Bacon is a 2 year old Syrian Hamster, she has been living in a very small cage (under the bare minimum) 30 times 10 cm, it is not right for a hamster, no matter how small to live in such a small cage, a hamster cage has to be AT LEAST the MINIMUM of 80 times 40 cm or bigger, it is not right and in fact illegal in some countries to do that, I am not the owner of Bacon and he is my friend's hamster. 

I own a hamster myself and she lives very comfortably in a 100 times 50 cm cage, I would like anyone who cares about animals, especially hamsters, it is WRONG and although hamsters are small animals they should NEVER be put in such small cages, I have spoken to people about this case and even my closest friends think small cages are fine, they are NOT in fact. Just because they are small creatures doesn't mean they deserve to live in small cages, hamsters in the wild can run up to 5 miles a night, so even 80 times 40 cm is considered small, I would recommend every person wanting to get a hamster to get a cage that means at least the bare minimum.

I would also like to add that paper and aspen are the only safe beddings for hamsters as pine and other trees release dangerous chemical substances.  Bacon's owner didn't put much bedding at all, it is necessary to put AT LEAST 6 inches of bedding in a hamsters cage as they are burrowers, his owner only put less than 1 cm which is wrong and totally not acceptable

If you can't afford a hamster's expenses then you shouldn't have gotten a hamster in the first place. It is WRONG to keep a hamster in such a small cage and that is animal abuse. Keeping a hamster in a small cage affects their mental health a lot, and can cause stress and panic, which may lead to bar biting or trying to escape their cage which can cause a lot of trouble to the owner as finding a hamster in such a big space is not easy. Which can lead to stress for the owner too, I personally have not lost a hamster but I understand the stress an owner would have to go through. Bar biting was also lead to misaligned teeth and can cause swollen gum, which you will eventually have to go to a vet for surgery which is not cheap and it would be cheaper to buy a good sized cage to prevent this from happening. Small cages also affect your hamster's physically health as hamsters need lots of space to burrow and move, by not providing enough bedding, a hamster cannot do its natural behavior which can also lead to stress or boredom. Bar bitting is also not what hamsters do to 'keep their teeth trimmed' you should be providing your hamster with lots of chew toys to keep their growing teeth short and trimmed.

'But Coco was small, so it's fine.' No it isn't, no matter how small an animal is, it never gives you the right to do that, I am mad and angry at people who have these mindsets, and I want to spread awareness to all pets owners that this is wrong and needs to be corrected. By sharing this petition, you are spreading awareness to all pet owners out there that keeping a small animal in a small cage is abuse and needs to be stopped.

~Ava