Teenager detained for microwaving hamster

A teenager who microwaved his brother's hamster was sent to a young offenders institution for four months today, the RSPCA said.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also banned at Kettering Youth Court from keeping animals for four years, the animal welfare charity added.

It said the one-year-old female golden hamster had to be put down after suffering severe burns. One of its feet was burnt through to the bone.

The boy, from the Corby area of Northamptonshire, threatened to microwave his brother's hamster before he placed it in the cooker in March last year.

The boy pleaded guilty to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at a court hearing in January.

RSPCA inspector Clint Davies said afterwards: "This is an extremely shocking case. I don't think we can have any idea how much pain an animal goes through when it's put in a microwave and cooked alive.

"This hamster's leg was burned to a crisp and as microwaves cook from the inside, the organ damage to this tiny animal must have been horrific.

"It would take more than a few seconds to burn the leg right down to the bone."