The Great Colorado Springs Rescue!

GHR completed its first ever large-scale rescue effort on March 1, 2023 and rescued 23 hamsters from a small apartment in Colorado Springs! Our supporters and GHR community all came together to donate money, materials, and time to make this happen - it was incredible. Read below and watch the video from Channel 7 News for more information on the effort, to see pictures of everyone rescued, and to find out about this HUGE success!

How it Began…

GHR was contacted by a woman living in Colorado Springs asking for help. She had multiple hamsters and could not care for them due to financial restrictions and space limitations in her apartment. GHR visited the apartment on February 25th and collected five hamsters (all that we had space for at the time). On February 26th, GHR made the decision that we were going to go back and rescue the rest! Within 48 hours, GHR supporters and volunteers came together to donate materials and funds for these little hammies. Space was cleared out at our house and bin cages were constructed. Over $3,500 was raised and the rescue effort was on!

The Rescue…

On March 1 GHR went back to the apartment and rescued 18 more hamsters - including one mom with five newborn pups! All 18 hamsters plus the original 5 were taken to the vet and the amazing team at Sunshine Animal Hospital checked everyone out. The hamsters were in very tight enclosures without wheels, working water bottles, or bedding for burrowing. Many of them were overweight and a few had wounds/scars from fights with other hamsters.

Getting a New Start…

Once all of the hammies were checked out, we worked for hours to get each one into their own enclosure with lots of room to run, a properly sized wheel, sand bath, treats, enrichment, and water and food bowls (the mom and babies obviously stayed together). The hamsters were amazed at their new surroundings. Some were very nervous as they stepped onto a wheel for the very first time, others ran around overjoyed, and others hid under the bedding not sure what to make of it all. By the evening though, all of the hammies had started exploring - including one of the newborns that the mom had to go retrieve and bring back to her nest!

A Huge Success!

Throughout March and April, numerous families visited GHR to meet these resilient hamsters and offer them forever-homes. People drove from as far away as Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Windsor, and Elizabeth because they were committed to rescuing one of these hammies. On April 21st, Buttercup, the very last of the 23 hamsters, was adopted. It was a huge moment of celebration!