tupperware box!
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Old 07-22-2021, 10:16 AM   #6
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Default Re: Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

Just edited that last message for phone substituted words - other pets NOT other “person”!
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Old 07-22-2021, 10:52 AM   #7
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Default Re: Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

Yes, I was trying to not be quite so graphic but Serendipity has touched on the "practicalities".

Also, a body in soil changes the PH and the plants I tend to bury mine with are hardy evergreens in at least a 30cm pot..most I opt for 40cm. There are also a number of factors that effect the time of decomposition but either way, I would not recommend an indoor burial and many houseplants likely would not survive well with a large organic mass in the pot.

I have rat friends who have dug up their rat skulls and varnished them, I quite like that idea but all my bushes in pots are well established now so I leave them be!

I don't personally get upset with the bodies of my pets, just their memory. I have buried ALOT of hamsters and rats though and I quite like the ceremony I go through picking out the pot, the plant and burying them... then the joy of seeing that new life grow from their bodies nourishing them

The legalities on burying pets tends to be more for larger ones like cats and dogs.

I know some members go to a local park or woodland and bury their hamster in a shallow grave. They leave a little memorial there to visit back to.

There are quite a few threads on HC of burial methods that members have posted. I'd recommend browsing them than the open source of facebook
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Old 07-22-2021, 12:10 PM   #8
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Default Re: Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

Found out this guy I was just speaking to buried their hamster in a plant pot inside and is getting a plaque put on theirs as well.

They stated they've done it for all their hams and everything's been fine? Not sure though now, phaha. But it is definitely something I want to do... I don't want to bury my hamster in a woodland, here in Essex all the woodlands now are becoming built up residential areas and the little guy would eventually be built over.
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Old 07-22-2021, 01:16 PM   #9
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Default Re: Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

I think an outside pot sounds good - something you can nurture outside. And move with you if you move house. I dont worry about moving house - if I did the hamster would have long become part of nature and I'd just take the memorial stone with me. The memorial pebbles with their name on look nice in a flower bed.

Maybe you could do a combination thing. An outside pot with a plant that could also live indoors - then after a few months, taking a cutting from the outdoor plant and plant it indoors. I like the idea that our former pets become part of a plant.
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Old 07-22-2021, 02:19 PM   #10
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Default Re: Hamster buried in pots after passing away?

I really would advise against any inside burial..you'd need a very large plant and pot to create the right soil conditions for the decomposition and I can't think of any house plant species that would be suitable to be honest. Even a dwarf species would need at least a 30cm diameter pot. The conditions inside a house also vary so depending on the time of year you buried would effect the decomposition. If it was out of the active growing season for the plant, you don't water them as much so bluntly speaking, a decomposing body in a warm house, in a confined container, without the soil being flushed ... in those conditions it may actually mummify the body too. Which also would nto be healthy for the houseplant. I honestly have never heard of anyone on here burying their hamster in a pot inside. And I've been around a while! Please trust us on that one. Not a good idea!

I should also add that for decomposition, there are many bugs annd bacteria in the soil to help break down the organic matter. Most people want to keep their houseplants bug free so the soil doesn't have as much bacterial and small mites and bugs that would break the body down. I repotted an outside plant last week and there was lots of earwigs in it! Deep into the soil so i imagine my burial pots have a host of crawlies in them. The seepage alone could be rather unpleasant indoors and smelly and in turn attract bacteria and mould in the soil and your plant and house which I imagine would be more upsetting to be honest. If that happened and you had to repot, you run the risk of having to see your loved pet half decayed, which after last years "trench uncovering" thanks to a local fox.. I can confirm is quite upsetting to go through.

It was sad when I had to leave some of my pots (though the ones I left the plants had mostly died due to the garden being an inhospitable jungle!) but I took a cutting from a lavender on its way out that has sprung to life a year after trying to care for it which makes me smile. I told my boys they would always be with me in spirit no matter where their bodies lay.

Bluntly speaking.. I have several "on ice" in the bottom of the freezer at the moment. At the start I didn't expect to be at my rental for over 10 years and that is alot of hamsters and rats over the years! I started to double up brothers in pots and you can run out of space so pots are quickly becoming an impractical option for me.

I had memorial stones and plaques painted of a few extra special ones.

Why are you so set on having an indoor and not an outdoor pot? You could have a nice memorial houseplant and add like Serendipity said, memorial pebbles to the houseplant but bury them outside in pots?
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Last edited by Amethyst_ice; 07-22-2021 at 02:29 PM.
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