# Polite Note to Rodent Owners...



## Paws&Claws (Aug 29, 2009)

Hiya Everyone,
I'm getting a little bit concerned at the moment. Some of us (me included) have many different types of animals and rodents which we have taken the important decision to care for, for the rest of their lives. We do our best for them and we ensure they live in the biggest cage we can provide them with, and treat them to new toys and ensure they are on the correct diet. Now and again we ask for help when one is poorly and now and again we loose are little friends.

We need to care for the animals for the rest of their lives and i would like to make it clear that this is not a decision that should be taken lightly!

There has been an increasing number of posts on this forum and others that i have been on about owners thinks about getting other animals to add to there family. This is usually okay, however theres seems to be an increase of younger members being indecisive and posting frequently about getting an animal then within hours changing their mind to another animal.

Can i please just make a kind note that animals should only be adopted when the owner is 1000000% sure they can look after the animal for the rest of the animals life! Through moving out, moving to uni, loosing there job etc I understand that sometimes situations can change and the animals welfare needs to be thought about however there seems to be an increase on younger members wanting animals just because mum said no and now they are thinking of moving out they are going to get loads of animals 

Please be aware that an animal is a living thing and it will love you soo much.. please do not let it down just because you want more animals just because someone on a forum has alot and you want to be apart of the group. Only adopt animals you can support and care for.

Thank you for reading and i hope everyones had a lovely day xx


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## RockRomantic (Apr 29, 2009)

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: 

well said


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## Yorkshire_Rose (Aug 5, 2009)

Paws&Claws said:


> Hiya Everyone,
> I'm getting a little bit concerned at the moment. Some of us (me included) have many different types of animals and rodents which we have taken the important decision to care for, for the rest of their lives. We do our best for them and we ensure they live in the biggest cage we can provide them with, and treat them to new toys and ensure they are on the correct diet. Now and again we ask for help when one is poorly and now and again we loose are little friends.
> 
> We need to care for the animals for the rest of their lives and i would like to make it clear that this is not a decision that should be taken lightly!
> ...


:thumbup:



RockRomantic said:


> :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
> 
> well said


Can i have your Doberman


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## RockRomantic (Apr 29, 2009)

Yorkshire_Rose said:


> Can i have your Doberman


yes he's just nicked my slipper and ran upstairs with it so yes, pick him up at 8 i'll have his stuff packed


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## CheekoAndCo (Jun 17, 2009)

I wouldn't just say it's younger members but I've known a few people who see my animals to decide they want each type I have. First it's a guinea pig they want, then they see Miffy and think rabbits are cute.. But if the hamsters and gerbils are up and about they change their mind to one of them 

In a few years I know I want to have rats, degus and some chins but I've been wanting them for years so not a spur of the moment thing. The gerbils were a bit of a 'I want gerbils so I'm getting them today' but I wouldn't go getting rid of them. They are pretty amusing little things. Only bad point is they seem to beable to kick sand from their cage to the other side of my room :lol:


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## nattymariax (Sep 1, 2010)

here here, I agree completely!


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

I totally agree too and I understand your concerns....though this is a somewhat direct address at a few members. I think most of us can relate to the desire to fill our homes with fur babies who we can adore...without necessarily thinking of the reality  So while I am not condemning anything said on here...i do believe this forum is where people can express these feelings and I wouldn't want people to feel they have to censor their posts. It is not a sign of age as OP said....it is purely giddy excitement :thumbup:

Editing to say I do AGREE...just giving people benefit of the doubt.


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

:thumbup:

*agrees*


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## Argent (Oct 18, 2009)

I know what you mean  I've seen loads of threads lately where everyone's getting more and more small furries...it's not a competition! This is how people get way out of their depth very quickly. It's fine when you've got one or two cages, but 8 or more! You must have a lot of time and money on your hands! I can't afford that much bedding for my two rat cages, they end up on all kinds! (fleece, scraps of fabric/my old clothes if it comes to it!)


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

:scared: Its aimed at me isnt it. Your watching me, i know it :scared:


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## kittycatkim (Jan 13, 2011)

i agree its sickening to see people treats pets as property that doesnt matter rather then a family member! i recenty had a conversaion over on ye olde book of face with a women asking advice on how to potty train her puppy as he was being difficult..all fine till you find out that she is the 3rd owner and the puppy is only 3 weeks old! this sickened me whoever sold it at such a young age to manage being rehomed 3 times should be banned from keeping animals. im only grateful that after a long convo this new owner seems to really care for the puppy and wants to do best by him but this growing trend needs sorting. i may be unfair saying this but i blame clebs...pets are a great accessory with them so why not to us "regular" people and you know how people like to follow trends.....


