Snow White’s Rescue Cottage

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Camarillo, CA
Snow White’s Rescue Cottage

SWRC is a sanctuary and rescue for dwarf hamsters and other small rodents, based in Camarillo CA 💗🐹 A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization

01/19/2025

🚨 Rescue Update 🚨

We’re hitting pause until February 22. During this time, we’ll be temporarily halting adoption appointments, closing for intakes, and sending limited responses to messages. This break will allow us to focus on:
✨ Improving the quality of care for the animals in our rescue
✨ Tightening up documentation and monitoring protocols
✨ Exploring funding opportunities to expand and bring on volunteers

For over 4 years, this rescue has been a one-person operation. I’ve poured my heart into this work, constantly overextending myself without ever taking a break, and I can feel the signs of burnout creeping in. It’s time to catch my breath, recharge, and re-center so I can show up better for the animals that need me.

I’m so grateful for your support in giving me this time—it means the world. I’ll be back soon, stronger and ready to keep making a difference. Thank you for understanding. 💗

01/10/2025

Thank you all for the incredible outpouring of support. Having lived in California my entire life, I’m always deeply moved by the kindness and generosity that emerges from such devastation. 💗

I’m so grateful for this amazing community and your willingness to jump in and help. I’m also privileged to share that we’re doing just fine right now. With so much love and gratitude in my heart, I ask you not to worry about us but instead focus your energy and kindness on the victims of this fire who need it most. 🙏

We’ve got this—thank you for being here with us. 💪

01/09/2025

✨ New Year, New Intake! ✨

We need your help! Drop your name theme suggestions in the comments to help us name this group and boost this post so more people can see the realities of pet store mismanagement. 🐹💬

This group of hamsters came to us crammed into a single 5.5-gallon tank. (For comparison, that’s smaller than the already-tiny CritterTrail shown in the photo!) The keeper reached out on New Year’s Day, desperate for help, and thankfully we were able to take them in.

This is yet another case of a pet store selling miss*xed hamsters, leading to dozens of unplanned babies. Sadly, it’s the caring people who bear the burden of trying to fix these situations. This family truly did their best within their means, and we’re so grateful they sought help to give these hams a better future. 💕

We now have 9 females, 3 males, and 5 babies (3 girls, 2 boys) safely separated and on mite/pregnancy watch. In just a few weeks, they’ll be ready to find forever homes! 🏡

Thank you to the keeper for their diligence and to our supporters for making rescues like this possible. Let’s hear your name theme ideas below!

01/08/2025

Sending love and light to all of our affected friends and neighbors 😞 You all were there for us during November’s Mountain Fire—we’re here for you now 🙏

01/07/2025

🚨 NEW RESCUE RACK UNVEILED! 🚨

The long-awaited ARS rodent rack is here, and I couldn’t be more proud of this space! 🥹 Thanks to the incredible support of our donors and the amazing shoppers at the Holiday Hamster Fair, we were able to make this dream a reality. This rack is a game-changer for the rescue!

✨ Features we love:

💗Smoothly sliding bins make daily cleaning and care more efficient while ensuring hamster safety.
💗 Integrated feeding troughs means clean, fresh food is always accessible
💗 Integrated watering system HUGELY cuts down on weekly maintenance, meaning more time for the important things!
💗Easy access and crystal clear design allows us to better monitor and handle our hamsters without unnecessary stress.

This upgrade has also help improved our capacity—we were even able to add in another Critter Nation with all the saved space! Now we have 20 Critter Nation spaces for groups and 36 single/pair spaces on the rack, putting us at a comfortable capacity of around 200 hamsters 🎉

On a personal note, as a disabled person, this change has been transformative. After just two days of working in the rescue since the upgrades, my body is in far less pain, and the physical toll has been reduced immensely. I can already feel the difference, and I’m so deeply thankful for this setup.

This rack represents growth, hope, and a brighter future for every hamster that comes through our doors. Thank you to everyone who made this possible! Your support is truly changing lives—mine included.

💗 Here’s to a new chapter of care and compassion at the rescue!

