Dwarf hamsters went missing. Found one dead this morning.

[Meowmeow20202]

Our two dwarf hamsters got out of there cage no idea how as its kept in my bedroom and no door kept open. This was over a week ago now. Only sign of them is the food i put on the floor for them. Today i opened a cupboard and near the back was one of them his white coat was now blood stained and frankly it wasn't a clean death:( poor thing. I have no idea what happened and im worried it was a mouse or even rat. Ive literally tried everything to get them back but nothing had worked. A friend has mentioned a no kill trap to get the other one back but wont get in for a few more days. Im so worried about it i hope its ok and comes back safely. Any ideas?

They may have fought with each other after escaping?

Forgot to mention that both got along and slept and ate together so i dont think it was the other one.

Have you tried the food in a bowl,trick?

So food in a deep enough bowl thatbthe hamster can’t get out....do a ramp of books, etc to get them to be able to get to the top of the bowl/bucket from the outside. They jump in, can’t get out. Wedge it so it can’t topple.

Whenever my hamster escaped we would position a bucket propped on the stairs with some food at the bottom. The hamster will fall in but can't get out again.

Hamsters are funny things, get along for a bit then fight to the death. How long had you had them?

They can eat each other. Sad I know.

I had 2 russian dwarfs and they are very territorial one actually bit the head off the other one.. we were advised by pet shop they would be fine together

Had both for just under a year. Ive had Russian dwarfs before kept in pairs qnd various other hamsters.

What JacobReesMogadishu said, could try it with a vase propped up on cushions too. Worked for me many years ago. The slippier the better.

I had two dwarf hamsters who lived together for over a year but one killed the other one day. I was gobsmacked! I hope you find the other one safe.

The change of environment may have triggered territorial behaviour now that they had to find their own food.

Sorry that one is dead and I hope you find the other one soon safe and well.

@JacobReesMogadishu

Have you tried the food in a bowl,trick?

So food in a deep enough bowl thatbthe hamster can’t get out....do a ramp of books, etc to get them to be able to get to the top of the bowl/bucket from the outside. They jump in, can’t get out. Wedge it so it can’t topple.

Yes ive tried. Ive had many hamsters escape over the years and apart from now have always found them. It would make sense that a change of environment would trigger something but i would of thought both went there separate ways. No sign of mice tho

Heres a picture of the escapee and murder suspect

We had three brothers who always got along very well, until one morning I found one of their heads in the food bowl while the remaining two ate the body. Was like a scene from rodent Game of Thrones.

@babbaloushka

We had three brothers who always got along very well, until one morning I found one of their heads in the food bowl while the remaining two ate the body. Was like a scene from rodent Game of Thrones.

This is pretty much what happened to mine. It was fucking horrific and I was traumatised!

Fucking hell.
Are they not herbivores?

@babbaloushka

We had three brothers who always got along very well, until one morning I found one of their heads in the food bowl while the remaining two ate the body. Was like a scene from rodent Game of Thrones.

oh my god. I had no idea hamsters were so blood thirsty.

Hamster House of Horror.

(I'm a vegetarian, this has shocked me!)

@YardleyX

Fucking hell. Are they not herbivores?

Yes and no in the wild they can eat small insects but pet hamstes apart from very occasionally chicken or white fish its a seed based diet.

Still no sign :(

Are you from Glasgow? This hamster looks very similar to your hamster murder suspect, found in the pound shop pic n mix!!

www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/daredevil-stray-hamster-found-trying-19555720?fbclid=IwAR2QOm9SXW56hc5Y9MOl3PzJwYJpp8OfcF5lOTNebLnjozDiTqApCh0wJGE

I'm going to have hamster horror nightmares now!! Hope the other one returns safely.... Not sure I'd want to go to sleep in the same room as a hamster after reading this though

That's very sad OP? Are yours not very tame? I let my old dwarf hamster free range as she was like a miniscule dog and would appear every time I came into the bedroom to see what treats were on offer!

Sorry, I digress, I really miss her :( The other trick I know is to leave the hamster wheel out near the food; once you hear them in it you can then go and fetch them.

Most knowledgable hamster forums now know that despite what pet shops say, dwarf hamsters do not live well together and nor do they need company to be happy. Just because they are less teritorial than Syrian hamsters in that they won't 100% kill each other doesn't mean they are happy and doesn't mean that a good proportion of them will kill each other.

I hope you find your little ham!

When mine escaped, he'd managed to eat through the fabric at the bottom of the sofa and made a hole and crawled inside. The little git just sat there quite happily looking at me. It never occurred to me to check inside things, just behind and under stuff.