# Anyone ever been accused of being an animal hoarder?



## RedResilience

I am so tired of everyone around me telling me that I'm an animal hoarder. Every time I talk about my animals they ask if I need to have an intervention. Really?! For awhile I was pretty sad about the whole thing and just hated myself for everything. I let them tell me who I am and what to do. But now I'm furious! Can't I try to do something good in this world without being ridiculed every day?!

I have sixteen critters. Let me break it down:

Two Fancy Rats
Two Fancy Mice
Two Egyptian Spiny Mice
Two Robo Dwarf Hamsters
One Syrian Hamster 

Four Purple Pincher Hermit Crabs
One Betta Fish
Two Nerite Snails

I am also rescuing another Syrian hamster from a friend who doesn't care for it anymore. Nine of my critters are rescues. I consider a rescue to be an animal I adopted from an animal shelter or in the adoption section at Petco, or took in when their first owner didn't want them anymore. I also consider it to be taking an animal out of a cruel circumstance even though I had to buy them. This includes feeder animals and animals that are sick and not getting proper attention from the pet store. Maybe that's more animals than your average person takes care of. But there is a difference between being a pet enthusiast and an animal hoarder. 

For starters, animal hoarders DON'T TAKE CARE OF THEIR PETS! In the worst cases there are pets living without food, water, proper space, and veterinary care. I've heard of animals living in the rotting remains of their animal buddies... However, I take VERY good care of my animals. I may not be the best pet parent but I try my best. 

All of my critters have more than adequate cage sizes and arrangements. Some of them live in Crittertrail palaces. -_- Heck, my hermit crabs are living in a 29 gallon mini beach practically! They always have fresh food, water, and substrate. I feed them nothing but the best brand I can get my hands on, which is currently Oxbow and special order hermit crab food. I also only use Kaytee or Carefresh bedding to reduce the amount of dust they breathe in. Not to mention I change the bedding once a week and thoroughly clean the cages out twice a month! I only use Eco Earth mixed with sand in my hermits' tank for better molts and I only use filtered and conditioned water in my betta's tank. There are plenty of toys, things to climb on, things to chew on, and things to hide in. I also do lots of research on all of my pets before I get them and continue to do research after I have them. You can never learn too much about something that needs you to live!

In addition to their basic needs I give them all lots of time to play outside of their cages (excluding the hermits and betta of course XD). I have built various playpens and toys for my fur butts and am working on an extra large playpen the size of a Ferret Nation box. I let my rats free run and frolic around my living room to their hearts' content. I make sure they all get enough exercise and extra time in their hamster balls. It is just as important to let animals know they are loved and spend time with them than it is to give them food and water, at least in my opinion. 

Yes I keep my apartment relatively clean. Yes I do work. Yes I do make enough money to support my pets. Yes I have money for vet visits if necessary. Everyone tells me to stop wasting my money on so many animals. Well, it's my money. I work hard for it. Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do with my things and my life? I'm spending it so I can help give these critters a new lease on life and, sometimes, a chance to live in the first place. Does that count for something in this world? 

I mean, these guys are more than just animals. They are my buddies. They don't tell me how worthless I am or how I am a failure at life or how everyone is doing better than me. They actually wait for me when I come home and are happy that I'm a part of their lives. I mean, I have depression. Animals are a coping skill. But at least I didn't turn to drugs and alcohol. If I can help animals and they can help me, I don't see a more ideal situation. Yes, maybe that makes me a bit nuts. 

I may be crazy, but I am NOT an animal hoarder!  *Curls up into a ball and sobs*


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## Minky

Animal hoarders generally will let their pets breed unchecked, and generally they don't take their animals to a veterinarian when they're ill. You're not an animal hoarder as long as you know the limits of what you can care for.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I hate that this "hoarder" stuff has started up recently. I hear it constantly. I don't care anymore... I know my animals have the best care that anyone could provide and that's all that matters.

I'm not sure why anyone would call you a hoarder. You hardly have any animals.

I have 60 mice (feeders and pets), 15 rats (same), 5 gerbils (I breed them, so I usually have babies too), 4 ferrets, 2 degus, 2 Syrian hamsters, 1 Western hognose, 4 cats (two are shared cats, so not fully mine), and 2 dogs.

Edit: By the way, I would not recommend Critter Trails and similar cages for any animal. They are really tiny, hard to clean and dangerous. Many have caused a lot of injuries. My cousin has a hamster at the vet now who got a broken leg from getting stuck.


