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Sycamore Hamster Rescue - Cambridge, Trumpington (2025)

10/08/2023

Pretzel, 2021-10/8/23

Today I had to make the decision to euthanise the lovely Pretzel 😔

Pret had been gradually declining over the last few weeks, though he had been just as keen as ever to munch on tasty food and run around his cage. It was best to let him go gently, rather than see him get worse, and he travelled to the vet surrounded by treats to feast upon.

Pret was the first robo we took in at the rescue, nearly 2 years ago now. He was an interesting introduction to the species, slipping out of my hands while I was giving him his initial check over and hiding under a bed for more than an hour! We quickly learned just how speedy robos can be, and I fell in love with robos and Pret himself, and decided to keep him.

He was a shy boy to begin with, but with time he learned that humans could be nice enough, especially when they brought treats. The first time he climbed on my hand was amazing 💕 He put up with his recent pain medication with good grace, and I will miss him.

30/06/2023

Sycamore Hamster Rescue 🐹

As our followers will have seen, the rescue has been inactive for the last 5 months or so. This was originally intended as a temporary break, but after a lot of thought, we have decided to close the rescue.

I started Sycamore in 2020 in Birmingham, with the original name of BirmingHam Rescue persisting until a move to Cambridge in 2021. From the beginning, we aimed to keep the highest standards for our hamsters and provided full vet care and lifetime takeback guarantees for every animal to pass through our doors.

We were always a small rescue; throughout the running of the rescue we looked after 27 hamsters, as well as helping several others reach other rescues when we ourselves did not have space. We welcomed the pizza babies last year after taking in a pregnant robo, and took several hamsters through operations.

Much as I have loved running this rescue, and will miss it, it has been a hard job to do alongside full-time work and other commitments. The rescue was also primarily self-funded, and any pet owner knows how much vet bills can mount up! My hope is to lend my aid in future to another rescue as a fosterer, so that I can embrace the practical side of rescuing while leaving the admin to others more skilled at this aspect.

I would like to give my deepest thanks to my fosterers along the way, Mel and Skye. Without you two, we couldn't have helped as many hamsters as we did.

I continue to look after my own two hamsters, Pretzel (the first robo taken in by Sycamore) and the lovely Taryon, adopted a couple of months ago from . Pret is over two now, but going strong.

Despite the rescue now being closed, we maintain our lifetime takeback guarantee for any hamsters adopted from us, and will keep our social media accounts open for adopters to contact us if needed.

Love and best wishes to you all ❤️

~Eva

27/02/2023

As some of our followers may have noticed (and has been mentioned within some of our recent posts), we have had our intake on pause for a little while now. This was partly to allow the rescue's funds to recover after some very high vet bills and partly for personal reasons.

Though we do hope to reopen our intake at some point in the future, circumstances have not yet changed to the point where we are ready for that. We are therefore continuing our break and finally getting around to setting up the social media accounts to a state to match!

We may occasionally post about hamster care during this pause, but for the most part, the accounts will be quiet. Automatic replies will be set up where possible to handle messages. We will occasionally check messages even during the break, but the auto-reply will redirect people where possible.

Thank you everyone for your understanding, and for all the support we have been offered in the past couple of years since the rescue began 😁

18/02/2023

Pretzel has had an upgrade!

Eva's Pretzel was so good with his recent vet treatment that she wanted to reward him. She has always wanted to make a double detolf, but was only able to source one when she decided to keep him. As he lived in it, it wasn't possible to upgrade to a standard double detolf (with the two cabinets joined side by side) without putting him a temporary setup. So, instead, the idea of making an L-shaped one with a bridge came to mind.

After picking up another cabinet on Thursday, there followed quite a few hours of DIY yesterday and today to create the new lids and the bridge. Pretzel has already worked out how to cross and has had a good explore of both sides and their new layouts 😁

The layout is not quite complete - Pret also has a new extra-large wooden sand bath in the works. It needs time for the silicone sealant to cure, however, so will be added to the setup in place of his old sand bath next week, with some associated rearrangement of the setup. Some extra small enrichment like more seed sprays also needs to be added.

