In late October, Pasadena Humane rescued nearly 100 small animals—63 hamsters and 31 mice—from a home in Arcadia after being alerted to an animal hoarding situation.

The health team painstakingly triple-checked the gender of every animal to prevent any future unexpected pregnancies and to give each one the best possible start on their path to adoption. Aside from one hamster with a minor leg injury, most of the animals were found to be relatively healthy and surprisingly social. Each mouse was adorned with animal-safe dye on their ears to identify them, and the females suspected to be pregnant received and ultrasound.

To create space for these critters, a communal cat room at the shelter was converted to a dedicated small-animal space to ensure each hamster and mouse had a clean, comfortable environment.

Pasadena Humane is now working to place these resilient little creatures into loving homes. The shelter encourages anyone interested in adopting to visit pasadenahumane.org

This case represents one of the largest small-animal rescues in the organization’s history, and it highlights the importance of responsible pet ownership—no matter the size of the pet.