He bought just two of the furry critters. A year and a half later there were more than 90 of them, living in fishbowls and Tupperware containers, and causing him to starve himself to feed them.
A man from Lawrence, Mass., recently surrendered 94 hamsters to a local animal shelter that he had collected over a period of 18 months as they rapidly reproduced.
Much as with other animal hoarders, like the Florida couple who amassed 700 cats, the man had held onto his pets out of concern for their health, "where a sort of benign approach to dealing with [fast-breeding pets] resulted in a catastrophic number of animals," said Mike Keiley, director of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' care and adoption center, the shelter that accepted the hamsters.
Until he surrendered the hairy rodents, the man reportedly had managed to provide them with good care. Aside from a few minor abrasions -- the result of crowded living conditions, Keiley said -- all of the hamsters were found to be in good health during triage by the MSPCA. In fact, the man, who is on welfare, was so committed to caring for his hamsters that he began to go hungry, spending what little money he had on their food instead of his, Keiley said. He explained that the man's commitment to his hamsters' health distinguishes him from most pet hoarders -- who usually allow their pets' health to deteriorate -- and calls into question whether or not he actually deserves the designation..." More
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