Help - hamster has escaped!

[NicEv]

One of the kids has left the lid off the hamster cage and he has escaped - either yesterday or this morning. After searching the house we have found no sign of him anywhere . Does anyone have any tips to help us find him ?

Bucket trap.
If that fails I'll send DH round, he is an expert rodent catcher!
I had one escape once that was so tame it literally just walked up to me and got in my hand. I loved that hamster 🐹 she was a Russian one and was the friendliest little thing.

40 odd years ago I let our hamster out - he had managed to get behind the bath panel if that helps - bath upstairs - hamster cage downstairs

Do you have any houseplants? We found our escapee in the bottom of a plant pot having chewed all the roots off my mums favourite (and sentimental) plant!

This has happened to me several times. They are usually under the fridge! Once mine returned to the cage and tried to get back in again.

Reminds me about that story about the hamster going to the vet because it wasn't well, just lying against the side of its cage all day. Turns put it had got out the week before and had been found under the fridge. Turns out it had a magnet in it's cheek pouch and was just stuck to its cafe xD

cage

Close off all rooms so he can't travel between, 1 room at a time late at night sit in really still listen, put food out while you are there.

sofa, cupboard under the kitchen sink where the warm water pipes run, airing cupboard, inside the hollow of a lever arch file (all that nice paper to nibble at).
or maybe, as happened to a friend, snuggled up on the pillow next to your face one morning towards dawn, because Hammies know who loves them and you are also nice and warm.
Seconding the idea of leaving the cage accessible in case the outside world disappoints. Hope the little chap is Ok and comes home soon. (I've heard of hamsters hiding for a few months -in one case 18 months and then turning up safe and sound, albeit a bit thinner, so please don't despair!)

You are listening for hamster movements so you can tie him down to a room at least.

Don’t give up! Ours resurfaced after several days - just trotted across the kitchen floor one evening. She was skinny and her feet were a bit grazed, and we have no idea where she had been. I know sofas are a popular hiding place though. Wait until the house is really quiet and then have a good listen for rustling. Also put food and water out. Cheese is always a good lure.

Sadly no luck so far - I put several piles of 5 raisins and a chunk of cheese in each room last night and closed all the doors in the hope he would eat some and it would narrow down which room he is in. It is all untouched this morning 😢

I have some humane traps arriving today so will set those up tonight with peanut butter and chocolate, which I am told is a good lure for traps . Am so sad this morning - I hope he is ok poor little man.

They definitely like to get into soft furnishings like the sofa. Mine escaped and I think he got under the kitchen cupboards and disappeared through pipe holes in the floor (unfortunately we never found him).

They can get through very small holes

When I was little our hamster escaped, we found it soon after climbing up the curtains. Have you looked in high up places?

Look in the chests of drawers. Ours climbed the stairs and went round the back of the chest if drawers. He climbed up and made a nest in the socks

I remember when the school hamster escaped, they found him weeks later in the wool cupboard.

We found ours behind the bath panel after a few days

Mine escaped when I was about 5, and my DF had to remove some of the skirting board in the living room as he'd managed to get behind it

@NicEv

Sadly no luck so far - I put several piles of 5 raisins and a chunk of cheese in each room last night and closed all the doors in the hope he would eat some and it would narrow down which room he is in. It is all untouched this morning 😢

I have some humane traps arriving today so will set those up tonight with peanut butter and chocolate, which I am told is a good lure for traps . Am so sad this morning - I hope he is ok poor little man.

Honestly, I’d be more worried about your electrics than your twangly heartstrings. They’re nibbly little buggers, and if he goes through a wire while making himself a nest under your floorboards then you’ve potentially got a bigger problem than worrying if he’s alright!

He’ll go where he’s hidden and it’s enclosed. You could check around your hot water tank.

Although if the outside doors were open he may well have gone wandering outside 😕

1 escaped to the sofa and 1 to the kitchen and 1 no idea but she was waiting one morning in front of her cage because she couldn't climb in.

Put the cage on the ground and make something so he can climb back in.

I'd be worried about outside too....

My friend's hamster returned after 3 months!!

Have you any holes in your wall? Ours went in to the wall cavities for 2 weeks :0

Living his best hamster life 🐹🐹😂😂🤣🤣

We've had many escape over the years and got them all back. We used to have those rotastack cages and they were terrible for coming to pieces. One chewed my handbag and a pair of PJ's from the washing basket then went back in his cage. Another turned up in the bottom of an empty vase that lived down the side of the kitchen cupboards. Good luck!

Humane mouse trap with his favourite food in it should do the trick.

Ours escaped the other day in the kitchen. It managed to avoid falling out of the open doors (townhouse so the kitchen is on the first floor) and avoid falling down the stairs, and came strolling in to the living room.

I was babysittting years ago and a hamster dropped down the chimney

Turns out that it was from next door and had been missing for 6 months