Hamster adoption stories?

[Kissa]

Darla was a P@H adoptee too I went in looking for a Chinese or a Russian, since I didn't have enough space for a Syrian and was worried about Robos being too fast. Saw her as soon as I went in, fell in love before I saw that she was a Robo (she was curled up asleep looking so peaceful and I just wanted to snuggle her) and forced myself to step away and look at the other hams. That is until I realised a small child had taken an interest in her.

Originally Posted by Hammymad

its a shame that people buy the dwarf hamsters for kids and then because they're fast the kids can't play with them and they might bite because they're scared and then a few weeks later.theyre in pets at home waiting to be adopted

I didn't want that ^ to happen to the poor darling, especially because she was already in the adoption centre and I really didn't want her to go back there again, so I took her away instead

She's being a bit bizarre today, though; as far as I know she hasn't come out of her house since I retrieved her from her escape this morning. Hopefully she'll be her normal self when I go up later to see if she wants some ball time, rather than skittishly sulking like she was this morning.

[shazzy]

Lovely to hear everyone's adoption stories.

I adopted Daisy, a Syrian, when she was 1 year old. I'd just lost my beloved little mo and was takin it hard, and wasn't looking for a new hammy. But, something made me look on preloved and I saw daisy's ad new that day. She was no longer wanted as the kids got bored (no wonder, they were no more than 3 years old!). I found out that she was in an asda starter cage and I just had to have her. I was so sad when I turned up at the owners house and saw this tiny little cage on the coffee table. Daisy popped her head out her Sputnik (which was filled was fluffy bedding) and she had the sweetest little face my heart melted! She came home with me, got moved to a much larger cage and got given as much love and attention as she wanted. She was the sweetest little girl, always bright happy and enjoyed her life so much here. Sadly I only got to spend 8 months with her, but I know she loved her time here. Here she is



Then I got little willow the Chinese from pets at home adoption. She was 5 months old and had been brought back due to fighting with her cage mate. She was in the adoption for 5 weeks and I went in every week and eventually brought her home as I couldn't stand to see her there another week. She was very nervous of hands, having very little handling in the past. However she was a real sweetie with a huge personality. She loved her cage and coming out in her play pen. She lived every day to the full but unfortunately had a few problems with Ill health. This didn't stop her being a mischief though. Sadly she was only with me for 7 months, but again I know she really enjoyed herself



I also adopted miss cotton from pets at home too, and she's with me now and turning into a right character


I will definitely continue to adopt, I just wish I could help them all...

[Hammymad]

Awww bless her. How long have you had Darla? Xxx

[Hammymad]

Your hammies are lovely Shazzy,it's a shame that we sometimes don't have very long with our furbabies. Miss Cotton looks like a cheeky monkey,love her colours
I agree.i wish I could take them all home.if I had endless money and space I'd open a hamster Hareem full of adoptees haha xxxx

[Gibbs&JackBlack]

All of my hams have been adopted from craigslist except for 1.
First adoption was a set of hybrid (home breeder gone wild) dwarf males. They were pretty well socialized and were about 6 mos when we got them. They lived for 6 mos before passing. They kind of got us hooked on hamsters!
Here's JackBlack:


Next was my syrian, Nibbles. This was from a family that got him for their 5 yr old son who could have cared less for him....There were 2 cats hissing at the cage too which was lovely.
Nibbles was super tame and sweet and about 1 yr when we got him. We only had him about 4 mos but loved him to bits.

Lastly is Chewy. He's a HUGE dwarf-Cambells or maybe a hybrid, that I adopted from a smokey household that just reeked to high heaven of smoke. His cage was tiny and super gross dirty. He was in heaven when I put him in his 20 gal long tank. We still have Chewy. Here he is hiding when I first brought him home:


I think adopting is wonderful and should be considered whenever possible before buying "new". However, I do realize that with hamsters and bad or careless breeding, their lifespan can be greatly reduced. I won't stop adopting, but I am getting my first "well-bred" syrian from a reputable breeder in town in a few weeks.

[Hammymad]

Awww wow,Jack Black looks like a cute little ewok I've never seen those colours on a hammy in Manchester,absolutely beautiful.

Thanks for sharing xxx

[shazzy]

Originally Posted by Hammymad

Your hammies are lovely Shazzy,it's a shame that we sometimes don't have very long with our furbabies. Miss Cotton looks like a cheeky monkey,love her colours
I agree.i wish I could take them all home.if I had endless money and space I'd open a hamster Hareem full of adoptees haha xxxx

Thanks yeah the downside of adopting an adult hammie is that your time with them is shortened (and it was already very short anyway) but it's definitely a nice feeling seeing them enjoy their last days with you and getting lots of love.

Miss Cotton is cheeky - still a bit shy though and quite lazy!

It's horribly because I have a nice big cage in the loft, and there are always hams needing homes near me, but Id be pushed for time with another Syrian and want to make sure mine get the attention they deserve right now

[Hammymad]

Originally Posted by shazzy

Thanks yeah the downside of adopting an adult hammie is that your time with them is shortened (and it was already very short anyway) but it's definitely a nice feeling seeing them enjoy their last days with you and getting lots of love.

Miss Cotton is cheeky - still a bit shy though and quite lazy!

It's horribly because I have a nice big cage in the loft, and there are always hams needing homes near me, but Id be pushed for time with another Syrian and want to make sure mine get the attention they deserve right now

Yeah unfortunately their lifespans aren't that long.but like you said,it's a nice feeling seeing them settle in and enjoying their last days,weeks,months they have left

Aww yeah you're doing the right thing,by devoting your free time to Miss Cotton,I'm not currently at work so have quite abit of free time to dedicate to my furry family I have just bought a Mickey max 2xl hamster cage for my ww Rambo so I will have a mini Duma spare,I plan on keeping it empty for n the future (I just hope I can resist lol) xxx

[shazzy]

Good luck resisting filling that cage!!

I have Darcey my Syrian too and she's quite demanding attention wise so know it'd be hard with another Syrian. She's a bit of a madam!

[Hammymad]

Originally Posted by shazzy

Good luck resisting filling that cage!!

I have Darcey my Syrian too and she's quite demanding attention wise so know it'd be hard with another Syrian. She's a bit of a madam!

Haha bless her.she sounds adorable,Cookie demands my attention,I have a long wooden bridge that's at the front of her cage (she likes to stand on it,squeak at me until I pick her up for a cuddle) then she'll pop back in and go back to bed