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

kittycatkim said:


> i agree its sickening to see people treats pets as property that doesnt matter rather then a family member! I recenty had a conversaion over on ye olde book of face with a women asking advice on how to potty train her puppy as he was being difficult..all fine till you find out that she is the 3rd owner and the puppy is only 3 weeks old! This sickened me whoever sold it at such a young age to manage being rehomed 3 times should be banned from keeping animals. Im only grateful that after a long convo this new owner seems to really care for the puppy and wants to do best by him but this growing trend needs sorting. I may be unfair saying this but i blame clebs...pets are a great accessory with them so why not to us "regular" people and you know how people like to follow trends.....


disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Yorkshire_Rose (Aug 5, 2009)

RockRomantic said:


> yes he's just nicked my slipper and ran upstairs with it so yes, pick him up at 8 i'll have his stuff packed


Aslong as i can drp me dog off at same time :thumbup:



srhdufe said:


> :scared: Its aimed at me isnt it. Your watching me, i know it :scared:


I think its me :lol: although i had most of mine a good few years


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

srhdufe said:


> :scared: Its aimed at me isnt it. Your watching me, i know it :scared:


I thought that till I spotted the 'young' bit :lol:.


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> I thought that till I spotted the 'young' bit :lol:.


:scared: you calling me old????? :scared: :crying: rrr:


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## PurpleCrow (Mar 22, 2009)

I agree. I have been umming and arring regarding what animal I would like to get but I've always gone back to the same animal (hamster). I plan on getting one and only one as this is what I can easily care for (both from a financial and time angle).

One thing I am noticing is a lot of people get the animal _then _do their research :confused1: Backwards much? :confused1:

I've owned hamsters before, I've spent the last few months researching cages, food, health issues, breeds, breeders and anything and everything else. I also saved up to get the best cage I possibly could plus good food, substrate and toys. I did all this _before _getting the hamster, not after!!


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

PurpleCrow said:


> I also saved up to get the best cage


I've already told you... Hamster heaven cages are crap and you need to send it to me to dispose of it


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## Paws&Claws (Aug 29, 2009)

Mark & Sarah its defo not aimed at you too lol you guys save alot of animals and will adopt/rescue when you take one on x

EDIT: im mainly on about the impulse being people too  x


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Paws&Claws said:


> Mark & Sarah its defo not aimed at you too lol you guys save alot of animals and will adopt/rescue when you take one on x


:lol: Phew. Had me paranoid then  :lol: :lol: :lol: 

I hate the members you are on about too. If you ask for advice, listen and take it. If you dont want to then sod off back to where you came from!


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## Yorkshire_Rose (Aug 5, 2009)

Paws&Claws said:


> Mark & Sarah its defo not aimed at you too lol you guys save alot of animals and will adopt/rescue when you take one on x
> 
> EDIT: im mainly on about the impulse being people too  x


Im already planning on what i can take when i get back on my feet


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Yorkshire_Rose said:


> Im already planning on what i can take when i get back on my feet


Oh you hurt?? Am i missing on something? xx


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## Yorkshire_Rose (Aug 5, 2009)

niki87 said:


> Oh you hurt?? Am i missing on something? xx


Aye, i no longer have a job :thumbup:


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Yorkshire_Rose said:


> Aye, i no longer have a job :thumbup:


Oh thought u were injured/ill! Though am sorry to hear that hun!! You could try your [email protected] know how much they love u there


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## Yorkshire_Rose (Aug 5, 2009)

niki87 said:


> Oh thought u were injured/ill! Though am sorry to hear that hun!! You could try your [email protected] know how much they love u there


haha they would love me working there :scared:


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Yorkshire_Rose said:


> haha they would love me working there :scared:


"Escuse me Madam, are you wanting to buy a hamster for your child who is obviously a spoilt brat and will be bored by tomorrow...what...OK bye then"

"Excuse me Sir, have you actually researched the needs of these rabbits...no....then please go....and have a good day"

etc :thumbup: :lol::lol::lol:


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## Yorkshire_Rose (Aug 5, 2009)

niki87 said:


> "Escuse me Madam, are you wanting to buy a hamster for your child who is obviously a spoilt brat and will be bored by tomorrow...what...OK bye then"
> 
> "Excuse me Sir, have you actually researched the needs of these rabbits...no....then please go....and have a good day"
> 
> etc :thumbup: :lol::lol::lol:


Good job ive been applying for jobs in clothes shops such as H & M then mind you i can just imagine it.

Cstomer- " Excuse me can i have this in the next size down"
Me - " Are you having a f-ing laugh?"

LOL

or
Customer - " Do you think this suits me?"
Me walking past - "No you look like flipping Hippo!"

