Due to previous disasters I will sometimes just rehome my animals if I'm going away temp (I wish it was permanent)...anyways last time I went away a week I came back to my entire appartment reeking of dead animal because apparently checking on critters involves not giving them water and leaving them to rot when they die.

I might have an oppertunity for a temp move this summer and I'm thinking I'll just put all my mice up for adoption and then get new mice when I come back. Dare I ask if you think this is unethical?....My friend says I should give them to my parents again and hope they get it right this time and I think it's a bad idea after the entire leave critter without water, then to die and rot in my appartment experience.

I'd rather have them be safe then risk a cruel situation because nobody in my life is dependable. And no boarding at vets suggestion because I lack an income and live on unemployment.

If you are talking about relinquishing the animals you have for this reason, and getting new animals: I think that if your life is really unstable, and you have no one reliable in it to care for your animals for even a week if something happens to you, and money is so tight that you can't buy their proper care, then you are not in a good enough position to be acquiring animals and being their sole caretaker at this point. What if you were in an accident and *couldn't* care for your animals? It's not always easy to find a good home for animals. Maybe be a foster caretaker to animals - with an agreement that when you go away or whatever you can't keep the animals. Is there a rescue organization or something like that you could hook up with?

If it were me, and I couldn't ensure proper care of my animals while I was away, I would not go away. Or if this was something that I really wanted to do and I decided that for whatever reason it was more important than keeping my animals, I would realize that I was someone who isn't really in a position to take on that sole responsibility at this point.

I think it's good that you're thinking about what the right thing to do is - some people don't give it a thought at all.

If individual mice are so expendable, why have mice at all?

Unethical? I can not say how angry the mere thought of it makes me, there are so many animals in our care little foster cats and so many in the shelter for this very reason.
People moving and giving little thought to the animal or being away for long periods of time without properly prepairing for the animal.
You take an animal into your home you are accepting that animal into your care as part of your family.
You would not give a infant away because your going on vacation for a month would you? Maybe not the same differance but when a life relys on you for care like a child or an animal it is your duty to provide that care and they are not toys to be tossed away on a whim.

If indeed you can not take your pets with you and you think this may happen again then for the love of the animals do not get anymore later. It sounds like your life is unstable, which may be OK for you but it certainly is not for a pet.
Sorry to be so harsh but like I said I have foster animals in my care for this very reason, and it tramatizes them.

Yes, I'd say it's pretty unethical.

Especially the whole "I'll just get new ones later" thing.

How long is this temporary move? You could always call and check on them.

I'd say that if you can't ensure proper care for your animals, you really shouldn't be getting new animals. :no:

We've had many many small rodents over the years, and they're not much work to babysit. Isn't there a neighbor who would take care of the critters while you're gone? Even a 12 year old could handle putting out food and checking the water once a day, maybe for a buck or two a day. The welfare of your mice is worth at least that much.

When I got them, I didn't have a chance to move anywhere until the massage program was over and thought I'd be tied down for two years.
So I thought good time to get some critters again. Then the program came to a halt over A&P and things changed again.

My friend never goes anywhere so she can take care of her cats and I guess most other people (going by replies) who have animals do just that, never go anywhere. I just had to see if other people lived like her too. I suppose choosing where you live makes a big difference rather then being stuck somewhere due to lack of income.

But me?..*grin*, if I wasn't unemployed, I'd be moving all the time. The less time I have to be stuck here, the better. You are right that when this time comes that I'm a rich, high paid, massage therapist, I probably won't have any animals anymore.
In fact the love of moving is why I went back to school for highly paid job, I have no desire for wealth beyond that it will allow me to move away from a place I'd rather not be in.

Maybe be a foster caretaker to animals - with an agreement that when you go away or whatever you can't keep the animals. Is there a rescue organization or something like that you could hook up with?

If it were me, and I couldn't ensure proper care of my animals while I was away, I would not go away.

I second what they said and add this:

In three years, the age of my dog, I've only left him overnight 2 times. Once was for an overnight stay at a vet after he was neutered and once was for 36 hours for medical attention for myself, I left him with my Mom for that one. Point is that should they be without you they should not be left alone, you should have someone to care for them in your absence. Your heart seems in the right place but your priorities need a boost.

When I got them, I didn't have a chance to move anywhere until the massage program was over and thought I'd be tied down for two years.
So I thought good time to get some critters again. Then the program came to a halt over A&P and things changed again.

My friend never goes anywhere so she can take care of her cats and I guess most other people (going by replies) who have animals do just that, never go anywhere. I just had to see if other people lived like her too. I suppose choosing where you live makes a big difference rather then being stuck somewhere due to lack of income.

