Our Story
Yes, that's me. Aged 31 years old and spending my Sunday racing around London buying seagrass tunnels and a pet carrier to rescue a hamster called Barney and foster him in the hamster home sitting in my living room.
A hamster home that cost me nearly $100,000 of my life savings to design and develop.
How did I end up here?
My name is Hal, I'm the founder of Bandaby and this is our story.
November 2023
I return to the UK after 2 years working for Uber in Brazil. Deliriously jet-lagged, I'm asked to go to the pet store to buy food for my 25 year old brother's goldfish.
I enter Pets at Home and see shelves upon shelves of hideous hamster cages.
Curious, I start Googling that evening and discover a shocking truth. Not only are the majority of hamster cages ugly and poor quality - they're also a fraction of the size they should be.
Multi-Billion dollar pet companies know this and just don't care.
That evening, Bandaby is Born.
April 2024
I have left Uber and spent the past 6 months obsessively researching hamster care. Watching endless videos, reading every guide I could find, and speaking to anyone from the welfare community who'd answer my DMs.
Mark and Harry from Beta Design Office meet with me in Osteria Antica Bologna on Northcote Road and they agree to join me as partners.
May 2025
Our first ever hamster home arrives is in London. I cry.
We have spent the previous year building in public. Sharing designs & collaborating with the amazing welfare communities - without their generosity and advice, we wouldn't be here today.
Andrea Ayensa has joined the team to bring our brand to life through her wonderful illustrations.
June 2025
We rescue Barney and he comes to live with me in Putney.
Our Shopify store is done and Bandaby is ready to meet the world.
Our Mission
We stayed true to our vision and created a home that is:
Exceptional for hamster welfare + Made of high quality, durable, strong materials + Easy to assemble and use + Beautiful and will inspire more people to buy better products for their hamsters
It has been expensive and slow work. It's taken almost all of my savings and nearly two years of our lives to accomplish.
But I'd do it all again.
Because I truly believe we have created the best hamster home in the world.
Because I believe that all animals deserve a home, not a cage. No matter how big or small they might be.
Because I believe that this is the first step to us raising the bar for animal welfare around the world.
Thank you for your trust and support. Together, we can make a difference.
- Hal