15/02/2023

Pepperoni, 21/1/22-15/2/23

What a wonderful boy this one was.

Our lovely Pepp was one of the pizza litter born in our care last year. From the moment we first saw him at 2 weeks old, it was clear that he might have some problems in life - he was missing one of his back feet. We hoped at the time that he would still be able to be adopted (some three-legged hamsters have few issues), but it became clear that he would have to stay on with us.

We quickly learned that a hard surface on his wheel would not work, since he walked on the end of his stump. We worked out a way to pad the wheel so he could enjoy it safely. He had many months of comfort with the new setup.

Over the last couple of months, he began to have new issues, suspected to be related to arthritis in the hip joint of that leg. We tried to make him comfortable with painkillers, and there were times when he seemed to be coping well on them and enjoying life. However, over the last couple of weeks, he became gradually worse and it became clear that the maximum dose was not enough, and that he would not get any better. We therefore made the decision this morning to take him to the vet for euthanasia.

Pepp was one of the loveliest hamsters that I have had the pleasure of caring for. He loved to run in his wheel, to dig in his sand, and to make lots of little burrows all around his cage. He was a bit of a fussy eater, turning his nose up at raspberries and egg yolk, but devouring flax seeds. He put up with regular medication with good grace and adorable sleepy faces. I wish that he could have had longer, and with more comfort. He deserved the absolute best, and will be missed.

06/02/2023

This wild beauty headed off to her new home today 🎉

Often, our adopters collect from us, but Pumpkin's new home is within Cambridge, so we got to go along and see her settling in. It was lovely to see her exploring her new setup (in her familiar cage), and we know she will be very happy and spoiled there!

Thank you to for giving Pumpkin the wonderful home she deserves 😁

Congratulations, Pumpkin!

06/02/2023

The handsome Pretzel's strange bit of skin has cleared up nicely with just over a week of treatment 😁

Pret hasn't loved having his tail and back end washed twice a day, but he has put up with it remarkably well considering he does not particularly enjoy handling. He will be getting a reward for his good behaviour - watch this space!

Pretzel is an honorary member of the rescue, owned by Eva - he's not available for adoption, however cute he is 😁

28/01/2023

Pumpkin is reserved 🎉

This sweetheart will be going to her new home soon, after waiting here for several months! She met her adopters tonight and was very happy to say hello, especially when they bribed her with some pumpkin seeds 😁 She will be going with her existing cage, but it will be kitted out with plenty of new toys from her new owners. We just need to wait on some deliveries and then she will be able to head off to her new life with them.

We will of course miss her, but it is always lovely to see our fosters get wonderful adoptive homes.

Congratulations, Pumpkin!

24/01/2023

Our handsome honorary resident Pretzel went to the vet today 🐹

Pret has had some slightly strange skin near his tail for maybe 2 weeks now - initially we monitored it for a few days, as it just looked like he was grooming a bit more there, but then we decided it was time to make an appointment. Unfortunately, our vet practice currently only has one locum vet who deals with hamsters, so we had to wait until today for him to be seen.

It isn't entirely clear what the problem is - it could be fungal or just a result of overgrooming in that area. The tests to confirm a fungal infection would apparently take 10 days, and the vet doesn't want him untreated in the meantime. For now, Pret will be on some anti-inflammatories in case of any irritation in that area, plus a twice-daily clean with some antiseptic to hopefully clear any minor infection.

Pret was wonderful for the vet, letting her examine him with minimal wriggling. Hopefully he will be just as good for us while we dose him and clean around his tail!

Get well soon, Pret ❤️

20/01/2023

It's hard to believe that this beauty hasn't found her perfect adopter yet!

Pumpkin is an amazing girl, and one who wakes nice and early, so an adopter would have plenty of time to interact without having to stay up late. She is curious and loves pumpkin seeds, and will happily chase them by climbing onto a human.

She's been in the rescue since October, and we would love for her to find a permanent place soon. Living in a rescue is safe, yes, but not the same as having permanent owners to love and lavish attention on her!

