Escaped Hamster
Author
Discussion

croyde

Original Poster:

25,546 posts

253 months

Monday 9th July 2012
quotequote all
Belongs to my 12 year old daughter who has only had it 3 weeks. Her mum is off to tell her now and she will be distraught.

Looks like the water bottle wasn't fastened securely and it must of got out last night but as she sleeps all day we have only just realised that's she has gone. I have just returned from a week's trip away so the house is in it's usual tip and I could not even begin to imagine where she has got to.

It's been suggested that I should quietly watch telly till late with her cage door open and she might return, any other tips?

Cheers.

530dTPhil

1,407 posts

241 months

Monday 9th July 2012
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SWMBO says:
You set up a bucket (small metal waste paper basket etc) with some books (or something similar) so that the books make steps up to the top of the bucket. You leave a small trail of something e.g. cooked frozen peas across the floor leading to your 'steps'. You smear the books with crushed peas and put some in the bucket. The trap is set! It's worked for me before.

Don't use too big a trail of food or the hamster will be full up before it falls into the bucket.

grass widow

2,201 posts

246 months

Monday 9th July 2012
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Talking to someone over the weekend who said one of the teachers at her daughters school had got a hamster for a group of school leavers who had learning difficulties to help them understand the responsibility of looking after a pet.

She took it home during the first holidays and the hamster escaped. It has apparently been running around her house for 7 weeks so far, coming out and getting the food she is leaving for it and disappearing again.

I had one when I was a kid that used to escape, I usually found him in a drawer hidden amongst my clothes.

longshot

3,286 posts

221 months

Monday 9th July 2012
quotequote all
Leave the leads to your PC's speakers dangling on the floor and wait a few minutes.
My gerbils couldn't resist them the lil' bds.

Mobile Chicane

21,817 posts

235 months

Monday 9th July 2012
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Check the family cat.

If it's looking contented and well-fed, you have your answer.

Tribal Chestnut

3,001 posts

205 months

Monday 9th July 2012
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Had exactly this last week, daugther didn't secure the lid of his bedroom & out he popped. Caught sight of him out of the corner of my eye the following night. Resisted the urge to felch & replaced the little blighter in his cage.

Superficial

753 posts

197 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
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Staying up late is a good idea but not with the TV on; best to stay as quiet as possible and see if you can hear anything shuffling or scuttling around. Leave the cage door open at all times, it's unlikely but hammy may return to it at some point.

croyde

Original Poster:

25,546 posts

253 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
quotequote all
Well, my daughter made steps out of books going up to the hamsters cage with food on every step as well as food in a bowl in the cage which is all gone this morning smile

Looks like the little bugger is hiding out during the day and coming back for food at night. I'll try the bucket trap tonight.

Google [bot]

6,828 posts

204 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
quotequote all
Or a rat has eaten the hamster and you're feeding it.

Mubby

1,237 posts

205 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
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I once had 3 dwarf hamsters escape from a rotastak cage, they were a nightmare to catch! but perseverence and I got the little buggers by luring them out with food and using the top of the cage to drop down and trap them!

good luck!

croyde

Original Poster:

25,546 posts

253 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
quotequote all
Google [bot] said:
Or a rat has eaten the hamster and you're feeding it.
biggrinyikes

mrsxllifts

2,501 posts

222 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
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Can a humane mouse trap be deployed on Operation Hampster?

VinceFox

20,566 posts

195 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
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Hamsters: natures furious little walking furry bolt croppers.

Good luck smile

croyde

Original Poster:

25,546 posts

253 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
quotequote all
VinceFox said:
Hamsters: natures furious little walking furry bolt croppers.

Good luck smile
Yep! I am now concerned about all my A/V and broadband cables.

Mubby

1,237 posts

205 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
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a few years ago we had a pet rat stuck behind a kitchen cupboard, it had escaped and got in under the fridge and managed to get all the way round to the other side of the kitchen cupboards, we tried for hours to get it out and eventually had to saw holes into the back of one of the cupboards to grab it, the kitchen had only just been put in as well!!

TackleburyUk

493 posts

213 months

Tuesday 10th July 2012
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Leave food out and expect a long night, the little bugger will soon show up!

We had one escape and had to wait up all night, it probably won't be too far from its cage, check low down places where it can make a bed and start searching!

Good luck.

croyde

Original Poster:

25,546 posts

253 months

Wednesday 11th July 2012
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She just came out whilst I was dozing in front of the telly. Made me jump and she disappeared under the sofa. I got up slowly to go and close the lounge doors but she made a run for it between my legs, stopped at the the door, turned to look at me while I stayed as still as possible but then she ran to the kitchen and went for a crack in the splash board under the kitchen cabinets.

I have made a set of steps out of books with food on each step up to her cage again but this time there is a bucket between the last step and her home.

blugnu

1,523 posts

264 months

Wednesday 11th July 2012
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mrsxllifts said:
Can a humane mouse trap be deployed on Operation Hampster?
That's what we did. Had one living semi-wild in our student house, but we used to leave the trap out every now and again so we could check on it. In the end it used to climb up the sofa to it's old house to get food from it's old cage. We discovered that the coffee table was a good semmi-open cage for it as it wouldn't jump off it, presumably judging it too be too high.

Anyway - we had a trap like this. When they get to one end it tips up and shuts the door.




longshot

3,286 posts

221 months

Wednesday 11th July 2012
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Put a Tupperware or similar tub or a cardboard box on kitchen floor, anything about 8" deep.
Make a ramp upto it...perhaps steps using book and put some food IN the container.
Shut door, go to bed.

croyde

Original Poster:

25,546 posts

253 months

Wednesday 11th July 2012
quotequote all
Good news everyone, the bucket trap worked and she's now sleeping in her nest in her cage. Cheers for the advice smile