Staying Alive for my Hamster

[cowplantabduction]

My roommates I've been essentially couchsurfing with (I've been unemployed for a year) are moving out and not taking me with them so I'm about to become homeless. I'm on the waitlist for shelters in my area and applying for public housing but I have to be out this month so it looks like I'll be going back to my abusive father's house until I get contacted by a shelter or by public housing.

My father lives about 3 or 4 hours away from where I live currently, and he lives in the middle of nowhere with no hope of me finding work since I can't drive and there's no public transportation there.

I've been pretty suicidal and seriously considering suicide, looking up methods and making plans but I have a hamster, my emotional support animal. I love him so much and I can't stand the thought of abandoning him. If I go I don't know what will happen to him, he could end up in an animal shelter, end up with people who don't know anything about proper hamster care, he could be put in a tiny cage instead of the 40 gallon tank I have him in now. He's such a skittish little guy but he trusts me, I spent a year building that trust. Ending my suffering would be perpetuating his, and that is unacceptable to me.

So it looks like I'm going to try to survive, for him. I'll go back to an environment I feel miserable and unsafe in but I'll survive it. Hopefully I won't be trapped there forever.

 

[Cosmophobic]

No better reason to stay around than for an innocent that needs you imo.

 

[mieczyslavcekin]

I feel you. I have three cats I can't leave alone. Love them so much.

 

[EmptyBottle]

What about other relatives, or other friends?

 

[cowplantabduction]

What about other relatives, or other friends?

No one else is able to house me unfortunately, only my dad.

 

[EmptyBottle]

No one else is able to house me unfortunately, only my dad.

There may be roommate finding websites, and even "maintain a house for accomodation" options (involving taking care of pets while a family is away)

 

[theboy]

Love animals!
Hamsters so cute

 

[cowplantabduction]

There may be roommate finding websites, and even "maintain a house for accomodation" options (involving taking care of pets while a family is away)

Unfortunately I'm unemployed and have no income so the former wouldn't work for me. Unsure about the latter but I doubt it would involve me actually moving in with my furniture.

 

[EmptyBottle]

Unfortunately I'm unemployed and have no income so the former wouldn't work for me. Unsure about the latter but I doubt it would involve me actually moving in with my furniture.

you may be able to sell some of the furniture, so u only have a few items to pack and unpack

 

[shampoo sniffer]

Hamsters are so badly abused by the pet industry. That's cool that you have an emotional support animal.

 

[EmptyBottle]

Hamsters are so badly abused by the pet industry. That's cool that you have an emotional support animal.

and the puppy (and maybe kitten?) farms too, etc...

I wonder what enforcement is needed to prevent such harm tho.

 

[Scythe]

Hamsters don't live too long even if you take really good care of them. Won't be too long left, also I'm surprised you have the energy to take care of a hamster especially with such a big tank, they are quite a bit of work imo. Being mentally ill made it really mentally taxing for me.
Ps. can you describe the tank or send a photo? I'm curious about the fancy setup you seem to have.

 

[cowplantabduction]

Hamsters don't live too long even if you take really good care of them. Won't be too long left, also I'm surprised you have the energy to take care of a hamster especially with such a big tank, they are quite a bit of work imo. Being mentally ill made it really mentally taxing for me.
Ps. can you describe the tank or send a photo? I'm curious about the fancy setup you seem to have.

I know, I expect I have a year left with him. It's depressing to think about but I am just glad that I've had this much time with him, I had a hamster before him who died of illness shortly after I got her and it devastated me. He's really not too much work but I don't deep clean the tank very frequently, I try to spot clean about every day (though I don't keep up with this as much as I'd like these days) and deep clean every 3-5 months. This is so I don't stress him out too much.

A 40 gallon breeder tank is the minimum recommended tank size from what I've read online (if I had the money I would've gotten a 75 gallon). In his tank he has several inches of bedding on one side so he can burrow deep down underground, and on the other side he has a 12 inch wheel, his water bottle, a wooden hide out, and his food bowl (though I often scatter feed for enrichment). There's a wooden platform over on the deep bedding side, and on top of that platform is his sand bath. There's also several sprays (hamster-safe dried flowers and plants) decorating the tank that also serve both as something to provide cover so he feels safe and something he can snack on. Scattered throughout the tank are apple orchard sticks, loofah chews, and cardboard all for him to chew on.

 

[getoutgirl]

 

[Scythe]

I know, I expect I have a year left with him. It's depressing to think about but I am just glad that I've had this much time with him, I had a hamster before him who died of illness shortly after I got her and it devastated me. He's really not too much work but I don't deep clean the tank very frequently, I try to spot clean about every day (though I don't keep up with this as much as I'd like these days) and deep clean every 3-5 months. This is so I don't stress him out too much.

A 40 gallon breeder tank is the minimum recommended tank size from what I've read online (if I had the money I would've gotten a 75 gallon). In his tank he has several inches of bedding on one side so he can burrow deep down underground, and on the other side he has a 12 inch wheel, his water bottle, a wooden hide out, and his food bowl (though I often scatter feed for enrichment). There's a wooden platform over on the deep bedding side, and on top of that platform is his sand bath. There's also several sprays (hamster-safe dried flowers and plants) decorating the tank that also serve both as something to provide cover so he feels safe and something he can snack on. Scattered throughout the tank are apple orchard sticks, loofah chews, and cardboard all for him to chew on.

That sounds like an awesome tank! I deep cleaned every 2 weeks so it was annoying for me and I had two cages that connect set up so it was a lot of work. Also that's a lot of bedding, lucky rodent. Doesn't the bedding get dirty after 2 weeks? That's why I cleaned every other week. And do you have one of those big teddy bear hamsters?

 

[cowplantabduction]

That sounds like an awesome tank! I deep cleaned every 2 weeks so it was annoying for me and I had two cages that connect set up so it was a lot of work. Also that's a lot of bedding, lucky rodent. Doesn't the bedding get dirty after 2 weeks? That's why I cleaned every other week. And do you have one of those big teddy bear hamsters?

Thank you!

He poops above ground so I clean that while spot cleaning- he also pees a lot on his wheel so I regularly clean that as well. With the size of the tank and the amount of bedding I don't have to deep clean too often, and it doesn't really smell. I put it off until I absolutely have to clean it because the process stresses him out terribly- his tunnels get destroyed, his food hoard gets thrown out, and his scent marks disappear. It's best to leave all that for as long as possible!

And yes, he's a long-haired Syrian hamster (aka "teddy bear hamster") :3

 

[shampoo sniffer]

especially with such a big tank

It's not a big tank for a hamster, it's more like minimal requirement. People think because hamsters are small, they need small cages. This is why I said hamsters are abused by the pet industry. A hamster would walk up to five miles a night in the wild. They need large cages, otherwise you would see behaviours like bar chewing.

cowplantabduction well done on doing your research and not shoving your hamster into a shoebox.

(sorry, it's just something i'm passionate about.)

 

[CapitánBeto]

God bless your hamster.

You reminded me of You've Got A Friend In Me, main theme from Toy Story.

Also you reminded me of that poem by Lord Byron (?) about his loyal dog…
Epitaph to a Dog



All pets shall go to heaven.

 

[shampoo sniffer]

"All dogs go to heaven because, unlike people, dogs are naturally good and loyal and kind"