We realise her requirements are quite difficult for some to achieve, especially the barless cage being the size it is. We are very willing to help out with advice on this, and may even consider letting her go with her current cage for the right adopter (with an additional cost to cover the cage).

If you can't adopt Pumpkin, please consider sharing this post to help her find her new home!

Pumpkin will need a minimum of:
- A barless enclosure, at least 120x60cm
- A 28cm wheel
- Deep paper bedding for burrowing
- A large sand bath
- Lots of hides and enrichment
- A playpen or safe room for out-of-cage time

We would prefer Pumpkin to go to an adult-only home, but families with sensible teenagers who have had hamsters before could also work.

11/01/2023

Somehow I think Pumpkin likes black millet 🤔

This sweetheart is still looking for her forever home. She's a wonderful ham, very interactive and often up in the early evening. She is looking for a home without primary-aged children.

Pumpkin will need a minimum of:
- A barless enclosure, at least 120x60cm
- A 28cm wheel
- Deep paper bedding for burrowing
- A large sand bath
- Lots of hides and enrichment
- A playpen or safe room for out-of-cage time

Please message us for more information or to apply 😊

05/01/2023

A bit belated, but it is time to look back on the hamsters of 2022!

We've had a busy year for what is a very small rescue. Our first intake of 2022, 4 little robos, rapidly turned to 11 when Mozzarella gave birth shortly after her arrival. After that busy start, we paused intake for a while to allow funds to recover, before welcoming two lovely Syrians in July.

We had the sadness of saying goodbye to our long-time honorary resident Sol and our sweet Nimbus, both in October, after a period of illness for both. Another sweetheart, Sassafras, went to his new home but sadly passed away shortly afterwards.

We finished up the year with Jester and Nugget, a pair that came into rescue and both quickly needed vet care - a spay for Jester due to pyometra, and a eye procedure for Nugget. This hit our funds pretty hard again, but we were so glad to be able to get them back to health and on their way to wonderful new homes.

We will be pausing intake once again as our funds recover from the recent ops. We hope to find a new home for Pumpkin soon, so that she can finally find somewhere special to call her own. We hope that we will be able to help more hamsters during the upcoming year, but for now it is lovely to look back on last year's successes and memories.

Adopted:
- Mushroom
- Elven (Jalapeño)
- Lois (Chorizo)
- Feya (Anchovy)
- Olive
- Reggie 'Oregano' van Twinklechops (Oregano; rehomed via Treasured Paws HR, who kindly took on one baby from us to lighten the load)
- Gherkin
- Basil
- Ameliya (Mozzarella)
- Benji (Pineapple)
- Rhea (Donatella)
- Sabroe (Sassafras)
- Percival
- Jessie (Jester)
- Gobi (Nugget)

Current residents:
- Pumpkin (ready for adoption)
- Pretzel (honorary resident)
- Pepperoni (permanent resident)

Sadly missed:
- Kola (Hazel)
- Humbug
- Nimbus
- Solaris (our honorary resident, originally adopted from Small Animal Rescue Coventry)
- Sabroe (Sassafras)
- Ameliya (Mozzarella)
- Elven (Jalapeño)

(Lois photo credit: )

05/01/2023

Sadly, we received news that the lovely Elven (was Jalapeño) died just before new year. He was the father of the pizza babies, including our permanent resident Pepperoni.

Elven found a wonderful new home after a less than ideal start to life, and we are so glad that he was able to have months of happiness there. We wish that he could have had longer ❤️

03/01/2023

Beautiful Pumpkin is still looking for a home!

This lovely girl has been with us for a couple of months now, and it would be great to find her forever home soon. She's a very active girl, often awake in the early evening. She's got a lot friendlier recently and is happy to climb on humans and accept lots of strokes, but still dislikes being picked up. She prefers to travel to her playpen carried in a tunnel.

Pumpkin will need a minimum of:
- A barless enclosure, at least 120x60cm
- A 28cm wheel
- Deep paper bedding for burrowing
- A large sand bath
- Lots of hides and enrichment
- A playpen or safe room for out-of-cage time

We would prefer Pumpkin to go to an adult-only home, but families with sensible teenagers who have had hamsters before could also work. Pumpkin has nipped once or twice when startled, and we do not want to risk her with younger children who may be more likely to catch her off-guard.

