Pocket Pets in Southern California for adoption
We are no longer accepting animals of any type as we are no longer rescuing, only providing education and referrals.
We are located in Orange County, CA.
This page is updated as animals arrive or are adopted. Any animal on this page is currently available, the date shown is the date the animal was listed or an update made to their listing. We do not rescue or adopt out animals that are illegal in the state of CA, these animals include ferrets, hedgehogs, sugar gliders and prairie dogs. We are not licensed to rescue these animals, but will be happy to refer you to a group that is legally licensed. Please be aware that these groups also do not place animals with adopters living in CA, but they can help you find yours a new home.
Please understand we do not ship animals. The pets on this page listed are located in Southern Ca, unless otherwise noted. All pets must be picked up in person by the new owners. They do not come with cages unless noted, you must provide adequate housing. Pets will only be adopted to adults. Those under 18 must have their parents inquire about adoption. Please keep these facts in mind when considering adopting a pet shown on this page.
Hamsters for adoption Dwarf or Syrian hamsters (AKA teddy bears, black bears, golden hamsters, European hamsters)
08/16/2016 Currently, Rabbit and Pocket Pet Adoptions has no dwarf hamsters available for adoption.
However, there are hamsters just like these seeking new homes in other rescues and shelters near you!
Please note that dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes. All dwarf hamsters must be fed a specialized diet, and regularly tested for diabetes. (This can be done at home, using urine test strips.) If you adopt a dwarf hamster, you are agreeing that you understand that your adopted dwarf hamster could develop diabetes at any time after adoption. We will have tested your new dwarf hamster weekly at the foster home, and will note if they test positive for diabetes or if a family member has tested positive. Diabetes & Dwarfs
Most dwarf hamsters prefer to live in same sex pairs or trios and will not be adopted as single hamsters unless they show a preference for living alone. (Hamsters must be matched as babies, they cannot be easily introduced as adults. If a hamster comes in alone, or there is only one of that sex in a litter we will adopt them into a household alone.) Please be aware that while some pairs get along wonderfully for life, occasionally there are pairs who decide they no longer like each other. If this happens, you will need to keep them housed in separate cages. (If you were not able to keep two cages of hamsters, we will take back either both or one. We will take back pets who are adopted from us for their entire lives, no matter what.)
If you are considering adopting dwarf hamsters, please consider adopting more than one! Dwarf hamsters are the only hamsters who can live in pairs together.
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Seeking other hamsters needing homes? Visit the hamsters in need of rescue page. |
08/16/2016 The following Syrian
hamsters are available for adoption.
Syrians are solitary animals and must be adopted to live as
single hamsters only.
Unlike dwarf hamsters, they do not like to live in pairs or trios. Attempting to
keep them in pairs or trios could result in serious injury or death to one or more of
the hamsters. You may adopt more than one Syrian hamster of the same sex
from us, however, they must never be put in the same cage or allowed out
together for playtime! They could kill or seriously injure each other! The cost
for adoption a Syrian hamster of any fur length or color is $15. (Pet stores
often sell the black Syrians for up to $30 each and the long haired aka Teddy
Bear hamsters are often sold for more than the short haired hamsters!) Please understand we do not ship hamsters. The hamsters listed
are located in Southern Ca, unless otherwise noted. All hamsters must be picked
up in person by the new owners. They do not come with cages, you must provide
adequate housing. Hamsters will only be adopted to adults. Please keep this in
mind when considering adopting. We recommend the
deluxe rat home from
Quality cage. We can explain how to
quickly cover the wire shelf using plastic canvas to make it safer for hamster
feet, it's fast and easy to do. If you can afford the cage with the powder
coating, it is worth the extra money! The cage will be easier to keep clean if
you have it powder coated. Hamsters often urinate in the corners of their cages,
and non-powder coated cages can corrode over time from contact with the urine. You must fill out an
adoption
application, sign an adoption contract before adoption. Seeking other hamsters needing homes? Visit the
hamsters in need of rescue
page.
08/16/2016
Please check with your local animal shelter for available rats and mice!
We know about the following rats for adoption.
*None known about by Rabbit and Pocket Pet Education* Please check your local shelters, they often have rats for adoption.
If you are bringing a new rat into your house and already have rats, PLEASE, quarantine them before introducing them to your other rats! Our rescue uses "separate location quarantine" when we quarantine. This means that any rats brought in are quarantined at a foster home with no other rats, mice or hamsters. When this situation is not possible, all rats, mice and hamsters in the foster home go under a 2 month quarantine. No hamsters, rats or mice in, no hamsters, mice or rats out, for a full 60 days. This helps to protect all of the rats, mice and hamsters. Our policy makes it less likely that we will adopt an ill rat to someone by accident.
We are very picky about visitors to foster homes because of the quarantine issues. We ask that you do not visit a friend, rat show, pet store or a rescue that has rats, mice, or hamsters for 48 hours before meeting with our fosters. If you own rats, mice or hamsters at home, we will ask you about their health, including how long you have had them before you visit. If you have gotten them within the past 60 days, or they have been ill, we might ask that you quarantine them fully first before meeting a new friend.
While we know this sounds like a hassle, we must ask it because sadly rats, mice and sometimes hamsters, especially those coming from a pet store, could have diseases that are very contagious. Even visiting a house or pet store could mean you bring these deadly diseases to your house. One rat showing up at a rat show in CA caused a major outbreak that killed many, many rats. It was heartbreaking for all involved and drove home the point that rats can carry diseases that are deadly to other rats. Rabbit and Pocket Pets would rather be overly cautious than not cautious enough.
