So the hamster has escaped.....

Knine

Alcatraz would not hold this hamster in. She has eaten, gnawed or forced her way out of 6 different types of cages now.

My daughter has gone to school crying and I have 3 Border Terriers. This is not going to end well.

I don't know where to start.

borderlinemeath

Coffee for you would be a good start!
Good luck!

Knine

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Coffee for you would be a good start!
Good luck!

I have booby trapped the house. Placed some tempting treats tied to string in several different rooms so she can lead me to her secret lair. Placed cornflour around doors to check for footprints

I have checked the dog crates for remains

I have been outsmarted by a hamster. I need Vodka!

toadfly

We found ours behind the washing machine before. Check dark places as he will more than likely be asleep now.

Knine

toadfly wrote: »

We found ours behind the washing machine before. Check dark places as he will more than likely be asleep now.

Yep probably fast asleep while I'm pulling my hair out!

The Sweeper

Yeah the niece's hamster escaped while I was over there in May. Went into her room to find the hamster carry box knocked onto the floor and the sawdust everywhere, and the family cat rolling around happily on the floor outside the room (having knocked the hamster box onto the floor). I went instant hamster detective - hands and knees on floor, face down at carpet level and looked out from every angle. What is the darkest spot visible from this impact point? Went into the darkest spot to search: voila, hamster in the corner behind a pile of old shoeboxes, unscathed.

Bixy

Our Houdini was found inside our couch. We could hear him but it took about a day to lure him out again (and no-one could use the couch in the mean time!) good luck!

Kencollins

Two words, SUNFLOWER SEEDS! The little buggers love these, lay a circle of them around, and see which ones disappear. Sometimes hammy will sit there and just eat them all, easy to catch when they are having a post lunch snooze!

Ankhyu

Try to establish which room he's most likely in and keep the dogs out. Put peanut butter in the bottom of a glass, turn it upside down and rest one edge on the edge of a 5 cent coin. The hamster should go inyo the glass and scrabble at the sides to get the peanut butter, and knock the glass down over himself.

Either that or make steps with books or something up to a bucket or other steep container and put some smelly food like cheese or peanut butter in it. Hamster will fall in and not be able to get out again.

IvySlayer

Confine the dogs, or put one on a leash and hopefully he can help sniff him out.

The bucket idea is the best solution

looking_around

I had a hamster that was deadly for finding it's way out of cages.

We used our cat(well, the one, that runs away whenever a mouse/hamster turns towards her.) She always followed the hamster and start meowing wherever it was hiding. If she actually saw the hamster, she'd run to us XD.. well trained I say :P (she was an odd one.)

Hamster, once, had managed, to squeeze himself down a hole. You know bathroom sink and pipes going through the floor?. Fell down from first floor to ground floor.
He wasn't bothered, when we open the panel to access the pipes on the ground floor.

As others have said put the dogs away, maybe grab one and place a muzzle(if you have) and walk them around, they might sniff out the hamster.

Good luck, and let us know if you find the critter.

baby and crumble

Yeah, check dark places. He'll still be asleep wherever he's managed to hide. The bucket thing is best, I'd be wary of using a glass that precariously balanced, far too easy for it to get knocked onto a little hamster leg. Their bones are really delicate, and glasses are heavy.

fredweena

My friend's was found outside unscathed after two days. Couldn't believe it.

Knine

She has been captured. The large piece of cheddar cheese with a long string attached proved to be too much of a temptation. She was under the wardrobe in my daughters bedroom.

She escaped from a padlocked cage by bending the bars on the door!

Ankhyu

The bould fecker. Those Syrians are probably even better at escaping than their dwarf counterparts!

Knine

I can safely say this is the boldest hamster I have ever had.

She had a lovely big hard plastic tank cage. It took her one evening to eat her way out of that. Luckily enough I seen the head sized hole before it was too late.

Another time I got her a new bigger cage with loads of levels and she opened the door of that one, escaped and got back into her old cage.

I was really keen to find her fast as she is not a young hamster and needs plenty of water now.

