I've lost the hamster

[Huifen]

DS got a fairly new hamster, loves it of course. Long story but he managed to get out and has disappeared in a tiny hole next to the toilet in DDs en-suite upstairs. Everyone is devastated of course, I could hear a bit of scrabbling in the floorboards when I was downstairs but it's stopped. Have laid some treats, food and a home made humane trap in the bathroom in the hope thy he will reappear. Have I got any hope at all here? This was only about an hour ago - could he come back or can they not find their way out? Any other tips for finding an escapee? So gutted about this

We lured our escapee out of a hole behind the loo with a very ripe banana, he couldn’t resist the smell but squeeled like made when we tried to pick him up.
Little bastard had chewed some cables under the floorboards before his eventual incarceration!

Put a bucket in the bathroom with food in it with the grill insert , whatever it's called , leading up to it like a ladder . it will climb up fall in and can't get back out . That's how we caught one years ago , little buggers they are !

My DS had a hamster when we were children that escaped from the cage when it was in the back garden. It never came back and we assumed it had been got by a cat or similar. Many years later my DM was in conversation with a neighbour whose garden backed on to ours and discovered that hammy had been found in their garden by their dog and had then spent a happy life with their family!

Our next door neighbours hamster escaped and turned up 3 days later in our lounge. Gave me a fright I can tell you. DH was horrified when I caught him with my bare hands 🤣

I'm frustrated with myself for not being able to catch him when I saw him before. Hope it's not too long before he ventures back out

Ours escaped through a gap under the kitchen cupboard and went right under the floor. I left a mop bucket out on its side and filled it with his bedding from the cage and some food.
Took three days but one morning I came downstairs and he was fast asleep in the bedding 😊

We've had our fair share of escapee hamsters over the years. They love to go for a wander under the floorboards but ultimately decide that there's no place like home, so I suggest putting the cage in the bathroom with a topped up food bowl so Hammy has somewhere to go next time he emerges. Keep the humane trap in place though, just in case he hasn't finished his adventures and wants to give you the runaround (we had one like that once, too - she'd turned quite feral and took a few days to calm down!) Hammy might be a bit dehydrated on his return, so some slices of cucumber in his cage would be a good idea, along with his water.

Are you settling in for the night in the en-suite? He will pop back up as soon as he's peckish

Well he's just escaped the en-suite and is now in DDs room just saw him dash round the corner. She's of course fast asleep and I'm in her room wondering wtf to do 😅😅😅

He must have legged it when I opened the door although I didn't see

Shut her door so he can't get out and if need be, you'll have to wake her.

Easier than an entire night of him disappearing off again somewhere else

Oh good! Hope you catch him. Put his cage in there with water and something tempting like cucumber inside. Be ready to shut the cage door.

Move any clothes lying around.
They like to pinch them and shred them to make a nest 😁
Especially favourite dresses!

School hamster got out and into a void in bathroom where pipes boxed in. Left a trail of food and waited...fat hammy appeared, stuffing the food into her cheeks and we grabbed her. She was so surprised she let out a massive squeak. I think this was night 2, after we spent the first night optimistically thinking she'd put herself back in her cage for her comfy bed.

Many years ago ours escaped from its cage and got we found it at the top of the curtains in the living room

I had hamsters that escaped. I always thought the cats played a part in that.

Got him! Managed to coax him out from behind DDs desk with a tiny bit of peanut butter on a hamster treat. So happy to have him back, little critter. DS is going to be so happy when he wakes up.
Thank you mumsnet for your collective wisdom and moral support for tonight's hamster hunt!

Aww he’s a very cute little monkey! Hamsters are amazing escape artists. We had one that got out. Couldn’t find her anywhere. Eventually found her after standing quietly - under the sofa! She’d ripped a hole and used carpet fibres as bedding!
Get that hole blocked up in the morning.

What a nice thread - so pleased he's back. I love these stories of missing hamsters choosing to go back home and being found in bed!

Such a lovely thread to read! Delighted he's back!

Aww, I do love a hammy! I had 4 as a child, DD had 3. Every single one of the little blighters managed to escape from somewhere at some point. One of mine regularly turned up in the bathroom of a morning giving my dad a shock! They are so cute though.

I didn't even need to wait until morning 😂

Well done OP! 🐹

My brother had a gerbil when we were kids. One day he let it run around playing when it found a hole underneath the gas fire and off it went into the chimney.

Unfortunately not such a happy ending as yours OP, DM found it months later, dead in a kitchen cupboard.

Aw, little tyke!! He's very cute though and worth the kerfuffle! Well done for persisting!

You would have smelt it long before you found it. The rotting carcass of even a dying mouse is a heinous smell.

My sister had a hamster 🐹 who used to escape his cage on a regular basis at night. He'd go for a run around the house, get tired then wake mysister up. How the thing survived I'll never know because what hammy didn't know was that he was taking his life in his hands every night by running around a house with a cat shut inside.

I'm amazed the cat never got him.