Say HI to SpeckyThis is Specky, a new member of my family.
His story? Well,... erm, I actually bought it from a petshop near my college, he's not that lucky compared to Piggy. When I first saw him, he was placed in a dirty storage box together with few other grown- ups Syrian Hamsters
( which I believe are his siblings) waiting for their " execution" - YES, typical petshop in Malaysia
( especially Chinese, not being racist here, my observation. Correct me if I'm wrong) get rid of grown up hamsters which nobody would buy since they doesnt look cute
( without the baby feature to act cute and very skinny due to long term malnutrition thanks to irresponsible petshop owners) by pouring hot and boiling water on them.
I was planning to get a new pet, but I did not plan to get another hamster again. Somehow or rather, I was there to collect some food for my hamsters at home, specially ordered and imported from Germany, and yes, that's when I saw that terrifying scene - hamsters in dirty storage box, awaiting for their death! I have no idea why I stop and look at them,
something is appealing to me, it is something about him that attracted my attention, then I decided to get him -
Specky I named it.The shop owner tried to persuade me in getting younger hamster's pups in the display aquarium, reason - those youngs look much cuter and healthier. Yeah, I know they are much cuter compared to these malnutrition grown ups, awaiting for their very own death as time past - the kettle with boiling water near the counter. I'm afraid I couldn't do much to save all of them, some of them were suffering from skin infections and mites due to the poor condition they lived in
( or once lived in). I picked Specky. I was told that he
( and his siblings) had been there for more than 2 months and they are the remainders of their batch - nobody buy them because they doesn't have nice and matching coat.
" They look more like a rat than hamsters, that's why nobody buy them. I have to get rid of them or else I won't be able to make any profit, I can't keep them here forever, knowing the fact that customers will never buy them. Food and bedding pile up my operation cost." The shop owner told me. While waiting for the lady to find me something, a paper box maybe, to place Specky in so that I can take him home with me, one of the worker there told me that they actually put down a lot of animals at least once a month, especially hamsters and guinea pigs.
Specky trying to be Tarzan Knowing very well that it's hopeless to educate these money- minded human on the value and equality of life, I proposed to the sweet looking lady to put those animals up for adoption, or maybe sell it off at dirt cheap price - at least give them a chance to have a home; the owner smile and said nothing, even when I offered to bare the cost of food, bedding and medical expenses until someone with a kind heart pick them up and give them a home. There are many animal lovers out there who actually prefer to adopt than to buy pets - if there's a market demand, they'll be irresponsible breeders supplying pups and youngs to petshops, thus resulting those who left behind in the petshop will be put down, usually by pouring boiling hot water or hang to death.
Shouldn't we treat all life equally? Why don't they put down their own kids or babies using boiling water or hang them to death since almost everytime I visited that particular petshop, the lady would be complaining about how naughty is her own kids... yadda yadda yadda
Poor little guy must be starving. Finish half the food I pour in ( normally that amout can last for a week) and fall asleep in the food bowl while eating.I have no idea whether I'm doing the right thing - buying him from petshop. I knew it's hopeless to save all of them, but I do hope that someday somehow, people will realise their mistake in putting money before the value of life. It's not the matter of money which I'm concern of, but buying pets from petshop is equally contributing to killing those unfortunate one, directly and indirectly. I was told I'm too late for the rest of them today, and I do hope I won't be too late for the others - STOP BUYING PETS FROM PETSHOP, GO FOR ADOPTION, GIVE THE OTHERS' A CHANCE.
A 3 months- old boy with a body size of a pup.Specky has nothing less than any other hamsters, so does the unfortunates. He eats, sleeps, explores, play and smart. The very first day at home, he has to go through trainings which includes toilet training and hygine management, in which he manage to learn it within 24 hours ( Piggy took 2 weeks). Why buy? Give the others a chance, I believe the practice of putting down animals doesnt take place in that petshop only, that's a common practice in local petshops, and there are many more lives who deserve a chance out there.