I think it would be bet if i just do ever get a job around people haha


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## SEVEN_PETS (Aug 11, 2009)

Brilliant post. I'm thinking about getting some guineapigs in the future, but not until I have sorted out my future education so that I know I can care for them properly. I'm doing loads of research so that I can be sure that they are a good pet for me and I can take proper care of them.


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## SophieCyde (Oct 24, 2010)

This kind of applies to me

I was researching into hedgehogs then switched back to pigs , mainly because I didn't think hogs woulld suit me and because I have plenty of piggy accomodation , I also did look into ratties but I didn't think I could give them the free range time they needed.

Sorryy if this does


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## Yorkshire_Rose (Aug 5, 2009)

SophieCyde said:


> This kind of applies to me
> 
> I was researching into hedgehogs then switched back to pigs , mainly because I didn't think hogs woulld suit me and because I have plenty of piggy accomodation , I also did look into ratties but I didn't think I could give them the free range time they needed.
> 
> Sorryy if this does


Hogs absoulty stink haha :lol:


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## Sarah+Hammies (Jul 20, 2009)

Excellent post and i agree although its not necessarily just young members that it applies to.


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## CheekoAndCo (Jun 17, 2009)

PurpleCrow said:


> I agree. I have been umming and arring regarding what animal I would like to get but I've always gone back to the same animal (hamster). I plan on getting one and only one as this is what I can easily care for (both from a financial and time angle).
> 
> One thing I am noticing is a lot of people get the animal _then _do their research :confused1: Backwards much? :confused1:
> 
> I've owned hamsters before, I've spent the last few months researching cages, food, health issues, breeds, breeders and anything and everything else. I also saved up to get the best cage I possibly could plus good food, substrate and toys. I did all this _before _getting the hamster, not after!!


I've owned guinea pigs for nearly 5 years (where does the time go :scared and I'm still always learning stuff about them but it doesn't take much to learn basic care. All you need to do is type 'guinea pig, hamster, rabbit' etc into google and you get all the answers. Yet that seems too much bother for some people :confused1:

Still learning everyday how guinea pigs are greedy little fatties right enough:lol:


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## Tapir (Mar 20, 2010)

I have just got some Lemmings, but i made sure I got year old ones, as they only last about 18 months. That means I won't have to rehome them when I go residential at the end of the year.


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## Cherpi (Nov 19, 2010)

I agree (even though I am one of these people :x) but it's so hard to decide... you think of plus points, negative points, then you think of other animals plus points and negative points... at the end of the day we're humans, we make mistakes and we learn from them... and we always end up changing our minds... you ask for something for chrtistmas, then change your mind, and again and again.. but ye it is over done.


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## kittycatkim (Jan 13, 2011)

Tapir said:


> I have just got some Lemmings,


i have lemmings too great little things aint they like hamsters on speed XD how are you finding them? care on keeping these is hard to find, one thing i did find was it said they dont bite and and if they do its not enough to break the skin. well they clearly havent met my little problem child,vlad the impaler!have you kept them before? as i wouldnt mind any tips and advise if you have manged to find something about them other then being diabetics...


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## Tapir (Mar 20, 2010)

kittycatkim said:


> i have lemmings too great little things aint they like hamsters on speed XD how are you finding them? care on keeping these is hard to find, one thing i did find was it said they dont bite and and if they do its not enough to break the skin. well they clearly havent met my little problem child,vlad the impaler!have you kept them before? as i wouldnt mind any tips and advise if you have manged to find something about them other then being diabetics...


They are awesome aren't they! I have three females. They DO bite, one of mine is pregnant and she is majorly grumpy and bites hard! Never broken skin though. 
I find most people keep them in tanks but mine love to climb so are in a bar cage. They have deep litter for tunnelling. They are fructose intolerant rather than diabetic, so can't have any fruit.
I love how stupid they are! They just jump into your hand when you put it in the cage! They have hay for making a nest, and empty clean jam jars are great for them. They like to go and in and spread out flat on the glass too cool down!

I feed mine a mix of wild bird seed and a gerbil/mouse mix.


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## kittycatkim (Jan 13, 2011)

thanks for the tips  i have a male i did have a female but she passed away a week ago  they was meant to be both males but the things are so fast and wriggly im not suprised they were hard to sex! the female did get pregnant but (im guessing from all the research i did) she was too young to cope with the pregnancy and they were born too early and dead,vlad ate them...to wich lazlo got very distressed and stopped eating as much i think thats why she died. they have a tank with massive amounts of sawdust and hey! i give them cardboard boxes wich they love to chew (makes the teeth much less sharp!) and sleep in. i feed them mouse food,ive heard degu food is best for them but i cant get any around here and everynow and again give small bits of carrot and broccoli as a treat. they are amazing little things! i would reccomend them to anyone who wanted something a little different to hamsters they never stop moving,so comical!


