Illustrator Famous For Her Heartbreaking Animal Comics Just Released Her Latest Work, And This Time She Is Talking About Neglected Hamsters

Hamsters are pets - not cheap toys.

Damjan

• Published in Animals
• April 26, 2021

Jenny Hefczyc is an artist from Germany and a passionate animal rights advocate. She creates and publishes comics that depict the awful way we treat animals to raise awareness and change our mindset.

Jenny, AKA Jenny-Jinya, is a strong storyteller, and her work sends a strong message, and her latest work is about neglected hamsters. It could easily be about any “not-flashy” pet.

She tackles the issue of hamsters and other cheap pets that are easy to get, and people often view them as something expendable and easy to replace. The saddest part of all is that people often believe that because something is cheap, it means it doesn’t require any care. That doesn’t apply to living beings. It never did.

But our consumerism is taking its toll. We started viewing living creatures as something that we can throw into a corner when we get bored and can be easily replaced.

"The urge to draw a comic was reinforced when someone on Facebook got a hamster and proudly posted a photo of a cage that was way too small. It was sad how resistant the person was to advice, and the counter-argument was really just ‘the staff at the pet store said the size was sufficient!'”

Jenny-Jinya believes that it’s time that we talked about hamsters and how some owners neglect these tiny creatures

“I have the feeling that the tenor ‘it’s just a hamster’ still prevails. ‘If a hamster dies, you just buy a new one for 10 bucks.’ Anyone can buy such a small life for little money, often still under false advice because the staff in many pet stores isn’t properly trained. It’s a general wrong attitude towards animals, not just rodents,” the artist told the reporters.

Jenny believes that we need to learn about pets before getting them. “It’s actually not a lot of work to sit down and learn about the creature you want to bring into your home. It’s not too much work and effort to improve their lives either. A few fresh vegetables, generally a healthy, balanced diet,” she said.

“Let the hamster explore the world outside the cage every now and then (in a safe and supervised environment, of course). Keep their cages clean and learn about the causes and symptoms of common hamster diseases. Just take responsibility for the little life that depends on you.”

The artist shared a PSA about the importance of doing proper research before getting a pet

Jenny also shared a public service announcement, advising hamster owners to educate themselves on how to make their little buddies’ lives better.

The right food, a spacious cage and a safe, and a larger wheel are just some of their basic needs and not luxury. Also, be sure to change their water every day and wash the bottle thoroughly.

Replace their bedding at least once a week. But most importantly - play with your hamsters! They have to know that they are a part of your family and not just a tiny toy you can easily replace

Here is what people say about her latest comic:

Damjan