Mission
Home Sweet Hammy Home's mission is to help as many small animals as possible, set them up in habitats they can thrive in and adopt them out to loving families who are offered free care resources. Our hope is to see small animals flourish in larger, more enriching habitats with knowledgeable pet parents who place a high value on their short lives.
Our Location
Home Sweet Hammy Home is located in Tucson, AZ, USA. My name is Carrie and I've dedicated the entire downstairs of our home to the rescue. My incredible husband and I are a team. He constructs cages, offers support and fixes anything that breaks. I provide quality care for each animal and conduct all rescue operation. The animals are treated like royalty with no expense spared when it comes to their health and happiness right up until the day they are adopted, or the end of their life, whichever comes first.
Why A Small Animal Rescue?
Most people who hear the word rescue think of dogs, cats and larger farm animals without understanding the terrible circumstances tiny animals are finding themselves in. Home Sweet Hammy Home was originally established for hamsters but later became a haven for domestic mice and guinea pigs too. Each of these 3 animals have unique care needs that are largely misunderstood despite being sold by the thousands yearly in pet stores which also sells inadequate sized cages, improper accessories and incorrect food. No one really considers these animals worthy of a rescue dedicated to them, but they are. Just like bigger animals they deserve to have advocates for their well being.
Bred and born in rodent mills then at only a few weeks old shipped to pet stores similar to how merchandise is shipped, hamsters and guinea pigs are often thought of as children's pets, typically bought on impulse without much consideration to their comfort and happiness. Usually, domestic mice are purchased as food for other animals and get even less regard.
When someone buys small animals from a pet store, the employees can't or don't provide proper husbandry knowledge to consumers, their job requires them to sell the animals and recommend supplies, so they do. Furthermore, most new owners aren't even aware they are uneducated about the appropriate care their new pet needs. They are shocked to learn their pets are not thriving, but it does not need to be this way!
My goal with this website and the operation of my rescue is to equip people with correct care knowledge as well as intake animals who need somewhere to go. I demonstrate proper care in my rescue and have always supported anyone who reaches out. Founded in 2020 Home Sweet Hammy Home was developed from a sheer desire to teach others that tiny animals need more than what the world is giving them. It is possible to house them correctly so that they can thrive fully.
Other animals have been helped too, like Rupert, a dog with valley fever, who resides in the rescue, living upstairs with our other 4 dogs while he heals, but it all started with an emphasis on the misunderstanding of a small animal’s husbandry and the desire to create for them a much better life!
Sanctuary
I offer sanctuary to all animals who enter my care and cannot be adopted out, regardless of the reason. I am committed to providing my sanctuary residents a pampered life for as long as necessary. I love them fully and cherish the time I have with them. When they pass away it hits me hard, but it also makes me more determined than ever to help other animals who need it.
Rescue
Many of the hamsters I've taken in were once housed in less than ideal cages prior to their admission. For example, this critter trail pictured is TOO small for any animal to live in. The Syrian who lived here was getting stuck in the tubes!
Hamsters and mice require spacious homes with plenty of activities to thrive. I create DIY bin cage homes for the hamsters to live in and make them available to purchase if their adopter does not have an appropriately sized habitat of their own.
Advocacy
Operating a small animal rescue puts me in a unique position to share proper husbandry knowledge with many people weekly. There is a lot of misinformation out there about caring for these precious lives, so my desire is to provide credible resources so that each of these companion pets are able to live comfortable lives with all their needs fully met.
To ensure I am giving the correct care information, I am continuously researching and learning too. While my specialty is hamsters and domesticated mice, I have learned a lot about keeping guinea pigs as pets too and am happy to share it all.
My rescue, and my life, is devoted to these animals and assisting people with their care.
If I can help I will! The pages on this website are meant to provide guidance and resources so that small animals can truly live their BEST lives.