Hamster-lanche!: Owner surrenders 94 rodents

Sarah D. Bunting

Overrun by nearly a hundred little fuzzballs, a Massachusetts man -- who remains anonymous -- called on his local SPCA for help after the two teddy-bear hamsters he adopted about five years ago had become 94.

Local officials did not characterize the man as an animal hoarder and noted that the dozens of hamsters were all in good health and well fed. In addition to going without food himself at times so that the pets could eat, the Mayor of Hamsterdam attempted to control the population somewhat. Once the rapidly reproducing brood outstripped the fish tanks he'd initially provided, he began housing the hammies in five-gallon buckets, kitty-litter boxes, and even Tupperware containers. He also tried to separate them based on gender to stem the rising hamster-nami, but it was just too hard to tell the sexes apart. Overmatched by biology, the Mayor dropped in to the Nevins Farm outpost of the MSPCA to ask for help.

Although the Mayor considered keeping just a few of his clown-car's worth of rodents, he eventually elected to give them all up for adoption. MSPCA workers separated them according to gender (properly this time, we can only hope) and several of the hamsters have already found new homes, so it's a happy ending all around...although we have to wonder what it was about 94 hamsters that pushed the Mayor too far. Ten or twenty probably wouldn't seem like a problem, but wouldn't you hit the wall well before 94, like at the four-dozen mark? Wouldn't you find yourself setting up a nest in a Lunchables container and think, "You know, I probably have too many hamsters"?

Joking aside, though, we salute the nameless Mayor of Hamsterdam for 1) doing his best for his pets, and 2) realizing his limitations, and calling in the professionals. If you're overwhelmed by your pets, regardless of species, we encourage you to ask for help. (We also encourage you to adopt solo rodents. The pet store never ever ever gets the sexes right and you always always always end up with baby drama.)

Further reading:
OK town to kangaroo, owner: hop along
Top animal narrators of literature
How many dogs should be walked at the same time? (WebVet)