FAQs

1 

Q. Where is Treasured Paws HR

We are located on the Surrey - Hampshire border in Hook, RG27.

2

Q. What is your adoption fee?

Our adoption fee as of 01/01/2024 is £20.

To help put that into perspective the average hamster costs us around £35-£45 for the duration of their stay. This includes things like our transport costs, bedding, sprays and food along with the rehoming pack we put together. Hamsters who need to see the vet cost us considerably more. Whilst we never recoup all the costs incurred, the adoption fee helps to keep the rescue going and funds future rescue efforts.

The adoption fee can be paid via the rescue paypal or in cash on adoption day.

3

Q. What does my hamster come home with?

On adoption day your hamster will be delivered with a welcome pack. This includes 2 weeks of transition food, a whimzee chew, hand feeding treats, some boredom breaker treats and some floral forage. We will bring some of their used bedding to put in their new enclosure which will help them feel safe. We also bring along anything from their setup with us that cannot be reused, this could be sprays, chews or maybe even a disposable hide but we will advise you of this before adoption day.

4

Q. Do you deliver?

We prefer to adopt our hamsters within a 25 mile radius so we can deliver them. This allows us to help you settle them in their new enclosure and there is no cost for this beyond the adoption fee. If you want to adopt from further away you would need to arrange collection on adoption day.

5

Q. I‘m under 18, can I adopt?

If you are under 18 you will need an adult present for the adoption process and your legal parent or guardian will need to complete our ownership transfer form on adoption day. You can still be involved in all the fun parts of setting up the enclosure and helping to take care of the hamster once they arrive with you.

6

Q. I don‘t have the right enclosure for my hamster yet, can I still adopt?

In short, no. No adoption will go ahead until you cover all the items on our ‘Adoption Essentials‘ checklist. We will discuss what‘s needed once we have reviewed your adoption form and you can decide if these are things you can achieve. We do not adopt hamsters to temporary setups even if you have a plan to upgrade them in the near future. Our rescues have often already been through a lot of disruption and we try to keep this to a minimum after they arrive with us.

7

Q. Can I reserve a hamster for longer than 2 weeks?

We understand that because most suitable hamster supplies need to be ordered online it can take a little time to get your enclosure just right for your new arrival. We set a two week limit on reservations as sadly we have held hamsters longer only for the perspective new owner to pull out. This isn't fair to the rescue, foster home or most importantly the hamster who may have missed out on other opportunities to be adopted while reserved. If you have a need for the hamster to be reserved longer than two weeks please speak to us about this when you make your initial enquiry and we can work on finding a resolution that works for everyone.

8

Q. Why should I adopt?

In the UK there are very few, if any, truly ethical breeders. This means if you pay money to someone who has deliberately bred hamsters, or paid to have them bred (like a pet store) you could be supporting backyard breeding. By choosing to adopt you will be welcoming your new family member in the most ethical way possible.
 

There are some other benefits too.…adopting from a rescue will mean you can understand your new pets schedule and personality in advance and decide if they are a good fit for you. And whilst we can‘t make any guarantees on their long term health, every hamster leaving the rescue will be fit and healthy.

Oh and don‘t forget we will be on hand to offer advice and support for the lifetime of your rescue and should the unthinkable ever happen and you can no longer care for your new pet, we will always find room for them at the rescue.

9

Q. Are you an ethical rescue?

We believe wholeheartedly that we are and every process and decision is made with the hamsters best interests in mind. We follow current ethical minimums, feed high quality diets, provide plenty of enrichment while they are with us and seek vet care when required. We also screen new homes thoroughly so no hamster ends up in the wrong hands.

We always welcome any questions on this matter.

10

Q. Will my hamster see a vet before I adopt them?

We perform extensive health checks on the hamsters in our care. Every hamster is held for a minimum 2 week observation period before being made available to adopt and female hamsters are held longer for their relevant pregnancy watch. During this time the hamsters are closely monitored and if there are any signs of anything untoward they see our exotic vet.

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Hamsters are not made available to adopt until any treatment they need is completed. If you adopt a hamster that has previously received vet treatment we will be 100% transparent about this and their veterinary records will be made available to your chosen vet practice.

11

Q. Why don‘t you have the species or sex of hamster I‘m looking for?

As a rescue we don‘t hand select the hamsters in our care. We take in whichever hamster is in the most need whenever we have space. Due to surrendering trends we sadly receive a lot of Roborovskis and Female Syrians opposed to other more desired species/sexes however we choose to see every hamster as an individual and we would urge you to as well. 

As a small rescue we are able to focus on really getting to know the hamsters in our care and will always be 100% honest about how friendly/tame they are, their waking hours and any health concerns we have for their future. Opening your mind to other species could help you find a hamster that really fits with your schedule and personality.

That said our goal is to always place a hamster in a home that's mutually beneficial so if we don‘t have a hamster that‘s a good match for you we are always willing to keep your details on our contact list for future intakes or put you in touch with other great rescues in the area.

12

Q. What if I can‘t look after the hamster I adopt from you anymore?

As part of our adoption process we ask you to agree that should you not be able to reasonably keep up with current care standards or for any reason can no longer care for the hamster you adopted from us that you reach out to surrender them back to the rescue. We understand that some circumstances are out of your control and we will take them back without judgement.