Did you have a hamster as a pet when you were a kid? I did. His name was Teddy, because he reminded me of a little bear.
I remember being really excited about having a pet, and setting up his little cage. But then I realized I couldn't really play with Teddy like a cat or a dog. Eventually, like so many kids do, I got bored with my hamster, and we gave him away to a family who was looking for a pet.
Tired of watching old, sick, or just plain misunderstood hamsters be tossed aside when humans get bored, a 25-year-old animal lover named Sam decided to do something about it. Along with his partner, he started a "full-service" hamster rescue out of their house in Pittsburgh.
It's called Ham-Ham House, and it's giving the world a much-needed place where hamsters can be safe and cared for.
LittleThings spoke with Sam exclusively to find out more about this incredible organization.
Scroll through below to learn more about Ham-Ham House and how you can support these loving, furry creatures!
We first discovered Sam and Ham-Ham House when he did a Q&A session on Reddit.
There, he explained that the rescue was cofounded by he and his partner two years ago, and it’s entirely funded out-of-pocket and through donations.
“We spend time educating people about proper hamster care, undoing hamster myths (such as ‘hamsters are all mean and bite!’), and providing basic veterinary care for all hamsters that are currently in or have passed through our doors.”
Inspired by her story, we reached out to Sam to learn more about his work with hamsters.
LittleThings: Are you two professionally trained or just animal lovers?
Sam: "Neither of us are [sic] professionally trained. One of us works full-time as an artist, and the other works at a cell therapy lab. We do both have university experience studying biology and were particularly interested in animal physiology."
LittleThings: What inspired you to start Ham-Ham House?
Sam: "I started Ham-Ham House a few years after I purchased my very first hamster, Hamlet, from a small pet store in the town I used to live in.
"After I took him home, I tried to find good information on caring for hamsters and had the worst time finding things that looked reputable, and veterinarians in the area didn't really seem to be educated on their care either.
"It was really frustrating, and I did the best I could for him, but he wound up passing away at around a year old due to what I now believe was a genetic illness, undoubtedly the result of poor breeding — done mainly for profit."
After this heart-breaking experience, Sam decided that once she had the space, she would set up a sanctuary to keep more hamsters from meeting a fate similar to that of Hamlet.
LittleThings: What's the most common reason people bring their hamsters to you?
Sam: "Usually boredom, or some variation of it. People tend to impulse-buy hamsters like I once did, but don't carry through with it. And the cage cleaning, remembering to feed — basic care — becomes a chore for them they'd rather not have.
"They also tend not to take the time to socialize their hamster properly, so there is very little interaction going on between them, making the human even less likely to feel obligated to continue caring for them.
"We get a lot also as shelter transfers, usually from large groups dumped by irreputable breeders that get overwhelmed with the amount of hamsters they have and are looking for a quick solution."
LittleThings: How noisy does it get when they are all using their exercise wheels at the same time?
Sam: "Intensely noisy. We have a room in our home that is basically our hamster room, and during their 'awake' period — usually evening through to early morning — it is a cacophony. If their room was near our bedroom, we'd never sleep."
LittleThings: What's something everyone should know about hamsters, but most people don't?
Sam: "Hamsters are originally from an environment that is big and flat, and they do better with cages that have a lot of flat surface like a bin or aquarium, rather than multi-level/tiered cages.
"They also have terrible eyesight, so their likelihood of falling off of a platform and injuring themselves is also higher. They'll walk right off of a table if you let them."
LittleThings: Can people come adopt your hamsters?
Sam: "Yes, we really strongly encourage adoptions and having people come visit and play with our hamsters. We want people to get comfortable with them and know that with a little bit of care and gentleness they can be incredibly rewarding pets.
"Any hamster that is of a reasonable age and in good health (and sometimes even hamsters with chronic illnesses, if we can find someone that is interested in and dedicated to caring for them properly) is placed up for adoption, and we have an application system that helps us match people with hamsters and make sure potential new hamster parents are very well-educated on how to give their new hams the best home they can."
LittleThings: How do you make money to keep the Ham-Ham House up and running?
Sam: "We pay for Ham-Ham House entirely out of pocket from our own jobs and on donations."
Sam: "We occasionally generate some income with the sale of hand-made hamster toys like snuggle sacks, which you can see in our rescue shop on Etsy."
We're so thankful to know that people like Sam and his partner Arpad are helping to educate others about how to properly care for their hamsters.
You can learn more about Ham-Ham House on their website and by liking the Ham-Ham House page on Facebook.
Please SHARE if you believe every animal deserves a loving home!
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