📣 He’ll hate this, but here’s a massive shoutout to my husband, Kyle, for his immense help in turning the rescue room around. Your hard work, unwavering support, and dozens of hours of volunteered time made this possible, and I am forever grateful! 💕🥹

01/02/2025

📈I spent days on these graphics, so I’ll let them speak for themselves 😮‍💨 (but maybe YOU can leave a comment? 🥹 I’m proud of these numbers and I hope you are too!)

I also want to take one more opportunity to send out a tremendous THANK YOU! I couldn’t have done any of this without you cheering me on. 🥹 To another great year 🥂

12/30/2024

A HUGE thank you to for their incredibly generous donation to our rescue! 💗 Niteangel’s products are truly top-notch, and we’re so grateful for their support in helping us provide the best care possible for our hamsters.

Here’s what they sent us:
✨ Wheel with pedometer – The BEST wheels in the business! Silent, durable, easy to clean, and the pedometer is an awesome tool for monitoring hammy health.
✨ Aspen bedding – Luxurious and oh-so-soft while being super absorbent for odor control. It doesn’t get better than this!
✨ Golden Hamster food – A thoughtfully crafted mix perfect for supplementing a pellet diet for Syrians or Dwarfs. Packed with nutrition and amazing ingredients.
✨ Freeze-dried treats – One of EVERY kind! Treats are a luxury we rarely get to budget for, so this donation is a blessing. These are guaranteed to be a favorite!
✨ Hide, platform, and bridge – Everything needed to create a luxurious cage setup. Gorgeous and practical! (Pro tip: coat wood toys with Mod Podge for protection!)
✨ Water bottle and bowl – Beautiful and effective hydration tools. We especially love using these in our hospital cages!

If you haven’t already, go check out , explore their amazing products, and shop for your own hamster’s needs! Your hammies will thank you.

To the team at Niteangel: thank you for believing in rescue and helping us provide for these tiny lives. Your generosity means the world! 🐹💖

12/22/2024

Back to our regularly scheduled programming. . .the rack is HERE and we will be unboxing live at 12 noon today! Ft. Special guest appearance by Kyle, the man behind the scenes 💗

Please know we have NO clue how these are packed—we don’t know how long it will take and we likely will look really dumb. 😂

12/22/2024

It’s the first day of holiday break for all of us in education… but no break for me 🥲

Around midnight, I got wind of a case involving 30+ dwarf hamsters in need of help. It all started when a family purchased a female hamster from Allan’s Pet Shop (infamous for selling mixed-s*x and pregnant hamsters, giving poor advice, and taking zero responsibility for the fallout). Surprise—babies. Then the babies had babies. Then those babies had babies. We’re now at generation 4.

Here’s the kicker: this family cared. They did their research, poured in time, effort, and money to provide the best life possible for a hamster. But thanks to Allan’s irresponsibility, they ended up overwhelmed. The dander from so many animals was triggering asthma symptoms in the household, and they had no choice but to turn to rescues for help.

This isn’t fair to anyone—except the people profiting off these animals and the trust of good-hearted families. Once again, rescues are left to clean up the mess.

So here’s my offer, : let me help. I’ll work with you to realistically improve hamster care standards, s*x and separate your stock properly, and reduce cases like this in our community. If you care about the animals and the families affected, take me up on this.

Okay, rant over. It’s happy hour. 🍻

12/21/2024

✨ Welcome, Estelle! ✨

Today’s rescue story is a testament to both kindness and resilience. We were contacted by (love you 😘) to help with an abandoned rodent case in Van Nuys. That “rodent” turned out to be this sweet girl, left on the sidewalk in front of a house under construction.

What’s especially strange is that Estelle was living in a Prevue cage—a very dirty, stinky Prevue cage—but clearly, someone once cared about her. Now, she’s older, wobbly, skinny, and scabby with dry skin—but her personality shines through it all. Estelle is incredibly sweet and gentle, with a heart as big as her will to keep going. 🐹💖

A huge thank you to the amazing Good Samaritan who found her and drove her all the way to us! Because of their compassion, Estelle is safe and will receive all the TLC she needs to regain her strength. We’re hopeful that, with time, she’ll be ready to find her perfect retirement home in the new year.

