I’ve lost DD’s hamster

[ThomasRichard]

DD’s hamster likes to have a wander around the living room so I let her out a couple of hours ago, then saw her climb behind the fire. Now she’s gone. I can’t hear her and she isn’t in the living room. I can’t take the fire out to look for her there. I’ve put her cage on the living room floor with the door open and some food inside and her other cage in the dining room, same thing. I’ll leave the light on in the living room in case she’s lost but I think she’s gone I’ve put the DC to bed saying ‘silly billy hamster’ and ‘she’ll come back to bed when she’s finished eating spiders and having a nap’ but I’m gutted, for them and her and me.

Anyone care to share tales of hamsters reappearing after a trip under the floorboards? Is there anything else I can do to find her tonight? If she doesn’t turn up I’ll get the floor taken up gulp.

We lost ours for three days, had to take a couple of the floorboards up and she came running over (presume thirsty and hungry)
We thought she was a goner. Happens a lot with hamsters and there are some tricks/traps you can set involving buckets and food - hopefully someone else will remember. Don’t give up yet.

Two hamster stories for you - we took ours to a self catering cottage once, the little bugger escaped into the sofa so we took a vegetable knife and cut a little tiny door into the fabric on the back, and he eventually came out.

The second one - for a few days my dad said he thought we had mice in a disused room at the end of our house. Kept hearing scratching, etc. Eventually I went to have a look and lo and behold there was a thin little (v cross looking) hamster stuck in a tin box.... We didn't have one at the time, so I went to the neighbours and reunited them.

Leave food out and sit still, you may hear it.

My DM's hamster managed to survive for a month after getting stuck behind the dishwasher (well they thought he was stuck) turned out he kept coming out during the night and finding stuff to eat.

Don't give up I'm sure she'll return soon!

I had a thread like this! Lots of people shared their happy stories of hamster returns!

I am pleased to say that our beloved pet also came back, but not until he had chewed through a fridge cable. He escaped again, we realised he was head butting the cage door to get it open. I bought a new, massive cage with a wheel that he could actually use and the escape bids have stopped.

Good luck.

A friend of mine lost her hamster but she discovered it had moved into her mattress. A friend of DD's late hamster disappeared under the floorboards and was found 2 or 3 days later sitting on the bench of the flat below.
I'm pleased I have a cat as they can't squeeze into such small spaces!

Omg yes! So many small furry escape stories as a child I had a hamster that escaped from its cage, from on top of our tall fridge....fall down from the fridge and then take up residence behind our electric fire for a few days, before slinking out looking hungry!!
Also a chinchilla darting up a corner pipe cover and getting into the upstairs floorboards and eventually finding its way under the bath where we rescued it after hearing it gnawing away!!
So don't despair yet!!! Fingers crossed hammy comes out looking for food!

Neighneigh your dhamster is very well travelled!! Does he have a little suitcase?

I’ve been sitting and listening for an hour but can’t hear anything except the clock. I’m in a short row of terraced houses and we all have suspended flooring, so there are plenty of places she could be if she’s got under the floor. I’ll print out her photo and stick it through my neighbours’ letterboxes in case she turns up with one of them.

I’d given the DC dire warnings about her being eaten by the neighbouring cats/foxes if they left the door open while she had a scamper. If she doesn’t turn up tonight they’re going to be so upset

Hopefully she really is just having a nap after filling up on a few unwary spiders and will be back in the morning.

One of ours went missing for a week, he just wandered out from behind the drawers in my bedroom one night. He got an involuntary shower one night when he walked over my dp's foot while he was having a wee.

More hamster stories please!

Old Hammy for under the skirting board in the kitchen once. We tempted him out with maltesers. Shoved them right in his cheeks. Lived to be 8!

@Nat6999 did your DP wee on him?

April it was ridiculous really, we lived in Somerset and took him to Northumberland! We were idiots. We went to the same holiday place last year (20 years on) and sadly they'd changed the sofa, possibly because some berk had cut a tiny door in it

Yes,it was shock of something walking across his foot, I had to give him a good wipe with a babywipe & dry him off.

PMSL 😆

Wanted posters have gone out to the neighbours. Food is in place. Fingers crossed.

No reappearance overnight I got the tools out this morning and took the fireplace out of the wall. There’s a tunnel where the old gas pipes were so it looks like she’s gone through that into the chimney breast, which goes all the way down to the foundations. I’ve got a floorboard up and put her ladder down with food at the top and a torch on at the bottom so she can see it’s there if she gets close enough. Also her smaller cage into the fireplace to give her somewhere to go if she comes back out the way she went in. She’s a daft creature but I hope she comes back.

Update: hamster retrieved! DS spotted her sniffing around her food drawer and I coaxed her out with some seeds. She was hungry, thirsty and very dusty but seems no worse for wear. DD has just got to the ‘crying over lost pet’ stage so I’m glad she came back when she did!

The miscreant back in her cage.

Oh thank goodness! Hamsters are right little sods

DDs hamster disappeared down a hole behind the bidet in our bathroom where she was letting him run.
Bidet was removed to reveal a hole under the floorboards. We put a video camera with night vision down there but couldn't see him.
Organised all sorts of traps involving a trail of food up a ladder made from books into a bucket.
Left the cage on the floor with the tube going down into the hole.
Four days later when we had all but given up DD rushes into my room one morning and said that the hamster was asleep in his cage and there he was!

Amazing!

Oh thank god!!

I only had bad stories of hamster escapes.

One chewed through his cage, we tried everything to find him / capture him. No avail.

Another my grandad was looking after one when I was little and we were on holiday. It escaped when his cage was being cleaned and he couldn’t find him so he bought a similar looking replacement. I didn’t find this out until a few years ago so it obviously was a convincing replica

Tiny shackles needed.....

She’s now sulking/napping so we might not be the only ones relieved she’s back. I’m quite encouraged, given that she’s a jumpy little thing that likes to sharpen her teeth on our fingers.

Great rescue/return stories here! Thanks for sharing and giving me some ideas on what to do.

My living room is destroyed and I’m sitting in the middle having a celebratory pizza