My hamster escaped

power pants

Have a female hamster around 1 year old. Very sociable with the family etc. On Sunday night I left the cage door opening after feeding her around 9:30pm. Only realised close to midnight

Searched everywhere, left her cage on the ground, placed food in each room, checked literally every inch of the apartment every night.
I've checked in shoes, blankets, drawers, heaters, behind toilet, under fridge, under bed, sofa etc, clothes, bathroom. Nothing

None of the food left out has been touched and no sign of droppings anywhere.

I am confident she did not get out the apartment.

It's now going into day 3. Chances are she is gone? I feel terrible, very annoyed at my irresponsibility.

baby and crumble

Don't worry too much about it, OP. Hamsters are amazing escape artists and are GREAT at hiding.

What you can do is get a bucket or basin that she wouldn't be able to climb out of (smooth sides) and put some food in (treats like fresh veg, grapes, grated apple etc), along with some steps or a ramp up. Hammie will likely climb up and fall in to get food.

Check inside curtains (she might have eaten through and the fallen and can't get out of the inside- happened to one of mine once!). Look inside cereal boxes, veg storage etc.

Bells21

We had a gerbil years ago who used to love climbing down the sides of the sofa. We would have to flip the sofa on its side and remove some of the fabric from the bottom in order to get him out.

Knine

Mine went missing for 4 nights. I was giving up hope so I put a muzzle and short lead on one of my terriers and she lead me straight to the hiding place.

I was rather amazed at the nest he had built himself which consisted of crisp packets, tissue papers and an assortment of chewed up odd socks.

Get some talcum power and leave it around likely places and hopefully you might find little tracks.

baby and crumble

Knine wrote: »

Get some talcum power and leave it around likely places and hopefully you might find little tracks.

That's a really great idea actually!

power pants

Thanks for all the replies. I've literally dismantled and checked everything and anything in the apartment. Just no sign at all, food left untouched in rooms, flour etc. Checked the kitchen units, underneath, behind, any material, clothes.

I'll keep searching but feel confident enough to say she is not there. My fear is under the floors or in the walls. Can't see any way for he to do so but never know

kylith

Have you tried putting up posters around the building? It's possible he found his way into one of your neighbour's apartments.

PoppedPopcorn

Sounds silly but when mine escaped I used her bed to get her back. Left it out close to edge of room I thought she was in !

power pants

Neighbours in apartments rang pest control as could hear scratching between in their roofs. Pest control came and set poison and traps.

I rang the mgt company who put me on to the pest control. They said nothing can be done. Hamster will just die in the walls, roofs.

Absolutely devastated, feel like crying

baby and crumble

I'm so sorry PowerPants.

muddypaws

power pants wrote: »

Neighbours in apartments rang pest control as could hear scratching between in their roofs. Pest control came and set poison and traps.

I rang the mgt company who put me on to the pest control. They said nothing can be done. Hamster will just die in the walls, roofs.

Absolutely devastated, feel like crying

Where are the neighbours in relation to your apartment?

power pants

I'm in the top floor apartment. The noise coming from the floor of the apartment below and the roof below that.
I offered to pay pest control any amount but realistically nothing can be done. Can't see her avoiding all the poison and traps let alone getting back out from my apartment

muddypaws

power pants wrote: »

I'm in the top floor apartment. The noise coming from the floor of the apartment below and the roof below that.
I offered to pay pest control any amount but realistically nothing can be done. Can't see her avoiding all the poison and traps let alone getting back out from my apartment

So how would she have got into that space? I would continue to look for her, try the talcum powder thing and look in the curtains and your furniture as advised.

The fact that pest control came out so quickly would suggest to me that there may have been issues previously, it could well just be a coincidence, don't give up yet.

One_Of_Shanks

They can get into all sorts of tiny spaces, ours got under the floorboards and turned up 4 days later, he actually made his way into the attic and I left the attic door open and he found his way back. He went up the chimney another time.
The poison makes this an emergency obviously.
You've got to call around to all your neighbours and ask them to keep an eye out and ring you if she shows up in their apartment.

I think the poison dehydrates them so she might surface looking for water, then get her to vets immediately.

power pants

Not sure I think there is a tiny gap between the ubend and the wall, only gap whatsoever I found

power pants

power pants wrote: »

Not sure I think there is a tiny gap between the ubend and the wall, only gap whatsoever I found

I've left some more food around the gap at the ubend and some of her nest, maybe she might pick up the scent

Silverfish

Try the bucket trap, get a bucket, weigh it down with a or something heavy in the bottom, put something smelly and tasty in the bottom, and a little ramp into the bucket.
If your hamster still has access into your apartment, it will smell the food and climb into the bucket, but not be able to get out.

I'm not entirely sure that rat/mice bait will also be as attractive to hamsters as they don't always like the same things, but let's hope it can avoid them and get to the bucket.

power pants

Silverfish wrote: »

Try the bucket trap, get a bucket, weigh it down with a or something heavy in the bottom, put something smelly and tasty in the bottom, and a little ramp into the bucket.
If your hamster still has access into your apartment, it will smell the food and climb into the bucket, but not be able to get out.

I'm not entirely sure that rat/mice bait will also be as attractive to hamsters as they don't always like the same things, but let's hope it can avoid them and get to the bucket.

What food do you suggest? Thanks

Silverfish

power pants wrote: »

What food do you suggest? Thanks

Tiny bit of chicken always got my hamster's attention, or a piece of apple, or a small bit of peanut butter.

power pants

Hamster found just now in neighbours apartment. I gave her alot of water, food and left alone in her cage in quiet dark room

I rang pest control that I spoke to today, they said just a case of saying a prayer

Pity only found her now as vets will be closed

I'm so happy /anxious / worried

VonVix

I'm so happy/anxious for you. Fingers crossed everything will work out! Please keep us updated.

jellybear

Oh everything crossed that lil hammy will be okay! So glad you found her

One_Of_Shanks

You should get some polyfilla and black off that little gap you spotted too, in case she makes another jail-break attempt!

Mech1

and check for a gap under your front door.

volchitsa

Is there any news of how little Hamster is this morning?
Hope she's ok.

muddypaws

Any news OP?

power pants

Definitely

She drank water, slept and drank more

Just now asleep but was eating earlier

She made herself her nest, placed her chewing toys in the wooden house

So maybe she will be ok

gimli2112

This story had everything

muddypaws

Oh thats brilliant news, please let us know how she does over the next few days.

power pants

Back on her wheel tonight for the first time and awake for the last couple of hours. Last couple of days just sleeping and drinking which Is expected. Im thinking she will be fine as 48 hrs since captured.

Thanks everyone for the ideas and kind words

volchitsa

So good to hear there seems to be a happy ending to little Ham's adventures!
They often have such a short life span anyway, it really can be heartbreaking sometimes (we had several as children).

Still, looks like she's ok for now, and a natural death is different from the idea of her having been poisoned - that would have been horrible for you.

Thanks for letting us know, I know I'd been wondering about her and I'm sure others had been too.

august12

I love to see updates to this story.

beauf

august12 wrote: »

I love to see updates to this story.

Apparently there's a book deal in the offing...

Was a great thread though. Glad for the op. Sounds like this is common experience for hamster owners.

greensheep777

We had a hamster who broke out one night. Made a hole in the wall behind the washing machine, and travelled up the wall into the attic. Could hear him running around in the attic for the night he was missing.

Ye olde bucket trap was put out and he was in the bucket the next morning!

After he got old and died, we got another hamster. She proceeds to escape, and is straight up the route the old hamster used to take!

They may be small but they are well able to travel.