Due to an average lifespan of around two years and a low asking price at nationwide pet stores, the demand for rescue hamsters is limited, especially as they age.
An independent pet store may agree to buy a hamster, although this applies only to pups (babies).
As hamsters have short lifespans, few traders will pay for an adult. If you can no longer care for your hamster, sell it to someone online or donate it to an animal charity.
If you can’t care for your hamster, find a friend or family member prepared to look after it first. Selling hamsters is a last resort, but it’s sometimes unavoidable.
I Can’t Care for My Hamster Anymore
If you can’t care for a hamster, giving it up is the right thing to do.
As you’ve acknowledged, no animal should be forced to live with an owner who can’t meet its basic care needs. Before giving up a hamster, ensure there are no other options available.
If you want to sell a hamster because it makes too much noise while trying to sleep, a silent exercise wheel can be beneficial.
If your hamster keeps climbing the walls of its cage and escaping, get a glass habitat that can’t be easily ascended and keep the roof securely in place.
Of course, some issues aren’t possible to overcome. Keeping a hamster around may harm your respiratory system if you’re allergic to animal dander.
Also, if you adopt another pet, like a cat or dog, it might be unsafe for your hamster to exercise or live safely when you’re not around.
In these instances, you’ll need to look into rehoming the hamster. Releasing a hamster into the wild isn’t an option, as domesticated hamsters lack survival instincts.
Ask friends and family members if they want to adopt your hamster. This way, you’ll know you’re relinquishing your hamster to a safe, reliable home.
Can I Sell My Hamster?
In theory, nothing can stop you from selling your pet hamster to a third party, as you don’t need a license to sell an adult or baby hamster online or in person.
Before you start down a potentially arduous process of looking to sell your hamster, consider donating it to a local animal shelter.
Not all businesses and charities can take on hamsters, so check that they’ll accept your hamster and that the shelter operates a no-kill policy.
Don’t ask for a financial donation for your hamster in these instances. The shelter will likely already have more hamsters and small animals than they’ll ever rehome.
If you’re determined to sell your hamster, you’ll need to prepare yourself, as you won’t make much money. Hamsters fetch low prices in pet stores, and their value depreciates with age.
Also, you may find it challenging to track down somebody willing to buy your hamster. As popular as hamsters are, they’re not adopted as often as cats, dogs, or rabbits.
How Much Can You Sell a Hamster For?
The appeal of hamsters as pets for young people is that they don’t live long and are inexpensive. Most hamsters sold by pet stores are 6-8 weeks old and retail at about $10-20.
This price is low because hamsters have short lives, usually around two years. If your hamster is older than 8 weeks, you’ll need to reduce your asking price from what a pet store would expect.
If you’re selling a hamster, you’ll likely be selling a habitat, toys, leftover food, substrate, and various peripherals. Of course, you can factor these into your asking price.
However, you’ll still likely struggle to attract a buyer at more than $40.
Where To Sell A Hamster
If you remain convinced that you want to sell your hamster, you have the following options:
- Arranging a private sale to a friend, family member, acquaintance, or stranger.
- Selling the hamster to a pet store.
- Listing the hamster for sale online.
Ask if anybody you know would be interested in buying the hamster. Alternatively, advertise in a local newspaper or place a card in a local shop window.
If you gain interest in your hamster from a stranger, ask some questions to the potential buyer.
You’re entitled to know what their intentions may be. Just because you can’t care for a hamster anymore doesn’t mean that you want it to come to any harm.
It’s an upsetting thought, but some snake owners look to purchase hamsters as a food source.
Price your hamster higher than frozen mice to avoid this fate. Also, as per The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, and Other Rodents, Syrian hamsters are commonly used in lab experiments.
Of course, you’ll not be restricted to selling your hamster to somebody within a five-block radius. You can sell the hamster to a pet store or online to someone in a different town or state.
Can You Sell Hamsters to Pet Stores?
You may struggle to find a pet store willing to take on a hamster, let alone buy it from you.
Major national chains like PetSmart have breeders who provide hamsters for sale, and they rarely need to look for new sources of small animals.
A pet store may accept the return of a hamster if you bring it home and quickly discover that you can’t care for it. Whether you get a refund is a matter of discussion between you and the store. Some stores will consider the return an adoption and an act of mercy.
Most pet stores will stop selling hamsters older than 12 weeks due to the short lifespan of these pets. At this stage, unsold hamsters are donated to shelters and charities, which is another reason why a pet store is unlikely to buy a mature hamster.
You may have more luck with a local, independent pet store. Such establishments may feel a greater responsibility to a hamster and take on its care, regardless of age.
Online
If you decide to use the internet to sell your hamster for cash, you need to know how to sell hamsters online. This involves care in how you market your hamster and which website you use.
Here are some peer-to-peer trading websites on the internet:
Amazon Marketplace: | Amazon sells aquarium life, but not hamsters or other small animals. |
Craigslist: | There are no restrictions placed on what you place for sale on Craigslist, provided you abide by the terms and conditions of the website. |
eBay: | eBay doesn’t allow the sale of live animals. Even if you sneak a listing past the admins, your account may be banned if discovered. |
Facebook Marketplace: | Facebook bans the sale of animals between individuals but allows it for businesses. Facebook decides whether a profile belongs to a business or an individual. |
Other social media apps, such as Twitter, may not identify discussions about selling pets between users. Depending on your perspective, that could be considered a good or bad thing.
You can use a specialist app like Pets Home or a website like Animal Direct, which allows you to set your price. They’re nationwide, so be clear about where you’re located.