But me?..*grin*, if I wasn't unemployed, I'd be moving all the time. The less time I have to be stuck here, the better. You are right that when this time comes that I'm a rich, high paid, massage therapist, I probably won't have any animals anymore.
In fact the love of moving is why I went back to school for highly paid job, I have no desire for wealth beyond that it will allow me to move away from a place I'd rather not be in.No, actually I go lots of places. I take plenty of vacations. I've even moved several times. But when you adopt a pet you make a commitment to that animal. When you must move, you spend the extra time required to make sure you find a suitable place where you can take the animals with you.

Definitely unethical.

Pets are not possessions. They're a responsibility. You've already stated that once you're settled, you won't want pets. If you KNOW that you don't want animals long term then DON'T get any more animals! They aren't expendable. They depend on you and if you can't provide for them (in terms of money, time, care and/or affection), then do the critters a favour and don't buy any more.

I've had my puppy for a little over a year. I love to travel and I go away fairly regularly both with and without him. I went home for 2 weeks at Christmas, went away a week this Spring, a weekend in February and I have another weekend and a week-long trip planned for June. My dog and I will be moving across the country in July (to a place with an actual yard! Yay!). But before I even considered any of these trips, I made sure that I could provide for my dog emotionally and financially during my absence. Truth be told, he loves the owner of the boarding facility almost as much as he loves me. Traitor. :)

You are accually considering just tossing these aside and "getting new ones later"? and then what happens when you 'NEED' to leave again and can't find anyone to take care of these new ones? Let me guess, they get tossed aside to? If you can not care for these animals then maybe rehoming them is best so they have someone who is totally commited to the critters well being. But please, do not get any more!

oh, and before you get pets you should make sure you have at least 3 plans. either people that could come watch them, or somewhere they could stay while you were gone. if you traveled before and the critters died while you were gone, why get new ones before setting up plans? I always like to have backup plans incase one backfires. (ex: if someone is suppose to watch my pets but gets sick, I will have more plans..ect..)

Pets are not expendable, they are creatures that depend on you for care, do not get any more animals. i think it is unethical and just plain wrong what you are thinking of doing.
we have 3 dogs, before we had kids we had 5 dogs at one point, we always brought 2 along on trips, now we have to board them but i found a place to my likeing, the owners are animal lovers, it costs me a fortune, but i know they are well cared for when we travel.
when we take on the responsibility of animals we have to follow thru. My family still wont forgive me for missing my nieces wedding across country, i cancelled my plans to go because my dog was diagnosed with a terminal cancer just a week before the trip, they said she only had minimal time, i couldnt imagine kenneling a sick dog to go have fun at a wedding.

I agree with the others - your plan is totally unethical, for all the reasons already given.

I keep rats - seven in one cage at the moment, but at one point I had eleven in three cages - and believe me, it's not always easy to find people to rat-sit.

Any trips away have to be very carefully planned. Because of our animals we tend to holiday in the UK most of the time, which means we can take our pets with us. If we go somewhere where we can't take the animals, I've got a neighbour who will look after them (and who I trust). I know many rat-folk who have the same problem as me (lots of people are still freaked out by rats) and on the forum I belong to we've set up a list of people who are willing to look after other people's rats. Why not look on a rodent forum and see if there is anyone local to you who could look after your mice in their home?

Having any kind of animal is a life-time commitment, and sometimes your plans have to take second place. I've just cancelled a weekend away because one of my animals is ill, and their welfare comes before my holiday plans. In my view, if you're not prepared to make those kinds of sacrifices, or if you really do struggle to find someone who will care for your animals if you go away, then the best thing is not to have any pets at all until you're more settled.

Jessica, it was hard for me to find ratty pet-sitters too! All of my pet sitters are family members, so I just let them sit down and play with the rats for a bit, and they saw what great little animals they were :D

needless to say, I know have the perfect ratty sitters incase I ever need them (but i hardly ever do)

eclipse..just wondering what you decided to do?

There have been more plan changes, a good thing I am more flexable then some people when plans change. Sure I got depressed for a while after I was fully commited to the massage program and I wasn't able to continue as planned.

One of the jobs I applied for in Jan got back in touch with me an d I got invited to a wedding in MI. There is a lot of pressure for me to decide because the plans need to be finalized and it's hard to do so when there's a job involved. They won't give me a definative answer and I feel like I'm being toyed with but a _JOB_ offer, now that doesn't happen every day. If I finally have a good job I'm so not leaving anymore, I will drop everything for good job. I just don't want to drop everything for a job that doesn't materialize which is what I've done so much in the past.