Another Day; three more rescued hamsters

[Die Fledermaus]

I wonder if I should even go into one of the local pet stores; I keep getting offered animals in need of help, animals being beat up by other due to overcrowding, or with some malady or handicap.

Today I went to pick up three wheels (those metal mesh ones I hang from the lip of a tank) and came out with the wheels and three Syrians.


I tell them to "gender separate!", but they say the animals are brought into them by people dropping them off. (Another reason to be a misanthrope).

Meanwhile, my associates at www.scarnyc.org (a sticky thread on them here in this forum is long up) "can never be reached by phone". I tell the store people about them, and they say they give the website and other information, but nobody answers the phone. So I have to contact them.

The hamsters look in decent shape; one is a very pretty sable color. not banded. One is in a bin, the others are smaller cages usually reserved for single spiny males. They will have to make do for now.
Photos later, and names.

[pinky]

Between Andrea and you, some of the rescues have been in bad shape, so it's good that these seem ok.

[almond]

Why do you keep taking animals off the pet stores? You're just a huge relief for them. I mean, by taking their sick and injured animals, you're helping them by keeping the animals out of everyone else's sight and making room for them to get more to abuse. THEY need to take responsibility for the animals they buy off people. They shouldn't be continuously dumping animals on you. That's not fair to you or the future generations of animals.

[Die Fledermaus]

That is a fair concern. That is why I have not in some time. But when I walk in to get supplies and they show me a slightly deformed gerbil they are thinking of killing as they can't sell her, or a hamster with serious bites who they also plan to kill (how I hate to imagine) it is difficult to in effect say, "go ahead and kill them". Both, by the way, are here and fine, the gerb is Enjo, is a favorite and has been here three years +.

Caerbannog is a rabbit who was literally dumped in front of the pet store. They e-mailed me as they were afraid of her: she grunted and charged in her cage, being afraid. It was all bluff. She is harmless, and I like her spunk! The store could not get in touch with the rescue group we know (am ongoing problem that caused me to have a falling out with them), so they hated the rabbit, and I got her taking her home. I was going to give her the the rescue folks when I got in touch with them but I liked her too much.

As my "What to do when you see a bad pet store" stick thread says, I have taken action with all these local stores. They are generally good.

As my post above said, many of these animals are not the result of pet store mistreatment but people dropping them off; at least they didn't dump the animals in a public park.

Thankfully, this practice has NOT resulted in overcrowding in a long time.

[glitchunter]

Don't get the mesh wheels unless they've been doctored so that little feet can't fall through. It can cause a serious and sometimes fatal disease. You might have been fine so far, but ya never know. They need a solid surface.

[Die Fledermaus]

Their feet are MUCH bigger than any opening in the mesh making that concern an impossibility. Whoever told you that is ill-informed.

[Dezzi]

DF is talking about mesh wheels

like this.
You're thinking of wire wheels

like this.
Meeks has one of the wire wheels, but I put cardboard on it so he won't get bumblefoot.

See?

[Die Fledermaus]

Never had bumblefoot either.

Before I changed off from the wire wheels, I never had problems with those kind of wheels either (particularly with mice).

Oddly, even with the mesh ones, spiny mice never get their tails caught in there. They just don't.