23/12/2022

Nugget went to his new home today!

He has recovered well from his procedure, with just a small mark remaining over his right eye from where the gland was drained. He had another check-up on Wednesday to confirm that he was ready to go, and got the okay 😁 Nugget therefore travelled to his new home in a beautifully set-up detolf, and he even has his own castle to rule!

While we wouldn't normally rehome hamsters so close to Christmas, we make all these decisions depending on the circumstances. Nugget's owner has been waiting quite a while for him to complete his vet treatment, and he is also in a home without children (who may be louder and more excited around Christmas, making it harder for a hamster to settle in).

Congratulations Nugget!

11/12/2022

The lovely Pumpkin is still looking for a home, and hasn't had much interest so far 😔

Pumpkin is a wonderful hamster who would make a very active pet for someone. She's awake early and for a long time. She's happy to interact with humans, though not currently comfortable with being picked up and cuddled - she'd prefer to run laps around you instead!

Pumpkin will be best suited to a family without young children, and with someone with experience of hamsters or similar small pets. Applications are currently open, though she will not go to a new home before Christmas (except in particular circumstances to be discussed with potential adopters).

Pumpkin will require:
- A barless setup, at least 120x60cm.
- A 28cm or larger wheel.
- Deep paper-based bedding for burrowing.
- A large sand bath.
- Lots of hides and enrichment.

Please get in touch if you are interested in adopting, or if you have any questions!

08/12/2022

We received some sad news from one of our adopters today - Mozzarella (since named Ameliya, but still nicknamed Mozz) had to be euthanised this morning, after developing an aggressive tumour under her chin.

We know that Ameliya had a wonderful home with her adopter, where she was spoiled as she always deserved. She spent just over 6 months with them, and we only wish they could have had longer.

When Mozz first arrived at the rescue, she was still recovering from giving birth to 6 babies. We separated her from the two daughters that were also handed over to us, and it became quickly obvious that Mozz was pregnant for a second time - the father had lived with the family for a while after the first birth.

She gave birth to another 7 babies, our pizza litter. She looked after them as well as she could, though she struggled a little with so many and needed plenty of feeding up afterwards. They all grew well, however, and were a delight to look after.

Mozz was a lovely girl, curious and willing to say hello, even when looking after her babies. She had a habit of trying to climb onto a ledge out of their way, which unfortunately didn't work once they had grown a bit bigger! She would also eat the entire baby food portion of their supplementary food, leaving the boring porridge for her babies.

Once she was finally able to separate from her babies, it was great to see her be her own hamster. She took to her wheel with enthusiasm, running and running and running. Eva fell in love with her, and considered keeping her as a personal hamster, but decided that keeping both Pepp and Mozz would be too much alongside the other rescue hams. Eva was therefore very happy when a great application came in for Mozz, offering her a wonderful home with one of the most beautiful setups we have seen.

We are so glad at Mozz was able to have the life she had always deserved. She will be missed ❤️

07/12/2022

Nugget is home safe from his procedure 😁 His eye gland has been drained, and he has a course of eye drops to help with the recovery. We hope that this will resolve everything for him.

Our permanent resident Pepperoni also went to the vet today - he has been struggling with some wounds lately, on the side of his shortened leg. Unfortunately it seems likely that he has been in some pain, possibly arthritic, which may be causing him to bite at himself. He's been on medication, on and off, for a few weeks now, and we will continue to monitor his recovery. He may need meds long-term to manage any discomfort.

It has been a very expensive day, with Nugget's procedure costing more than anticipated. If anyone is willing to help out a little towards the vet costs, our PayPal is [email protected].

Sycamore Hamster Rescue - Cambridge

10/08/2023

30/06/2023

27/02/2023

18/02/2023

15/02/2023

06/02/2023

06/02/2023

28/01/2023

24/01/2023

20/01/2023

11/01/2023

05/01/2023

05/01/2023

03/01/2023

23/12/2022

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