Here's an article from our local paper...
Woman faces $8G in fines for gerbils
MIDDLETOWN: A township woman charged with abandoning three gerbils and a hamster in a wooded area in the township is facing up to $8,000 in fines.
Wendy Fiolek, 38, was charged with animal abandonment and failure to provide sustenance and shelter to the creatures, which had been household pets, said Victor "Buddy" Amato, chief humane law enforcement officer for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Eatontown.
The charges, all disorderly persons offenses, are scheduled to be heard Oct. 8 in Municipal Court, according to the summonses issued on Wednesday.
The small rodents had been put in a cardboard box and left in the woods by Sleepy Hollow Road, Amato said.
"A youngster walking a dog heard them scratching, and that's how they were found," Amato said. A shipping invoice with Fiolek's address also was found inside the box.
When he first questioned her about the rodents, Fiolek said her daughter had previously owned gerbils, but they had been given to "a good home," Amato said.
She ultimately admitted leaving the animals in the box because her daughter didn't take care of them, he said.
I love that she tried to deny it at first and then cracked under the pressure of questioning!
It's better than what happened to our hamsters. The cat got one of them and the daschund got the other. Poor Hansel and Gretel. I still feel bad about it!
I'll bet that kid's in big trouble now! First she doesn't take care of her gerbils and now Mom has to pay an $8,000 fine. I think someone is grounded for life.