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 M¢25  Funded By Mahalo ? |  February 27, 2009 05:34 PM

My Daughter's hamster got out of its cage. Does anyone know how to catch or even find a hamster that is lost in your home?

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February 27, 2009 05:43 PM
I would suggest you place his favorite food in the middle of the floor in the room you suspect he is in and wait with a clothes basket. When he peeks out drop the basket.

the how to link said something similar.
"A recommended method for luring your hamster to safety is to get a bucket and a pile of books to make a "stairway" leading into the bucket, and set it up somewhere central in the house. You can line the bucket with a towel if you want, and place some food that your hamster likes in the bucket, perhaps strong vegetables or sliced apples which also leave a smell.

Put some on the steps leading to the bucket too. Hopefully this will act as a kind of trap to find your hamster, as it will smell the food and follow the trail right into the bucket, where it should be unable to climb back out of again, so effectively you have caught it and it is back in your care."

This is also good information...
"Hamsters are surprisingly good escape artists and sometimes get away when they are out to play. They can fit into tiny spaces and can disappear quickly, and getting them back can be tricky. If you are lucky, just leaving their cage open might be enough to entice a lost hamster back home. In the meantime, here are some tips to help you find a lost hamster:

Where to Look
The first thing to do is to look in some common hiding places. Do a thorough search as soon as possible after you lose your hamster, remembering your lost hamster is probably scared and will look for a secure hiding spot:

* Start your search near the cage and go from there.
* Check behind and under furniture, as well as down the sides and backs of sofas, under cushions, etc.
* Check cabinets, drawers, shelves and bookcases. Don't forget to look inside, behind, and under items kept in these places.
* Check the underside of furniture and beds for any holes through which a hamster could climb inside the furniture/bed.
* Check inside any boxes you have around the house, including tissue boxes.
* Look inside any backpacks, purses, other bags, and shoes.
* Check the undersides and backs of appliances for holes into which your lost hamster could have climbed.
* Look for holes or spaces under cupboards or that could lead into the walls. Make a note of these for later.

Tracking a Lost Hamster
Unfortunately, it may be next to impossible to find a lost hamster. You may not even know which room your hamster is hiding in. Here are some tips on tracking hamsters:

* Remember that hamsters are nocturnal, so will probably only move about overnight.
* Place a small pre-counted pile of sunflower seeds on the floor in each room. If any seeds disappear from a room, that gives you a better general idea where your lost hamster is hiding (unless you have any wild mice that are stealing your bait!).
* Sprinkle a little flour or cornstarch on the floor around the piles of seeds. A trail of little white footprints may lead to a hamster's hiding place.
* Similarly, sprinkle some flour across doorways and in front of any suspected hiding spots (like spaces under the cupboards or holes in the wall, as noted on your search). Check for footprints to see where your hamster is travelling at night.
* In the evening, try placing tinfoil or crinkly cellophane on the floor (concentrate on possible hideouts, doorways, and around the cage or food), turn out all the lights and sit quietly. If your lost hamster comes out, you may be able to locate it by the noise made as it walks across the foil or cellophane.

Catching Your Hamster
Sometimes, hamsters are not that easy to catch, even if you locate them, so you might have to set a "trap" to catch your lost hamster:

* Some hamsters will come back to the cage on their own. Leave the cage open on the floor (with a supply of fresh food), near its usual location (or closer to where the hamster is hiding if you suspect a distant hiding spot). You may have to stay up late to close the door on your hamster when he or she returns, though often they are happy to be home and settle in for a nap after eating.
* Set up a "bucket trap" by getting a bucket (deep enough that a hamster couldn't get out of but not so deep that a hamster would get hurt falling in), and place a thick towel on the bottom. On top of the towel you place some really tasty treats such as a thin layer of peanut butter on a cracker, apple slices, and/or cheese (something the hamster will easily smell). Then, make some sort of ramp up the outside of the bucket using wood, a wire shelf, or books stacked to make a staircase. The idea is that the hamster will go up the ramp in search of the food and jump into the bucket to get it, but can't climb back out. I have never tried this personally but have heard it works; the trick is to make the treat so irresistible the hamster will be willing to jump in the bucket for it.
* As a last resort, get a humane mouse trap, also called a live mouse trap (the kind that is a box that traps the mouse without killing it) and bait it with peanut butter. These do occasionally malfunction so could possibly injure your hamster, but that is fairly unlikely and they usually work well.

Remember to be patient and do not give up too quickly. Hamsters seem to manage on their own quite well for a few days, and I have heard from several owners who were sure their hamsters were gone for good then were surprised to have them turn up suddenly after a couple of days. "
Source(s):
http://www.tellmehowto.net/howto/find_a_lost_hamster_818
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/hamsters/a/losthamster.htm



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February 27, 2009 05:39 PM
# Check behind and under furniture, as well as down the sides and backs of sofas, under cushions, etc.
# Check cabinets, drawers, shelves and bookcases. Don't forget to look inside, behind, and under items kept in these places.
# Check the underside of furniture and beds for any holes through which a hamster could climb inside the furniture/bed.
# Check inside any boxes you have around the house, including tissue boxes.
# Look inside any backpacks, purses, other bags, and shoes.
# Check the undersides and backs of appliances for holes into which your lost hamster could have climbed.
# Look for holes or spaces under cupboards or that could lead into the walls. Make a note of these for later.
Source(s):
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/hamsters/a/losthamster.htm


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February 27, 2009 05:54 PM
When my guinea pig got out, the way I found him was putting his favorite toys and bowls of food/treats out on crumbled up paper bags. Why? I could listen for the noise of the crumpled bags being stepped on. When I heard noise I snuck in with a rectangular plastic container, the longest one I could find, and caught him under that from a distance before he had a chance to run.

All of the above are good ideas too. Just remember, before doing anything with a peanut butter product, check and make sure it's not part of the recall. ;) I saw someone's dog die from a peanut butter treat, can never be too careful.

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March 02, 2009 05:28 AM
when my rats get out, i bring them a favorite treat at their feeding time, sit and wait.

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June 11, 2009 07:54 AM
My hamster always escaped and even crawled onto my bed to wake me up and put her back into her cage. I recommend placing the cage onto the floor. You might just find the little hamster in there! Tempting her with a very small piece of strawberry or banana helps, too.
Source(s):
hamster rescuer and veterinary technician
www.rascallyrabbitrescue.org


Tags: hamster, rescue

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