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 ?

Ours escaped and took up residence in the floor boards. Borrowed a female hamster and he soon came out!

Sadly not. He hasn’t touched any of the food in any of the downstairs rooms and both traps are empty. We listened out in every room last night but didn’t hear him. We are going to have another good look today but this will be his third day missing and we haven’t found a trace of him - we are quite despondent today. Thank you all for your suggestions and kindness x

Who knew hamsters were so clever and cheeky?! All these tales are making me want one, although not a good idea with two cats and a dog!

My absolutely beloved hamster Ariel went missing. We had a large dog who would often sit and watch the cage so we thought she was a goner. My parents replaced for me in the end.

Then she turned up weeks later having got stuck in a bucket.

I hope your hamster returns.

I.found mine when I was little...in my dogs mouth

Leave food in the cage and leave it open. Make it easy to get to but roughly where it usually is. Don't leave other food out.

I was giong to suggest a humane trap and peanut butter.

Also check behind your fridge, it's a lovely warm spot for small rodents.

What's the weather like? I know of someone who thought the escaped hamster was dead and for some reason put it on a radiator. It wasn't dead it was hibernating, the radiator warmed it up. So if your house has been colder recently try putting the heating on.

So upsetting for you but don't despair OP, it's still early days.

They can make themselves incredibly skinny when they want and end up in tiny spaces, so he could be anywhere.

I hope he turns up.

When I was a child, we lost our hamster. He lived downstairs but a week later we found him upstairs in my Mums underwear draw. 🤔

They are sneaky little buggers - yes to all the pp who say they can make themselves very small and go where you think they can’t - ours would always escape to the same place which made finding her much easier after the first time .... the saucepan cupboard - lord knows how she got in there but she did and hid out in one of the saucepans ... happy as a clam .... started calling her Bueller after that .... she loved that saucepan

One of my dds hamster disappeared for 2 weeks, could hear her. Asked next door neighbour to listen out for her. Had a text 1 night to say her electric has gone, she had to call HA. When they came to check it out, the hamster was in her electric board. Hamster was alive, sadly had to be put to sleep as she electrocuted her back legs.

Hope ypu find the hamster soon.

If you think he has escaped and is outside somewhere is it worth putting food outside for him, or in the humane traps and placing them outside? I realise you may well then have the local rodent population visiting but might be worth a try. Hope he turns up soon.

I found mine inside the body of the sofa.

You’re not in Ewell are you, OP?

We had an escapee gerbil reappear after about 2 months of freedom once. Hope your little lad is back soon! Keep up with the food, he will likely seek it out eventually.

Happened to us.
After searching everywhere, we just left his cage on the floor - open - all night, and in the morning he was back, curled up asleep in his little bed.
Some extra tasty food in the cage should help!

Mine survived a fall of 5 feet (chewed out a tunnel on its cage which was kept on a bookcase) and my dog and was found inside the sofa a few days later...complete with a dog biscuit he d obviously stolen off the dog!

Hope yours turns up safely OP.

Still no sign of him at all - will keep going with food and traps and hope he turns up . All your stories are giving me hope !

Just another message of hope for you. Ours was gone a week before upstairs neighbour appeared with her! And to think I blamed the dog

This would make a great Children’s book - instead of Where’s Wally/Waldo it could be The Escapades of Houdini the Hamster - each page has him somewhere new and you have to find him .... loving how prevalent “inside the sofa” appears to be

Hang in there op - hoping he turns up for you

Guess who just walked into the middle of the kitchen after a week on the run - he is thin , thirsty and his eyes were stuck shut but after a bath , a drink and a LOT of sweetcorn he is doing ok !

Ah what a handsome chap!.
Hamster not bad either op!!.

Fantastic! What an adventure hammy has had. Glad they are home safe.

Ahh so glad to see him home!!

Yay, I've been hoping he'd turn up! Glad he's back safe!