[Section 1 – POSTING RULES]
1.1) YouTube policy – YouTube links and discussions are only permitted in those boards labeled "YouTube videos allowed." Any videos, links, or discussions posted in any other board (especially the Hamster Care boards) will be removed. This includes all video sources, including YouTube, Vimeo, and any others. YouTube may be discussed in the status bar, but no links posted. There can be a link to your personal channel in your profile and in your signature.
1.2) Disallowed Content - The following types of content are not permitted on the forum. Posts including this content will be edited or deleted. Depending on the nature of the content, further action (warnings, account restrictions, and bans) may follow.
A) Disrespectful / abusive behavior – hateful / derogatory speech, name-calling
B) Foul language - including acronyms, self-censoring, and alternate spellings
C) Inappropriate / controversial topics - sex, drugs, religion, politics, etc.
D) Spam – duplicate threads, unhelpful / pointless posts, and general “spamming”
E) Plagiarism – posting works (art, articles) without giving credit and linking back to the original source
F) Off-topic posts - personal chatter / banter irrelevant to the topic
G) Difficult-to-read posts - light colors, tiny font sizes, excessive slang, non-standard English
F) Illegal content - file-sharing sites containing movies, music, software, etc. that promote piracy
1.3) Breeding policy - Hamster Hideout does not support causal breeding of hamsters or any other animal. No discussion or questions about the practice of breeding are allowed on any part of the forum. If your pet becomes pregnant accidentally, you may ask for help and advice in the appropriate board.
1.4) Advertisements - No advertisement of for-profit product or services permitted. Do not use the status bar, PM function, or forum in general to advertise (this applies to for-profit and not-for-profit). Links to not-for-profit websites, blogs, etc. are permitted in signatures and profiles. Advertisements for buying and selling hamsters are strictly forbidden - all hamster-related ads are for free adoptions only!
1.5) Graphic content – Do not share any pictures, videos, or graphic descriptions of any type of abuse or harm on the forum. Any such content will be removed.
A) Animal abuse – No pictures, videos, or descriptions of animal abuse allowed. This includes any post that "shames" someone for abusive treatment of animals (links to Craigslist ads, ranting about the neighbor, etc.). Regardless of the animal’s situation, posting such content does not help at all, and only serves to upset members.
B) Sensitive topics – This rule also applies to self-harm, mental illness, abuse, trauma, rape, suicide, and other sensitive topics. Mentioning your struggles with these things is fine – graphic, detailed descriptions are not. We advise all members to seek professional help for such issues.
1.6) Hamster Care Support - Do not point out someone's hamster cage is too small if the topic / post has nothing to do with the hamster's home. Exceptions: They want an opinion on their hamster cage size and/or they are housing the pet in a carrier not designed for long-term homing. You may also suggest, but not insist, use of a larger cage if the owner mentions certain behavioural problems (e.g. bar chewing, unexplained aggression) with their hamster.
[Section 2 – COURTESY AND SAFETY]
2.1) Privacy concerns – Members under 18 years old are not permitted to post any potentially identifying information on the forum. This includes (but is not limited to) last names, phone numbers, addresses, exact locations, personal email addresses, school names, pictures of themselves, pictures of friends / family, and pictures of the outside of their house. Members over the age of 18 are also encouraged to guard their personal information. Public package trade requests are not permitted. If members choose to privately engage in package exchanges via PM, they do so at their own risk, and the forum cannot be held responsible.
2.2) Maintain account security – Members are allowed 1 account only, and are responsible for all activity under that account. Members must maintain a secure password, and not allow anyone else into their account.
2.3) Leave modding to the moderators and do not “member mod” – If you see a member breaking a rule or you have concerns, report and move on. Do not take forum rule issues into your own hands. It is not members’ responsibility to inform others that they have broken rules. Similarly, it is not up to members to “interrogate” others to see if they are breaking rules or intend to (particularly in regards to breeding).
2.4) Messaging - Please do not private message your general hamster care questions to moderators or members. Questions like these should be posted on the forum so others can have access to sharing and reading information.
2.5) Keep signatures small - Signatures and banners should be kept fairly small to be considerate of those on small screens and other devices. Your signature should be no longer than the distance between the blue bar that contains your username and the bottom of your mood indicator. If your signature is considerably larger than this, it may be deleted or you will be asked to re-size it. Use this example of an acceptable signature size as your guide:
Acknowledgements: This page of easy-to-understand forum rules and guidelines has been put together by Taxonomist and tbiM20 of the moderator team.
Disclaimer: This page may be updated from time to time as deemed appropriate by HH staff.
Update: Updated by dusty on 13 May 2018 to include rule on cage size recommendations.