Many rats are rescued by Wee Companions down in San Diego. There are a few rescues around Southern CA, including Furry Friends Orphanage in Orange County, please contact one of our volunteers for more information regarding any privately owed rats we might know about, or any "rat trains" of rescues coming from out of the area.
Pasadena Humane Society often has rats available for adoption!
For rat care information, please visit Rat Guide and for some fun games for your rats, check out rat toy ideas. If you have rats, you need a copy of the Rat Health Care Booklet! Buy two, one for you and one for your favorite rat vet. Looking for some cool hammocks endorsed by the rats who have been fostered by us? Visit The Crafty Rat! Her hammocks are well made, and the rats love them. You will want two of them, so that you can throw one in the washer, and still have a spare.
Mice for adoption
No mice currently here seeking homes.
Other Rescues or listings with Rats and Mice for Adoption
| For more adoptable rats and mice, please visit
Petfinder.org,
The Bunny Bunch,
Pasadena
Humane Society, Gastineau Humane Society,
Rats
for Adoption!, Bay Area Rat and Mouse
Club,
Rat
Fan Club Adoption Forum,
Rattie
Ratz, Furry Friends Orphanage,
Wee Companions,
The Northwest Rat
Rescue Network For UK try Uk Animal Rescuers (list of referrals) |
08/16/2016 Cavies aka Guinea Pigs currently for adoption...
Guinea pigs need at least 7 sq feet to stretch out and move. A pair or trio of pigs needs more space! Most pet store cages are not large enough to meet this criteria, so please if you are interested in adopting, talk to us before you purchase a new cage at a pet store so that we can help you build a sturdy appropriately sized cage for your new pets. If you purchase a "glorified litter box style cage" and expect to use that cage for a guinea pig you adopt from us, you will be disappointed! We make no apologies for this. Those cages are not only too small, they are very expensive useless square footage! Because they are too small, they require more frequent cleaning, and your new pets will be hard to keep from being smelly unless you perform daily cleaning! (A big reason people want to rehome their guinea pigs is they are "too hard to care for" because of those small cages!)
When we know about guinea pigs, we recommend that they are only adopted to live in indoor homes, no exceptions. We highly recommend Kleenmama's hay and pellets! We suggest that every guinea pig person needs a copy of Cavy Health Record Booklet.
You also get unlimited support regarding your new pet. If you have a question, call and ask! We don't leave our adopters feeling "lost". A volunteer is available to help you either over the phone or email. Even if you didn't adopt your new pet from us, please feel free to ask care questions. For more information on proper guinea pig care, please visit Guinea Lynx.
Other Rescues with Guinea Pigs for adoption
| To find just the right piggy for your household, the following rescues
have guinea pigs for adoption, The following are in Southern CA-The Bunny Bunch, Cats,
Rabbits and More, Cavy Love,
Wee Companions, The Bunny Bunch,
Orange County Cavy Haven, The following rescues are outside of Southern CA. The Critter Corral, Cavies Dot Com, Guinea Pig Adoption Network, Bean Makers, Cavy Rescue, Petfinder.org, The Home for Unwanted and Abandoned Guinea Pigs, Wild Rescue, Inc, Wheekers World (no longer rescuing, but lots of information!), Jack Pine Guinea Pig Rescue, Cavy Care Inc For UK try Uk Animal Rescuers (list of referrals) |
08/16/2016 Chinchillas for adoption
There are many chinchillas in need in Southern CA at this time. Please do not
purchase a chinchilla from a pet store or breeder!
Chinchillas can live up to 20 years so they are not a short term pet. They require regular playtimes in a chinchilla safe area. They eat a special diet that sometimes must be mail ordered depending on where you live. They need large amounts of loose hay, which again often must be mail ordered. (Shipping can be more costly than the hay or pellets!) They must be given dust baths at least every other day to keep their fur in pristine condition. (This specialized dust flies around, and you will find yourself dusting the chinchilla's room more frequently!) Some people are allergic to the dust and the hay, so please find this out before you adopt. Chinchillas should have filtered water instead of plain tap water.
They are curious
pets, around the size of a large guinea pig, take time to learn to trust you, and have long memories if you
mistreat them. They are a bit messy, their poops don't always stay in the cage,
so you will find yourself cleaning up mouse sized/looking poops from around
their cage. (The poops are dry, they don't stain, you just need to sweep or
vacuum them up daily) Chinchillas do not have an odor to them, they are nearly
smell free. If you didn't clean their cage, you would smell urine, but
regular cleaning will prevent this. When scared or agitated, they can put out an odor, but it's not
often that they do this.
Chinchillas are pets who need a buddy, they do better with a
friend than alone. They need a place out of the day
to day hustle and bustle because they sleep during the day. Putting them in your
living room or the family room isn't a good idea if people are in that
room frequently during the daytime. You also probably don't want them in your
bedroom since they are awake all night. Chinchillas can be quite noisy, running
on their wheels, playing with their toys and leaping from ledge to ledge, they
would disturb a light sleeper.
The following chins are not in our rescue but they need homes!
1/22/2013
Single female chinchilla, aprox 4 years old, standard grey. Located in Laguna Nigel, CA. Kids are no longer interested in the chinchilla. Pet must find new home.
The Bunny Bunch
currently has chinchillas and many others seeking new homes! Please check with them
by clicking on their link!
Other
places to look for adoptable chinchillas!