# pets at home questions



## Piptherussiandwarf (May 27, 2020)

so when adopting a hamster from the ‘support adoption’ part in store, i have some questions:
- do you have to pay? how much? 
- do they tell you the age?
- what does ‘i’m different from my friends and need extra help’ mean? like what’s your experience/problems
- is this better than buying one or should i buy a non adopted one for my first hamster? thanks


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

I would think these would be questions for Pets At Home?


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

You could try local rescues like the RSPCA


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

Im different from my friends = Im too old to be likely brought, ive been brought back cos im a nipper
this may also be because they were taken off of display for vetinary treatment or that it was just left when the new young stock came in so was too dangerous to put them in the same tank as him
adoption fee= they suggest 50-75% for adoption centre animals, as obviously they want them out quick as
Age/ demenour - theyre very unlikely to say, unless its something like its a nipper and its to be a pet for a small child
I wanted to adopt two boy rats the other day ( thankfully, with my recent news, I walked away) they couldnt/wouldnt tell me why theyd been brought back, whether they were handleable or how old they were, other than what i could see, that they were adults
personally id go to a proper rescue to rehome, at least, at a proper rescue, you wont be just making room for more stock to sell, but for a real rescue needing it


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## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

mrs phas said:


> Im different from my friends = Im too old to be likely brought, ive been brought back cos im a nipper
> this may also be because they were taken off of display for vetinary treatment or that it was just left when the new young stock came in so was too dangerous to put them in the same tank as him
> adoption fee= they suggest 50-75% for adoption centre animals, as obviously they want them out quick as
> Age/ demenour - theyre very unlikely to say, unless its something like its a nipper and its to be a pet for a small child
> ...


What's your recent news? Have I missed something?


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## Torin. (May 18, 2014)

How the adoption section info pages are written can vary a bit store to store, employee to employee.

It's worth bearing in mind that often animals in the general sale area (sourced from rodent farms) which haven't sold when super young will be moved to the adoption section as a way to shift them and make room for younger more appealing animals to the consumer. This is especially true with hamster species, whereby you can't introduce unknown individuals to each other in terms of just adding the younger animals in with the older ones in the same tiny tank. A method of short shelf life stock turnover, if you will. Oftentimes these older-but-still-very-much-babies animals will be labelled as "different from friends" or some other heartstrings type tempting wording.

If you already have hamsters or even any other rodents (as I'm guessing from your profile picture) be very aware that rodents from for-profit sources will have beed bred without health in mind. That coupled with the overcrowding you see both at source and in the petshops means that animals coming from petshops have a high risk of bringing home an infectious illness. If you are able to effectively quarantine then that's easy, but if you're not I would think carefully about what's so attractive about rehoming from a chain petshop rather than a real rescue (whether specialised and rodent-specifc or a bigger national one).


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

Sairy said:


> What's your recent news? Have I missed something?


im moving, fingers x by end of july  only around a mile, but that means the whole other side of our tiny market town


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## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

mrs phas said:


> im moving, fingers x by end of july  only around a mile, but that means the whole other side of our tiny market town


Exciting!


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

Sairy said:


> Exciting!


frightening


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## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

mrs phas said:


> frightening


How come you're moving?


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

Sairy said:


> How come you're moving?


matt and i live in a 4 bed council house
Im being crushed by bedroom tax
and
council are screaming out for 4 bed homes
the 3 bed im moving to ( as mutual exchange, and disabled, im allowed an extra bedroom) the family has 5 children ranging from 10 to 18 months and have been looking for a 4 bed for two years, since she fell pregnant with little one
so win win
I save money, she gets a 4 bed, its even got a tiny room, about 5ft by 8ft, so not classed as a bedroom, that i can have as my sewing room
and
biggest bit of fate, she fb messaged me out of the blue on my birthday!!

its also off the estate, which, i must admit, ive enjoyed living, and bringing my kids up on, for 20 yrs and
into a road that ken and i looked at wanting to buy in 38yrs ago, 
and 
i tried to persuade my parents to buy in when we as a family, moved here 41years ago, ( i was 17 not a great age to try and influence anyone back in those days)
but then nearly ALL of the houses were council, now theres only around 10 houses that arent private

Lots of memories invested in this house though
And
lots of crap, that this hoarder has kept and added to, right from kids being little, uptil now, so skip/s will be called for


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

mrs phas said:


> matt and i live in a 4 bed council house
> Im being crushed by bedroom tax
> and
> council are screaming out for 4 bed homes
> ...


Love the skips multiple !


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

SusieRainbow said:


> Love the skips multiple !


where im moving to has no garage, my garage has been a dumping area for 20 yrs, its never been used as a garage
so, yes
multiple

looking around each others house whilst complying with social distancing was fun, we spoke through windows, so all neighbours know our business lol


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## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

mrs phas said:


> matt and i live in a 4 bed council house
> Im being crushed by bedroom tax
> and
> council are screaming out for 4 bed homes
> ...


Sounds good, although of course moving is a massive upheavel.

Sorry to the OP for taking things off-topic.


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

Sairy said:


> Sorry to the OP for taking things off-topic.


My apologies too


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## Arny (Jul 29, 2017)

As others have said the ones in the adoption section are often just 'old stock'.
I adopted 3 rats from pets at home. It wasn't till they filled out the form for rehoming that I realised this, two were 'too old to sell' one was 'too big'.
They certainly didn't hide the fact at that point.


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