Estelle was lovingly named through our Legacy of Love campaign (check out more info on our site!) and is already stealing our hearts. Let’s show her some love! 💕

12/16/2024

✨ What a day to remember! ✨

This year’s Holiday Hamster Fair was nothing short of extraordinary. In just under 4 hours, we raised an incredible $2,600—and with presales and donations, we BROKE $3,000! 🐹💖 Not only does this completely cover the cost of the new rack (yes, it’s happening!!!), but it also gives us a much-needed cushion to start the new year strong.

And if that wasn’t enough to make our hearts burst, I brought 11 hamsters to the fair and came home with zero. All but 4 were adopted into loving forever homes, and the remaining 4 are now with Maria from , who will find them the perfect families in her area. Many of these were long-time residents, and now they’re off to live their best, spoiled lives. 🥹

If I can be a bit vulnerable for a moment: in the days leading up to the fair, I was nervous. Checking entries, I worried we might have low turnout this year. Times are tough, especially for nonprofits. But when I looked out and saw the massive line—so many of you there for US—I teared up. To feel the love and support, to know that you all showed up to help hamsters and bring joy to your own beloved pets…it was overwhelming in the best way.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who came, supported, shopped, and shared. Your kindness, generosity, and presence mean the world to us. 🐾💖 Updates on the new rack and all things rescue coming soon—now, it’s time to recover! 😴

12/13/2024

✨ Tomorrow’s the big day! ✨

The Holiday Hamster Fair is almost here, and we can’t wait to see you there! 🎉 Swing by for all things hamster—shopping, education, adoptions, and so much fun, all while supporting the hamster community. 🐹💖

📍 Baker Ranch Park in Foothill Ranch, CA
🕘 10 AM - 2 PM

This is your LAST reminder to join us for the hamster event of the season! For all the details, head over to the California Hamster Association site—we’ll see you tomorrow! 🎄🐾

12/12/2024

Get ready, hamster lovers! 🐹💖

We are SO excited to announce that the Bellinghamsters will be making an appearance at the Holiday Hamster Fair, helping us raise funds for the real hammies here at SWRC!

For a $40 donation (that’s $5 off the retail price with accessories!), you’ll get to adopt your very own hamster plushie. 🥰 Choose from Penelope, Sammy, Tally, Pierre, Bubbles, or Dante—and your new hammy BFF comes with:
✨ A bucket hat and hair bow/bow tie (pick from pink, green, orange, yellow, purple, or blue!)
✨ A plush sunflower seed and a mini backpack to carry it!
✨ A cozy and colorful house box for them to call home (same choice of colors)
✨ An official ID card and adoption certificate
✨ Plus, every plushie is also a keychain, so they’re always ready to travel with you! 🧳

This is a Hamster Fair promotion only, and we are beyond grateful to for their incredible support and hard work to get these cuties to us in time! We hope you love them as much as we do!

🌟 Don’t miss out—come snag one of these adorable plushies at the fair and help us raise funds for the SWRC hammies! 🌟

12/08/2024

✨ Cozy up for the holidays with our CHA Holiday Fair sweatshirts! 🐹❄️

These festive sweatshirts are hand-pressed in-house by Tony—yep, the very busy lady running the whole rescue (and who clearly doesn’t know how to sit still 😝).

Preorder now for pickup at the Hamster Fair OR have yours shipped right to your door! Don’t miss your chance to rep the California Hamster Association in style while supporting the rescue.

DM us to order!

12/07/2024

✨ Add a little sparkle to your space! ✨

We’re so excited to share these stunning 12-inch stained glass hamster art pieces, handcrafted by local artist Gary Eilers. 🐹 Each is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, perfect for any hamster lover!

Only THREE are available, and they’re $60 each. Don’t miss your chance—DM us to preorder for the Hamster Fair and reserve yours now!

12/07/2024

Just one more week! Don’t forget!