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## nanashi7

This might sound bad but I'm not sure I count the snails, crabs, or fish against you as a pet. What I mean is, while you certainly have to care for them it isn't like they take chunks of your time (maybe they do and I've owned fish wrong lol). 
My rats and my dog require more than just basic care so I'm always upfront that I have eleven rats and one dog. 

But I also have five birds. If someone told me they had 17 pets in a one bedroom apartment id be appalled, unless they meant herps or fish or something else that doesn't require much. But my birds are perm free range and only basically socialized. They are a flock so don't depend on human interaction though we hang out sometimes. So my daily duties are feed and water, administer treats when possible. 


A hoarders pets aren't socialized and they likely receive no time maybe not even te basic daily duties. My rats get a minimum of two hours out a day an tons of interCtion in between depending on my schedule. Obviously my dog gets any time the rats don't

Side note: you don't use a ball for rats do you? Balls are really awful for everyone but are especially bad for rats. .


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## RedResilience

@Minky: So far I've got it under control. Thanks. 

@Awaiting_Abyss: I wish you would tell everyone I know that I "hardly have any animals" because they think I've gone completely crazy. But I know right! I even referenced you to a friend saying that there are experts online with lots of pets but they aren't hoarders... This is totally off topic but do you like My Little Pony? I see your rats are named after the CMC and the princesses. :3

@nanashi7: No I see what you're saying. Yeah the betta and the snails are nothing but I spend a fair amount of time on the hermit crabs. I am very enthusiastic about them though. >< Well I have soon to be seventeen animals in less than a one bedroom apartment (ten if you don't count the invertabrates). There isn't a problem with the amount of space I have or even an "animal smell". I'm not really understanding what you're saying about your birds though... Sorry. And no never, that's why I said I let them free run. Why are the balls bad in general? It's not like I shove them in there for two hours, they get breaks for water and only run when they want to.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Yes, I love My Little Pony.  Me and my husband are both fans.


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## RedResilience

Yay! Me too. :3 Favorite pony?

So my rescue hammie turned out to be a Russian dwarf. XD My sister knows nothing. He has a bunch of notches taken out of his ears, poor fella. Also he was named Ray Lewis. ><'


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## RexRat

You should check out Hamster Hideout if you're a fan of hamsters, they seem to have good information.


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## Phantom

My boyfriend and I have been told the same thing. My Dad thinks any more than two or three animals is considered hoarding. -.-'

My boyfriend and I take really good care of our animals. They have their yearly vet checks and shots, and they always have a clean cage and a constant supply of food. They are also all socialized and well behaved (for the most part, Pastoolio and Toast love this one corner on my bed). 

We do not live together yet, but together we own:
2 cats (staying at his house)
1 corn snake (staying at his house)
3 fish (staying at his house)
5 rats (staying at my house)

I also have a dog and a fish tank at my house, but they are family pets.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

RedResilience said:


> Yay! Me too. :3 Favorite pony?


Fluttershy. Second is Rainbow Dash.


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## Gannyaan

Hoarding is a symptom of a more severe psychological disorder... Usually something like OCD or OCP...

It's a compulsion. They can't help to have more of (insert object / animal). In addition , their lives have been taken over to the point of impairment in function and distress or illness due to unsanitary conditions... Pretty much all areas of their home have been repurposed for the sake of their hoarding...

Lots of other things, but you get the picture. You aren't a hoarder.

It's not just that hoarders cannot care for the animals, it's that every physical space in their lives is taken up by them to the point of illness and distress.

I hate how people are throwing it around like its nothing... Like how back in the 90s, people used the word schizophrenia to mean multiple personalities .... *eye starts to twitch*

End rant, lol.


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## RedResilience

I'll definitely check it out, RexRat!

Yeah isn't it ridiculous Phantom? I wouldn't consider that a lot of pets myself. How big is your (boyfriend's) corn snake? They are so cute. :3

Yay! I love Pinkie. But if I was a pony my personality would match Flutters' XD Living in a cottage filled with animals...

Those are some good points... I'll have to save some of these in my brain for my personal defence later on. >< It'd be like a house filled with nothing but cages... No I hear you. Society sucks...


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## Phantom

RedResilience said:


> I'll definitely check it out, RexRat!
> 
> Yeah isn't it ridiculous Phantom? I wouldn't consider that a lot of pets myself. How big is your (boyfriend's) corn snake? They are so cute. :3
> 
> Yay! I love Pinkie. But if I was a pony my personality would match Flutters' XD Living in a cottage filled with animals...
> 
> Those are some good points... I'll have to save some of these in my brain for my personal defence later on. >< It'd be like a house filled with nothing but cages... No I hear you. Society sucks...