SimonQuinlank

Had a hamster years ago that escaped from every sort of plastic and metal cage we put him in.Sometimes we wouldn't even have noticed him gone until you'd see him out the corner of your eye strolling around the bedroom floor happy as larry!

Friend used to keep lizards but had sold them on when he was moving,and had a spare wooden framed sliding glass door tank which worked a treat,hamster alcatraz!

Knine

I have been keeping an eye on adverts for one of those lizard cages.:D

A couple of months ago I sitting in bed watching a DVD when I saw a hairy 5 inch black furry thing coming at me! I let a scream that would do a banshee proud in the split few seconds before I realised it was the hamster!:eek:

The Diddakoi

We always kept our Hamsters in a fish tank (without water of course.....well....with water to drink obviously, but you know what I mean Easy enough to make up a wooden framed lid, and no hope of escape.

NicoleL88

Hey OP,

Your Syrian is absolutely adorable. Have you checked her teeth lately? I would be concerned that the biting/gnawing might be due to overgrown teeth and she may need to have them clipped. However, sometimes it's caused by boredom. Can I ask what size cage she's being kept in and if you have any things like mineral blocks, wooden chews, cardboard rolls etc that she can chew on?

Knine

I actually only checked her teeth last week as I was worried all the gnawing would have damaged them.

She is in a medium sized cage, has all the stuff to chew on but she destroys the commercial treats in a short space of time.

I do get large kitchen roll tubes and stuff treats into the middle, all sorts of tasty morsels. Then on each side of the treats I fill the tube with bedding, straw, unscented kitchen roll etc. It is sort of like a hamster kong when I'm finished. She has safe branches to gnaw on. She has a wheel which she loves and also loves getting out in a hamster ball. Follows you around the house like a dog (dogs are put outside for this)

She is a long haired Syrian and extremely tame.

NicoleL88

Hamster Kong, ha ha!

You might be familiar with this forum, but if not I highly recommend visiting and saying hello to everyone. I have found it incredibly useful over the years of owning hamsters. Everyone is so kind and helpful and most of all knowledgeable about all types of hamsters. They might be able to help regarding more techniques to keep your hammy entertained and safely contained too!

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/hamster-central-forum-topics/

looksee

Agree about the fish tank - we had one with a wire cover and a lot of bedding for gerbils - the gerbils used spend all their time moving the heap of bedding from one side to the other, hamsters will eat their way out of anything.

honerbright

So glad you found the little monkey! She's a very beautiful hammy

We used to have Hamsters here and one day we lost one... found him under the couch chilling with the cat :O Completely unharmed, the cat was just laying there watching him but jeez my heart almost stopped when I seen them!

Knine

The dogs I have drool when they see her. I keep them well apart :eek: They would most certainly kill her.

She is really lovely and I was really worried we would never see her again.

honerbright

My dog is the only reason I haven't gotten another hamster. The cat adores them (she wen't into quite a funk when the last one died, she lay on the couch and didn't eat for days ) But the dog is so bouncy and excited and likes to pick up/catch/hunt anything that moves I would live in such constant worry. Such a shame because they really make amazing pets.

baby and crumble

She's gorgeous!!!

I think we got lucky with Isabella, she just was never arsed escaping. I left the cage door open one evening by accident, came back to see it wide open and had a fit. I poked around in the bed and a very disgruntled sleepy hammie gave me pure evils from her cosy little nest. Not impressed at me poking around at all!

deadeye187

It just so happens i`m the worlds best hamster finder!......


No hamster to lost, no hamster can`t be broken and house trained!

boomerang

I got my favourite Syrian here on boards. She'd turned up on someone' back door step in Dublin. Sure enough, Ellie was a rogue, wired for sound and mad for adventures! When you get a nice hamster they are the funniest, sweetest pets.

I bought a four foot glass fish tank off a friend of mine who had made a wooden frame and wire lid. It was for gerbils originally but it was also perfect for dwarf hamsters and even a Syrian, maybe. Only down side was you couldn't attach anything to the sides so toys had to be free standing. I got a drinking bottle with suction cups.