Hamsters surrendered, some euthanized at Flagler Humane Society

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A hamster rescue group from Indiana wants to know why the Flagler Humane Society euthanized nearly 100 hamsters, many of whom were pregnant.

The Pipsqueakery, a nonprofit foster home for hamsters in Indiana, received the animals last week. The Pipsqueakery worked with the Flagler Humane Society to get the nearly 200 hamsters after a Palm Coast man surrendered his pets to the shelter.

“He just said he got in over his head and needed to surrender them,” said Amy Wade-Carotenuto, Executive Dir. Flagler Humane Society

Officials with The Pipsqueakery said they asked the humane society for all the hamsters, but at least 80 of them were euthanized.

Wade-Carotenuto told Channel 9's Julie Salomone that the hamsters were euthanized because they were sick, hurt and pregnant or assumed to be pregnant.

Wade-Carotenuto said it was how the hamster’s owner housed them that contributed to their conditions.

“The gentlemen had house them all together. Males and females were not separate,” said Wade-Carotenuto.

Hamsters can also multiply very quickly, and the executive director said handing over all 200 hamsters, including pregnant animals, could have blossomed to a 700- or 800-hamster population in just a couple weeks, which is overwhelming to any rescue group.

Eyewitness News found out that state law only covers euthanasia of dogs and cats. It’s then up to the discretion of the shelter on how they euthanize other animals like rabbits and hamsters.

“I still think we did what was best. The most responsible thing we could, the ones that were euthanized, were euthanized very humanely,” said Wade-Carotenuto.

Officials with the Humane Society said they hope this serves as a lesson to other pet owners, even pocket size pets, that animals carry a huge responsibility.

Flagler Humane Society pointed out 92 percent of the animals that come into the shelter either find a new home or are returned to their owner. They said the recent case was an unfortunate situation.

Cox Media Group