I feel so bad ;'( Hole in the ground? Swallow me!

[GoldenBears]

My pets and I have become passing cars for at least a few months or so. My schedule has suddenly became much more busier, my personal life has many problems which need sorting out and I hardly ever get the chance to interact with my furbabies apart from a quick stroke every now and then and my hamsters get between fifteen minutes to half an hour of playtime whenever I am able to give it to them.

I didn't expect things to take a roll down the hill! I feel like I am abusing them in a way which I know I'm not since I always make sure they have plenty of food, fresh water on a daily basis and things to meet their needs etc. The worst thing is that I can not see my schedule changing anytime soon and I certainly do not want to rehome all of them since I would feel as though I have failed them and I would be very worried whether or not they will be in good homes that would care for them properly.

The reason why I haven't said anything about it is because I fear I may be criticised, judged and tossed under the carpet to never be seen again. Please understand this has taken me a lot of courage to open up about it since I really do feel ashamed and embarrassed. What would you do in my situation? Advice and help would be very much appreciated.

[Gemma_xo]

Everyone has schedule changes at some point or another and as you say, you're providing food, water and play times whenever you can.
I often think to myself Hamsters are solitary, they're pretty good at finding their own amusement, I know for a fact Pixie is brilliant at it since her Cage is almost rearranged every morning now.
No one should think you're neglecting your animals, not even you.
You provide the essentials and you give them the time when you have it, I'm sure they still know how much you love them and neglect didn't even come into mind when I read your post.

You're doing the best you can, as people we have lives and commitments, yes an animal is a commitment too, but as long as they're provided for and entertained when time is available I can't honestly see anything wrong with that.

Don't doubt yourself, you sound like you're doing everything you possibly can to ensure your animals are happy and well looked after, even with a hectic schedule!
Hugs
x

[virtualkeith]

GoldenBears, it does not sound like you are abusing your hamsters! That sounds crazy to me! Hamsters are a wonderful part of life, but they by no means constitute ALL of life.
Sometimes if your schedule got to the point where you could not supply them with food, and a comfortable environment to live, and had to re-home them, that is not abuse either. That is being responsible. What would be abuse is if you kept them when you couldn't adequately care for them, so please don't give yourself a hard time. Life takes turns in unexpected directions sometimes, and it sounds like your life has done just that.

[Pebbles82]

I've been a bit like that recently too, with a hectic time - I don't think it is neglecting them - it is giving them a bit of space for a while! Yes it's good to interact with them fairly regularly, but I know ours is content to be left alone for a few days at a time, and once when I left him alone for a week as I had flu and didn't want to handle him, he let me know about it by building a mountain as if to say, hey just to remind you I need a bit of a clean out.

Don't feel bad - it sounds like what is more important right now is getting yourself sorted - you have to have a parachute before you can stop someone else from falling. Just keep saying hello. Hope things calm down soon. It's a shame for you but these things happen. If it is causing you more stress worrying about it, then maybe try and have one evening a week where you just have a quiet time and handle your hams - they might bring some comfort too.

[Thin Lizzy]

GoldenBears, firstly, I'm glad you've spoken about it. We're not going to judge you, if anything we're here to listen and offer advice. So please don't feel worried about being honest.
We all go through ups and downs in our lifes, A few months ago, I went through a bad patch health wise and relationship wise and I didn't post on the forum for about 6 weeks, I didn't give much time to my hamsters and I felt bad. But, after a while, I managed to pick myself up and start interacting with them and they were brilliant, I had thought because I hadn't been there for them (apart from food & water changes) that they wouldn't know me but, they did, the great thing about pets is they seem to sense when something is wrong.
You need to focus on yourself and take things step by step. You're feeding and caring for your hamsters has got a different schedule to the one you used to have but your hamsters are loved and cared for.
Everyone here knows how much you adore your hamsters, so don't worry about what others might think.
I hope you get things sorted out and remember we're here for you.

[Shannon94]

^Totally agree with what everyone is saying

You could ask a family member or friend to exercise and play with your hammies every so often? If it'll make you feel better about it