How to Stop Pet Hoarding

I was watching a show called Hoarders and on it this man had over 2000 rats running wild in his house. He started out with just a couple but they got out and started breeding, like animals will and he didn't put a stop to it. Instead he fed them all and they soon took over his house, living in the walls and tearing up everything.

Now while most people with animals aren't going to let it get that bad, there is a limit as to how many animals one person should have or can take care of. Being honest with yourself and how many animals you can manage is the first thing that needs to be taken into consideration.

Space Needed
Do you have enough space for the animals you have or are about to get? Are the animals going to be crowded? Are their cages going to be close together or crowded? lack of space can cause fighting, disease and lead to unhealthy animals.

Money Needed
Do you have the money needed to feed, house and care for an animal if it gets sick and needs to see a veterinarian? Thinking about how much the animals are going to cost before you bring them home can help you make up your mind if you can afford them or if you should adopt or keep 1 animal instead of 5.

Sanitation Needs
Cleaning cages, emptying litter boxes, cleaning up the yard after your pets have used it as their personal bathroom or cleaning up accidents in the house are all things to consider before bringing a new pet home. Are you healthy enough to take care of their needs and clean up after them? If your have pets, are there strong odors coming from their cages or litter box? Lack of proper care in this area can lead to health problems for many animals.

The more animals there are, the more cleaning you are going to have to do. I have a large cage with 4 rats in it and this cage needs to be cleaned every week with spot cleanings everyday.

While many people think rescuing a lot of pets and keeping them is helping them, if you are depriving them of a clean, sanitary living environment could be considered neglect or animal abuse.

How To Tell When You Have Too Many Pets
Are your pets fighting over territory or sleeping space? Are your pets dirty or smelly? If you have cages of animals like rats, hamsters or gerbils are you able to completely clean their cages out at least once a week? If you are struggling to take care of your pets or have any of these other problems this may be a good indication you have too many pets and should take steps to re-home them.

What may start out as a rescue mission may end up being more than you can handle and as a result the animals you tried to give a better home to become a house full of pets that are dirty, smelly or sick.