My hamster has escaped

speegs

:crying:

My hamster has escaped. I live in a four bedroom three storey house and fear I will never see her again.

Does anyone have any humane ideas about how I can find/catch her?

Thanks

Sara

kendall17

id recommend a rat trap... only joking

if you know of no access to the floor boards try behind all the wardrobes etc, listen out for a lil scratching as if there was mice about. leave some food out around the house and look out for droppings

sarahwilson

I caught my hamster on the odd time it escaped by putting its cage on the floor where it could get to it. Mine used to crawl back in and go to sleep when it had tired of scampering around.

phunkyphantom22

This is a good idea that I was told when I used to have a hamster - she never escaped, but I've heard it usually works.

Get a bucket and fill the bottom with lots of soft padding i.e. shredded paper, shavings, hamster bedding etc.

Make a ramp up the side of the bucket - something which a hamster could easily get up and grip on to.

Put some strong smelling hamster safe food at the bottom of the bucket - rocket salad leaves may work.

The hamster should smell the food, come looking for it, climb up the ramp and land safely inside the bucket - they then can't get back out to escape again (obviously don't put a ramp inside or fill it up so high that they could climb out).

Good luck - hope you find her.

speegs

Liquorice was hiding in the kitchen.

We put food out in the middle of a pile of flour with steps up to a box filled with sawdust, food, treats, and water.

We found foot prints in the flour and the food in the flour was gone, but no sign of Liquorice.

I decided to sit vigil in the kitchen on Saturday when I saw her run behind the cupboards and dishwasher etc. I trapped her behind one of the cupboards and then waited for her to crawl out of the only known exit. When she did she ran straight into the up turned box which I quickly tipped up so she couldn't get out.

I am not kidding, she drank for 15 minutes solid. Poor little thing must have been incredibly dehydrated. She then stuffed her cheek pouches so full of food that her face doubled in size.

Anyway, she is now safely in her cage. We have removed the higher level so that she cannot get out again.

Thanks for all your ideas, especially phunkyphantom22 whose method did the trick.

Speegs

CJC

Phew! We can all stop worrying now.

phunkyphantom22

Glad you found her! :-)