12/04/2024

Yes, I know this Giving Tuesday post is a little late… but that’s because, along with running the largest hamster-specific rescue in North America, I also work full-time as a children’s therapist. 😅 That’s to fulfill my need to be needed, in addition to helping support the rescue! So here I am, squeezing in a little time tonight to ask for your help.

This year alone, we’ve:
✨ Taken in 210 hamsters in need of safe, loving homes
✨ Helped 297 hamsters stay in their homes through our pet retention program

Our pet retention program is a cornerstone of what we do. By providing supplies and support to struggling families, we’re not just helping the hamsters—they get more time and care to thrive—but we’re also positively impacting the humans involved. This program saves hundreds of lives each year and allows us to help far more hamsters than we can physically house in our rescue. Funding these efforts is vital to keeping this life-saving work going.

If you’re looking for a cause to support this Giving Tuesday, please consider giving through the links in our bio. Your generosity helps us save lives, provide critical support, and make a difference for tiny creatures and their humans alike.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being part of this journey. 💕

Address

691 Earl Joseph Drive
Camarillo, CA
93010

Website

http://rescuecottage.org/

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Live ARS rack unboxing! Thank you to our donors and supporters for making this possible!

🎉✨ Happy 4th Anniversary to Us! ✨🎉 Four years ago today, we embarked on this incredible journey of rescuing hamsters, and it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come. It all started with one wild case: a Craigslist breeder with over 60 hamsters—and somehow we convinced him to hand them all over, free of charge! 🙌 From that day on, we’ve been driven by the same passion and dedication to making a difference in the lives of hamsters. Last year, we made a major change, going from Tiny Tracks Rescue to Snow White’s Rescue Cottage. 🏠 This new identity reflects the enchanted, safe space we strive to create for every hamster that comes through our doors. And this year, we achieved a *huge* milestone by officially obtaining our 501c3 nonprofit status—with that name! 🎉 Over these 4 years, we’ve rescued over 600 hamsters, not even counting the hundreds more whose lives have been touched by our Pet Retention Program, helping families keep their beloved hamsters through education and free resources. 💛 This program has been one of the cornerstones of our mission to ensure that hamsters can stay in loving homes whenever possible. We’ve also had so many impactful rescue cases along the way—hamsters saved from hoarding situations, from euthanasia at shelters, or just those in need of a second chance. Each one has taught us more and allowed us to build up to the capacity we have today. With a capacity of 200, we’re proud to say that we are now the largest hamster-specific rescue in the US! 🐹✨ But we’re not stopping here! Our next big goal is to expand into an auxiliary space. This will allow us to welcome volunteers, accommodate more adoptions, and offer larger and better caging setups for the animals in our care. The future looks bright, and we couldn’t have done any of this without your support! 💕🐾 Here’s to the past four years, and to many more lives saved and lives changed. Thank you for being a part of this incredible

Seed Mix Mixing and ASMR 😜

Thank you, thank you, thank you! 💖 Because of your generous donations, we’ve surpassed our goal for Chompski’s care, allowing us to do more for her than we initially hoped! 🙌 This little senior robo may have some challenges with neurological circling, but she’s already learning where her food, water, and nest are. She even had a little snack last night and took some time to rest! 🧡 It’s hard for her, but we’re making sure she’s as comfortable as possible while we wait for her vet appointment in just a few short days. We’ll keep you updated as we go along! Your kindness means everything to Chompski and to us. Every dollar truly makes a difference! ✨ #snowwhitesrescuecottage #swrc #thankyou #hamsterrescue #dwarfhamster #chompski #neurocircling #specialneeds #roborovski #rescuehamster #animalrescue #smallanimalrescue

Can’t wait to share it with you 🐹 #seedmix #hamsterseedmix #swrc #snowwhitesrescuecottage

New intake from an existing pet retention case 🥹 These 5 little cuties and their mama are so sweet and will be ready to go home on 6/8 💗 Contact to set up an adoption appointment!

Snow White’s Rescue Cottage

01/19/2025

01/10/2025

01/09/2025

01/08/2025

01/07/2025

01/02/2025

12/30/2024

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