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## cassies_degus (Jan 12, 2011)

srhdufe said:


> :scared: Its aimed at me isnt it. Your watching me, i know it :scared:


No its aimed at me. I know it is because. I said recently that I wanted to drop my degus and get rats because I had no patience to train them. (I was hella tired that day!) I would never get more than what I could afford and I do need to learn to be more patient.

I'm sorry....


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## Paws&Claws (Aug 29, 2009)

Cherpi said:


> I agree (even though I am one of these people :x) but it's so hard to decide... you think of plus points, negative points, then you think of other animals plus points and negative points... at the end of the day we're humans, we make mistakes and we learn from them... and we always end up changing our minds... you ask for something for chrtistmas, then change your mind, and again and again.. but ye it is over done.


Humans should not make mistakes that include the suffering and uneducated care of an animal. That animal has no choice what you feed it or how you care for it. It is solely your responsiblity. If a person cant make there mind up and research how to care for the animal BEFORE getting it then a person should not get the animal. full stop xx



cassies_degus said:


> No its aimed at me. I know it is because. I said recently that I wanted to drop my degus and get rats because I had no patience to train them. (I was hella tired that day!) I would never get more than what I could afford and I do need to learn to be more patient.
> 
> I'm sorry....


I hadnt read your post when i posted this  I can understand you getting frustrated with your degus, but you need to become more patient with them. It will be sooooo rewarding when they trust you completely and come for a cuddle! Believe me!!!  xx


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## princesslea (Jul 6, 2010)

I totally agree 100%

Whilst browsing on pre loved the other night I was horrified to find lots of rats of all ages looking for homes. It's so unfair, people just can't commit themselves to looking after them. Most rodents don't live long any way so it's not a life time commitment on our part!!

I wish i could look after them all!!!


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## Cherpi (Nov 19, 2010)

Paws&Claws said:


> Humans should not make mistakes that include the suffering and uneducated care of an animal. That animal has no choice what you feed it or how you care for it. It is solely your responsiblity. If a person cant make there mind up and research how to care for the animal BEFORE getting it then a person should not get the animal. full stop xx
> 
> I hadnt read your post when i posted this  I can understand you getting frustrated with your degus, but you need to become more patient with them. It will be sooooo rewarding when they trust you completely and come for a cuddle! Believe me!!!  xx


I meant mistakes in getting animals that aren't right for you, not making them suffer... I and I'm sure many others do research before they buy and it's just finding the right one and if someone posts something about the animal they're thinking about they may want information like about the cages etc...


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

Very well said  No one should take on an animal without doing as much research as possible (for as long as possible) first and if they aren't sure what animal they want then research them all and speak to other owners to find out what fits in with their lifestyle. If they can't decide then they shouldn't get them - it's not fair on the animals to get them when their owner isn't 100% confident that the animal is right for them and that they have done all their home work!


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## Paws&Claws (Aug 29, 2009)

Bumping... x


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## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

Totally agree some people are just getting too many animals without thinking about the amount of work it takes.


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## Paws&Claws (Aug 29, 2009)

Bumping this *again*...


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## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

Excellent post 

I get so annoyed when I see people trying to rehome the animals they have and at the same time they are putting ads up looking for other animals. Grrrr!

People need to research the animals more before they get them. I mean I have wanted mice for ages and have spent alot of time looking into everything I can about them and I STILL have questions to ask!


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## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

I have to say I do recognise this type of behaviour from a personal standpoint! I was never allowed pets as a child and when I left for college I went mental on the pet buying front. I had cats, bunnies, pinny gigs, hammies, rats, gerbils, degus, and mice! It got to the point where the house was full and the landlord gave me an ultimatum. Either I rehomed the animals or he kicked me out.
It resulted in a really inconvienient and expensive house move that was miles away from the college. Of course I would never let the animals suffer coz I got overwhelmed but it was a hard lesson to learn and I still feel that my cats would be happier with less competition, although they are leaving me now they are getting older.
Sometimes you dont realiese you have too many pets til its too late.


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

catz4m8z said:


> I have to say I do recognise this type of behaviour from a personal standpoint! I was never allowed pets as a child and when I left for college I went mental on the pet buying front. I had cats, bunnies, pinny gigs, hammies, rats, gerbils, degus, and mice! It got to the point where the house was full and the landlord gave me an ultimatum. Either I rehomed the animals or he kicked me out.
> It resulted in a really inconvienient and expensive house move that was miles away from the college. Of course I would never let the animals suffer coz I got overwhelmed but it was a hard lesson to learn and I still feel that my cats would be happier with less competition, although they are leaving me now they are getting older.
> Sometimes you dont realiese you have too many pets til its too late.


Thanks for sharing hun...that's very honest and I can relate to that to a certain extent. And a very good lesson for others!! xx


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