She is about four feet long and still growing. She has a 40 gallon tank with plenty of room and things to crawl on or under. The store recommended 20 gallons, but my boyfriend and I thought that was a little small for her after a while. Her favorite jungle gym is the ceiling fan. My boyfriend put the lights up so they block the blades from moving, making it a midair jungle gym.


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## ratsaremylife

I'm a tween and I have 3 rats, an indoor bunny, one parakeet, a betta, and a gold fish tank. I also have outdoor farm animals, and a huge variety of cats as well as dogs but those are shared with my family. I help outside with the animals since the chickens and geese are mine, also some goats. As you can see I have my hands full! I'm homeschooled so I have more time on my hands. My friends say I have to many but don't go quite as far as calling me a hoarder. My animals are well taken care of, healthy, and thriving!

Ignore those people, don't reply, forget any contact you had with them. If they don't know the difference, they can go home.


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## RedResilience

@Phantom: Wow! That's so cool! What do you feed your snake? The ones we sell at PetSmart are like not even a foot so it's cool to see them all grown up. Really? Aww. :3

@ratsaremylife: Wow that's so cool, I'd love to have farm animals and live in a farm area... I want chickens. XD And goats. I totally wish I could but these people are my family, closest "friends", and coworkers. Even though I'm not fond of any of them I wouldn't have anyone left...


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## Phantom

She gets mice every other week. He usually switches off and feeds her one mouse then two mice.


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## RedResilience

Ohh ok.


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## Stubbylove

Whoa if you r accused of hoarding then whoever accused u would really think I'm a hoarder! Lol. (Even though I'm not! 
I have 5 border collies, 4 min pins, one Akbash, 2 inside cats and 10 barn cats (all spayed and neutered), 12 goats (all does currently have twins or singles on them but they will b sold when weaned) 6 sheep (also w babies 2 of which r bottle babies living in my kitchen), one alpaca, 25 horses on the property about 1/2 are mine rest r clients and boarders, 8 ratties, 4 mice, 5 snakes, one bearded dragon, 2 salt water tanks, an African grey parrot, 2 cocktails, 6 bunnies and three guinea pigs, 2 mini horses and.....I think that's all. Lol talk about ALOT of work but they r so worth it. I love all my babies. 
So don't worry when people say u r a hoarder cuz they are full of it!!. If your animals r taken care of, and u give them all attention and they r socialized and u don't just buy or pick up any animal u see without researching it or preparing for it and u don't have a mental problem where u have to keep getting animals I think u r perfectly fine. 


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## RedResilience

Haha thanks. XD How do you have the energy? I'd love to have a bird, cat, or dog (even though I'm not allowed) but I don't think I'd have the energy! That is so cool though, so you have baby sheep in your kitchen? Aww! :3 I would love to have goats too, how hard are they to care for? Also what's an Akbash? A dog maybe? XD


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## Stubbylove

Sheep and goats are pretty easy to care for. Yes I have two bottle babies (I have a really old ewe (female sheep) in my herd that has bummer lambs usually). If she was a pet (I've had her for 9 years) I would probably cull her....lol. 
An Akbash is a guardian dog from turkey. They r similar to Anatolian shepherd or Great Pyrenees. They r very BIG dogs mine weighs like 180 plus. He's main job is to guard the livestock. I've seen him take on a pack of 8 coyotes and he came out without a scratch on him!. Lol 







Here's a pic of him w one of the bottle baby lambs 


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## RedResilience

That is precious! *squeee* Wow he must be one brave dog! He is handsome, wow. I'd feel safe with him around. Do you cuddle him like a big pillow? XD


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## deliadee

I think personally television is to blame. Animal hoarders are all over reality shows and the news, and of non pet people 1 or 2 is a lot... I've had various animals all my life, it wasn't until recently I even heard the word hoarder. People are funny that way, they get a little bit of knowledge and apply it to everything in sight, suddenly everyone is an expert


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## RedResilience

That's true... >< You think people would be smart enough to tell the difference though.


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## CrazyFurMama

I feel better now after reading these posts! We have 4 cats, 4 dogs, a bearded dragon, a tortoise, a fancy mouse, 3 fire bellied toads, and 4 rats with 2 more coming home at the end of the month. We take very good care of our pets and our house is actually very clean but people don't understand at all. We always feel like we have to have some excuse when my inlaws come over!


