Burying your Hamster at Home
Preserve the body while you decide what to do. Animal remains immediately biodegrade and start to smell. Place the hamster in a sealed plastic bag and keep it cool. You can keep it in the freezer. Be sure you dispose of the body within 24 hours.
Check with your city to make sure burying your hamster at home is legal. If it is not legal, you can have your hamster disposed of by professionals such as veterinarians and pet cemeteries.
Comply with burial regulations. In many cities, pet burial is legal but there are still health ordinances that regulate burial so that that animal remains do not spread disease. Some cities mandate that graves are two to three feet deep, others require a grave to be four feet deep and the body to be covered with lime. Bury your pet in biodegradable material and make sure the grave is well away from sources of water.
Call before you dig. Dial 811 or your local utility company to make sure that you won’t hit any water mains, electrical, or gas lines with your shovel.
Protect yourself from germs. Wear disposable plastic gloves when handling your hamster’s remains. Be sure not to touch the remains to your clothing or to throw out any contaminated clothing.
Mark the grave. Don’t bury your hamster near a flowerbed or anything else that might be dug and replanted. Make a cross or paint a stone to place at the grave as a reminder.
Burying your Hamster at a Cemetery
Research pet cemeteries. Pet cemeteries should provide transparency when it comes to how your hamster’s body is tracked and handled. They should care for you as an aggrieved pet owner and be a trustworthy businesses. A good place to start researching cemeteries is the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories.
Make a budget. Cemeteries offer many different services each with different price points. You will be charged a fee for the burial and for maintenance of the grave. It will cost more if you want the grave to be in a special location or the hamster to have a special casket.
Hold a funeral. Your cemetery may allow you to host a gathering to say goodbye to your hamster. If not, consider taking a moment at your house, a favorite park, or some other meaningful place to get some closure.
Cremating your Hamster
Research cremating services. You can have your hamster cremated at a veterinarian’s office or at a pet cemetery.
Consider your budget. As with professional burial, there are several price points associated with cremation. The least expensive option is to have your hamster cremated with other animals. If you would like your hamster cremated by itself so that you can take home the ashes, it will cost more.
Dispose of the ashes. Again, check with your city to find out what is allowed. Some ideas are to scatter your hamster’s ashes in your yard, a park, or in river or lake. Make sure that you are not disposing of the ashes on private property.
Leave the ashes to be professionally disposed of. You can chose to have the ashes buried or scattered. Some businesses will provide you with a certification of cremation and a small memento of your pet.
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