Holiday away!

Question
Hello Sheila,
I have a Syrian hamster about half a year old now, but for the summer holidays I am going away for 8 whole weeks. I have asked all my friends and family if they would like to offer to look after him but they are all going away as well! My friends suggested just putting lots of food in its bowl, however i fear the food may rot and also he will have to live in the same cage for 8 weeks so it would probably stink! I don't know what to do! Please help me!!! Thank you.

Answer
Hi Stephanie

Thanks for our question.  I'm afraid there is no way you can leave your hamster for that length of time.  Even if you put loads of food in the cage, the water bottle will need topping up, and water changed.  His cage will become filthy in that time too, bedding could become damp and he could get very sick.  I don't have an issue with leaving a hamster for a few days in an emergency as they should be fine, but this is far too long a time to leave him.  

If you can't find anyone you know it might be worth popping into one or two vets and look on their noticeboard to see if there are any animal rescues or pet sitters. You may well find one that is happy to take a hamster cage as there isn't much they need do other than clean it out once a week and keep the food/water topped up.  If you have no luck, have a look on line and see if there are any pet rescues near you who might be able to help - some charge a boarding fee, others look for a donation, so you might be lucky there.  

I hope you find someone - if you are in the Kent area or can get there or central London I might be able to help you!  Let me know.

Regards
Sheila