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## RedResilience

It's sad that we have to make up excuses and justify our actions. ><


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## ElleBelinski

YOU ARE IN NO WAY A HOARDER.

animal hoarder are usually people with extremely metal issues. so bassically they cant look after thier selves let alone to animals but the animals make them feel better. i used to watch animal cops all the time and they hoarders on there never wanted to hurt thier animals they just couldnt look after them. animals have unconditional love for thier owners. they will never take thier anger out on you. say things to hurt you. they will always love you more than you love them. you mentioned depression ? keeping animals is the right thing to do. caring for them clearly takes your mind off it and from what youve said they are well cared for. ive read one of your posts before. you need to stop putting your skills down. you look after your animals very very well. you're doing a brilliant job no on can tell you differently !!!!! i only have 4 rats and a horse so compared to everyone else thats nothing but my horse jesse gets everything. we spend up to £300 a month on her up keep but its worth it. shes part of our family. my rats i have now are going to be spoiled cause of my new job. no one should dare tell you how to spend your earnings. thats so so rude. 

just keep doing what your doing


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## sachaaa

Egh, I wouldn't call that hoarding, I tend to think of hoarding as a negative thing. If it's motivated by a psychological or emotional issue having to do with something negative, then yeah it might be hoarding, but typically that sort of behaviour puts the need to 'have' over the need to 'care', which you clearly aren't, so I'd just call you the proud owner of a miniature zoo or decent sized menagerie 

My friend who is a veterinarian has a similar number of animals, and nobody calls her a hoarder. I think as long as you can pay for emergency and regular costs, and that each animal appears alert/healthy/happy then nobody has a reason to be upset. They should just admire you for having the ability to fit so many animals into your schedule.

At one point my family had four hamsters, two horses, two dogs, a bunny, and 4 fish. It was a wild time, and we referred to it as our zoo, but it was also a really great part of our lives.


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## RedResilience

Thanks Elle, that means a lot to me.  What do your ratties look like? ^^

Yeah, even if I have to spend my whole paycheck on a vet bill I've done it before. >< I think I verge on paranoid with watching over them. Like Ratty had some porphyrin on his nose yesterday and I was freaking out but I think he is just stressed with having Lucky in the same room... 

Having a zoo is the best sachaaa. X3


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## ElleBelinski

my new rats are very very cute. i will be uploading photos of them soon. yes but honestly dont worry about anyone else alsong as your animals love you thats all that matters


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## RedResilience

:3 Thanks


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## Antiquatemyheart

I really sympathize because when I tell people how many animals I have, they really think I'm crazy. I spend hundreds of dollars every month on my babies and I take them to the vet when needed, no one is neglected. Just because you have a lot does not mean you're a hoarder!I have one dog (rescue), two cats (one is a rescue), 10 dumbo rats, 9 aquatic critters, and a ball python (my parners pet and a rescue). The next question people always ask is if I feed the ball python my rats. Hello, my ratties are my family, I would never feed one to the python :/ People, seriously.


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## Kinsey

I've been told that too. I do have quite a few, a total of over 20, but the vast majority are things like fish, hermit crabs, mice, and chickens.

I interact with them every day. I spend a fortune to care for them. I feed them, clean them, and play with them. It's not like I have 20 cats or dogs...I have 2 cats and 2 dogs (one dog is a service dog). It breaks my heart. I know what a hoarding situation looks like. My house is not that. It is clean. My cages are clean (except when my ferrets make a mess...then I clean it), their food bowls are full, they have clean water, I practically support my vet on my own, and the majority come running when I show up. I have a few shy ones. A few badly neglected in the past by old homes who don't know how to be normal. But they are loved.


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## Charlottesmom

I know this is an old topic but didn't want to start a new one as this thread is very interesting. When I worked at the pet shop (20 years ago or so) I became friends with an older lady who was a kind gentle soul and was excellent with cats and birds, she just had the touch. One day after work she asked if I wanted to come over to her house and meet her dogs, she lived pretty close to me so I said sure. We walked in and I was first hit with the smell, it was intense! In the livingroom she had not only tons of boxes but about 30 bird cages filled with all sorts of birds, each seemed very well cared for but there were soooo many! Next room was also messy and had about ten bird cages, next room had cats, she must have had 30 cats! She had two little dogs, mixed breeds that she had rescued. It was an overwhelming eye opening experience to be sure but all the animals seemed loved and taken care of. I think she was a horder and not only of animals. My eldest son calls me a fish horder 9 bettas, tank of male guppies, tank of female guppies but the bettas are my passion!


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