Hamsters needing rescue in Southern California and beyond!
Hamsters in need of new homes at other rescues or shelters
Why are there hamsters in need of rescue?
Looking for hamster care information?
We are located in Orange County, CA and we are no longer taking in unwanted pets.
08/16/2016 Currently, Rabbit and Pocket Pet Adoptions has the following dwarf hamsters available for adoption.
There are no dwarf hamsters currently in our rescue.
Seeking Southern CA hamsters? Currently, several animal shelters have hamsters in Southern CA.
08/16/2016 The following Syrian hamsters are available for adoption.
There are no Syrian hamsters currently in our rescue.
Hamsters for adoption who are not in our foster system..
Here are links to other rescues or shelters with hamsters for adoption. Please contact them directly for information on availability, adoption fees, etc.
Pets described in this section may not still be available when you contact the shelter. If you are interested in any shelter animal, please do not delay in contacting the shelter directly! Be sure to give the impound number if one is known. The "available date" could be the animal's only day to be saved. The best way to contact the shelter is to visit in person. Because most shelters deal with so many animals, it's hard for them to tell you which pets are still there at the moment you call, what their personalities are like, etc. Go in person and verify the pet is still there, plus, you can do your own personality check.
Any comments are the opinion of the individual volunteer who visited with the animal, and are not those of the shelters or the owner of this website. The individual shelters, volunteers making the comments and the site owner take no responsibility or liability for opinions stated regarding the health, aprox. age or temperament of a pet listed. The person adopting the pet accepts full responsibility and liability for any problems. Adopters should always visit with the animal before adopting, to make their own decision of an animal's health and temperament.
Please note, animal shelters often have hamster listed under "other animals". Be sure to check the "lost" section if you are checking with an animal shelter. Any hamsters who are not yet available for adoption to the public will be listed here.
California rescues or shelters with hamsters
Rescues or shelters outside Ca with hamsters, please check Petfinder!
Why are there hamsters in need of rescue?
Where do these hamsters come from?
We have had several people sounding stunned just as you might be now. Hamsters don't seem like the type of pets people need to find homes for, right? Wrong. As hard as it is to believe, people get tired of and abandon hamsters on a regular basis.
There are many reasons that people feel the need to place their hamsters. They are moving, the kids are bored with the new pet, the hamster bites because of improper handling or a lack of socialization, or one of the worst case scenarios, they purchased a pregnant hamster from the pet store. The new owners were prepared for one hamster, not a half dozen or more and are now feeling overwhelmed! (Remember, each Syrian hamster needs his or her own cage. The new owners of the unexpected babies now have to purchase several cages, water bottles, etc. Even dwarf hamsters must be separated by sex, and sometimes by temperament if the same sex hamsters are bullying each other!)
There are other reasons also that people feel the need to place these wee critters, but the above reasons seem to be the most common.
What happens to these unwanted hamsters?
Some are listed in the paper for "free". Sadly, the free hamsters often become unwanted later by the new owners who took them home on an impulse.
Some find themselves back at pet stores where they are improperly sexed, and restart the cycle of unexpected and unwanted babies all over again.
More and more of them are finding their way into animal shelters and humane societies. Animal shelters and humane societies often euthanize them simply because there doesn't seem to be anyone interested in adopting them. Some shelters euthanize them as soon as they arrive because they are not set up for hamster or any pets other than cats and dogs. When not euthanized right away, hamsters and other small pets are sometimes placed in backrooms, away from where shelter visitors can see them. Unnoticed, they are of course, un-adopted, and hence die "unwanted". Sadly, because the adoption fees for these hamsters is often very low, sometimes as low as $1, people seeking cheap snake food haunt the animal shelters looking for hamsters, rats, mice and rabbits.
So, how do you find one or more of these unwanted hamsters?
If you are interested in a hamster, visit your local animal shelter or humane society and ask if they have any hamsters available. Ask if they ever get them in if there are none currently available. Some shelters will put your name on a "wanted" list, ask if yours does this. If they won't put your name on a list, visit the shelter periodically to check. Please don't just call, go in person. The phone staff isn't always aware of what animals are in the kennels.
Another place to check is your local vet clinics, especially those that treat "exotics". Give them a call and let the staff know you are seeking a hamster who needs a new home. Explain that you are looking to adopt a hamster who can no longer be kept by their owner, not purchase from a pet store or from a breeder.
Newspapers sometimes have listings for hamsters seeking new homes. Call and talk to the people. Find out why they can no longer keep their hamster. Was it an accidental breeding? Are the kids bored? Are they moving? If it's because of an accidental breeding, and they have not separated the sexes, perhaps they are willing to have an experienced person help sex them? (Suggest a vet clinic that sees hamsters if you aren't experienced!) If the people are not willing to have their hamsters sexed, because they "like making more", please, keep looking for a hamster. By taking or buying a hamster from someone who is irresponsibly breeding, you are encouraging them to keep breeding. Because they "find homes" for all the babies, they can justify letting their hamsters breed. Taking a hamster from them is not adoption, nor is it "rescue", it's encouraging an irresponsible person to keep breeding poor quality hamsters at the expense of the hamsters.
***If you call regarding a newspaper ad for hamsters, and are told "all the free ones are gone, but I have others for a small fee...", or find out that the person is continually breeding then selling or giving away the "extras" in the paper, please, don't purchase from them! Please do not purchase or take hamsters from breeders who are trying to "get rid" of their "overstock" or "older breeders" and calling it "rescue". This is not "rescue"! As cruel as it sounds to leave these hamsters behind, taking these hamsters only encourages an irresponsible, dishonest breeder to mass produce more. Responsible breeders place their hamsters using responsible methods, not with bait and switch tactics or by giving their "extras" away for free in the newspaper because they are breeding too many. Responsible breeders DO place their older hamsters, but they are honest with you, and aren't simply "trying to make space".***
Sometimes, rabbit and guinea pig rescuers have small animals such as hamsters for adoption. Call them and ask...Even if they don't rescue them, they might know of someone looking to place a hamster. To find listings for rabbit and guinea pig rescues, please visit our main website www.rabbitadoption.org
For information on proper hamster care, please visit California Hamster Association or PetWebsite.com
Do you want to start rescuing hamsters and other small animals on your own? Here is an article by Nichole Royer with some tips.
To contact us with any questions regarding adopting one of the hamsters shown here, placing your hamster, if you know of a shelter anywhere in the world with hamsters for adoption or need more information on hamster rescue in general, please e-mail us.