We adopted another hamster from the SPCA. When Bella and Daisy died I looked on the SPCA website and saw Rocket there. He had been there since August and we decided he needed a home.
We don’t know how old Rocket is or his history other than the SPCA taking him from his previous owner for reasons we don’t know. He’s missing part of one ear – they’re not sure or didn’t say what happened to him but it doesn’t bother him and he’s very friendly despite what sounds like a traumatic start to life.
Unlike Bella and Daisy, Rocket is a dwarf hamster so he’s much smaller. Since we don’t know his age we don’t know how much longer he’ll live. Dwarf hamster typically live for 1-2 years but we’ll give him the best life he can have in whatever time he has left.
We got Rocket a new enclosure. The large one we had for Daisy was wooden, had been chewed by Daisy, and being wooden it was difficult to clean properly. Consequently, I’ve gone back to an old-fashioned plastic and wire cage but I got a good one. This is the Savic Plaza Hamster Cage from Pets at Home for £80. It’s made in Belgium which is a nice change from the usual made in China. It’s 100cm x 50cm which is 5000cm2 of floor space and more than enough for a dwarf hamster. The recommend minimum is 2,800cm2.
It’s also got enough depth for hamsters to burrow but you can also pile it up on the sides as I have done at the back left of this next photo. Another thing I like about having a wire cage again is the airflow and ventilation they provide. I sometimes felt Daisy’s cage was dusty and there was no where for her to go to get fresh air. Perhaps she didn’t care and it’s just me imagining what they want but it was enough for me to think wire and plastic is probably the way to go.
I filmed a video tour of the cage if you’re interested and at the end is some footage of Rocket exploring it.
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We went to a rescue centre at the weekend and it really made me wonder if I could have a rescue animal, eg I think a rabbit could live outside on the patio (there was a picture of an example set up). Especially now I am working from home. It’s just a long time commitment with a rabbit. Maybe a hamster would be a better alternative.
Rabbits can live inside too, I think. My sister-in-law has always had pet rabbits that live in her home. The nice thing about adopting from a rescue centre is you not only provide a home for an unwanted pet but you also free up space in the centre for them to take in another animal in need.