How to recapture an escaped hamster

[babyboos]

This is a question that is asked frequently, an indication perhaps of how good hamsters are at escaping from their enclosure. It is important to capture them quickly as hamsters can be very destructive when allowed to roam free. They can chew through just about anything - furniture, doors, curtains and electrical wiring are common targets. All of these can seriously injure your hamster in the process or potentially cause it to pass over the Rainbow Bridge a lot quicker.



If you lose your hamster outdoors, the chances of recapture are not good. and anyway what were you doing outdoors anyway - there are far too many germs and dangers outside, but an indoor escapee can often be recaptured using the following simple method.



Get a deep, high-sided bucket or basin. It has to be at least 12 inches (30cm) deep but ideally 18 inches deep to ensure that the hamster can't jump out. Syrian hamsters are incredibly persistent and can scramble their way out of surprisingly deep containers. Dwarf hamsters can also jump but their smaller size means that they don't get quite so much height. Although Roborovski with their proportionately longer back to front legs have been known to jump as far as 3 feet in the air!



Make a "staircase" up to the edge of the container using books or magazines.



Remember ONLY on the outside of the container!



Place a trail of food up the staircase and leave a liberal amount in the bottom of the container. Something with a pungent aroma will help to attract the hamster from its hidey-hole. Apple slices, fresh green vegetables such as broccoli, or boiled/scrambled egg are favourites.



Leave the "trap" in the room that the hamster escaped from, unless you suspect that it has taken up residence in another part of the house or flat. The best time to lay the trap is in the evening, with the lights off. With any luck, you will find the hamster in the bottom of the container in the morning.



If you are not sure which room they have taken up residence in you may need a trap in a few rooms. Make sure to close all doors when moving between rooms during the day. On hard surfaces you can sprinkle some flour on the floor. I leave a saucer with a few grapes and sunflower seeds out in each room and check them frequently - they can't resist :oops: Cucumber or some other water bearing fruit or vegetable works just as well and provide enough moisture to keep them going for a few days.



Remember to shore up the hamster's cage before returning its occupant. Watch out for loose bars and clip-style wire doors that can be forced open by a strong pair of hamster teeth.

[souffle]

Very useful info Babyboos. Thanks. Another thing if all else fails and the escapee is male is to borrow a female and put it in the room in it's cage where the roving male can scent it. You of course MUST stay up all night till he appears but usually they simply can't resist!

[babyboos]

Yeah and if she is in season (which is every 4 days) you wont have to wait too long :oops:



I should have added that in addition to closing all doors you should seal them, and wardrobes/closets, with a towel, remove any cats or dogs from the area (and if possible, keep them outside). Although my cat does let me know where a hamster is hiding usually :roll: but she is well trained :wink:



I once saw a picture of a bucket trap with a hamster tube snaking its way up into the bucket but using "stairs" means you can sprinkle food on each step. I often dangle a millet spray near the edge of the stairs - as the hamster reaches to eat the seeds they fall in which is nasty but gets them every time. I always make sure there are some in the bottom for them to munch on. Apple slices and peanut butter have far travelling scents but not all hamsters like peanut butter. I always get success with apple but use some of your little one's favourite treat as well.

[furrynavel]

In the past I have also used a humane mouse trap and I had to extend it slighly using a plalstic tube as my hammie was a tad 'sturdy' and could snatch the treat while keeping the door open with their bum before making a quick getaway.

[babyboos]

Is that Mimosa? Has she developed into a fine big lass?

[furrynavel]

Ha Ha, no Mimosa was easier to catch. This was a hammie from many moons ago. He escaped out of a S.A.M cage when the wheel attachment fell off and he managed to squeeze through a small gap in the skirting of the kitchen cupboards. The cupboard went right down into the foundations under our house and I though he was lost for good.

I kept putting food out for him and it kept disapearing so I knew something was eating it. He stayed down there for about a fortnight until I eventually caught him.

He was none the worse for wear and had almost doubled in size!

Mimosa is doing grand, she is patiently awaiting her new souper douper cage after my pitiful attempts to enlarge her current cage :oops:

[Emms]

When Twinkle escaped I put her cage on the floor and filled it with food, about 2 hours later she was happily sitting in her cage.

Emma x

[babyboos]

It is always beneficial to pop the cage down on the floor with the door open and some nice apple slices (smell attracts hamsters) plus a full food dish and water bottle. Even if they just come back for some food and water and run away again it is better that they are fed and watered.

[Pouchy]

Apparently vacuum cleaners can be quite a help if they get stuck behind cabinets and wardrobes where you cannot reach........... Wasn't this how the hamster that got stuck in a vertical pipe was rescued ?

[babyboos]

can't say I would ever dare vacuum a hamster just in case they got damaged internally... woudl do anything else I possibly could first

[Matty Day]

i would say that big cheese humane mouse traps are safe for dwarfs. i used a humane rat tap to recapture my old syrain Baldrick when he escaped i left the lid on his tank half open.

[babyboos]

Glad you got him back :wink: :lol:

[Maisydae]

we once found a hamster in our watering can, we didnt even have a hamster at the time! After not succeding in finding the owner we kept it. He was one of our most tame hamsters ever.

[Keira_G]

Or wait and let it get to your fridge!!!

I have had a few hamsters that have excaped and they both turned up half way up the back of the fridge - even if they excaped upstairs and at the other side of the house.

xx

I have no idea why this is!

[Jenni_08]

When my robo escaped my OH chucked a sheet over him, which slowed him down & before he could get out the sides I scooped him up (still in the sheet) & plonked him back in his tank :lol: We never could've done it without the sheet as he's SOOOO fast...

[happysaz133]

That's a great informational post, thanks! We had an escapee who we left his cage on the floor with the door open. Each night he was going back into his cage, eating/drinking, and then leaving again. We eventually caught the little sneak. The bucket trick would have been useful. Thanks!

[liam4mail]

That is so useful. Thank you. However, I am sad to hear they escape as it makes me think they do not want to be in their cage and it seems cruel they have to be. :(

[suga]

Its just there inquisitive nature. Its not so much a hamster doesn't want to be in the cage, its just they can't resist a nose and a wander if the opportunity arises.

[liam4mail]

I will remember to keep my occupied with toys then! :)

[stripeybea]

i didnt realise that my hamster had escaped till about three in the moring when i heard a bang turned on the light looked to where the noise came from (a frame falling down) to see a very shocked hamster on the window ledge looking at me as if to say wot i was having fun. the wierd thing was that there was nothing near the window ledge she could have climed up to get there just a flat wall.spider ham
luckily all i had to do was pick her up and put her back in her cage.

[robyn_pickles]

I doubt I could ever actually lose Pickles, all I do is make a kissy clicky noise, shake some treats and say pic pics! and she emerges from wherever she is and toddles over! A poor excuse for a rodent haha! is this normal?!

[busylizzie71]

I think every hamster I have ever owned has got out at least once, except the dwarf ones because they lived in fish tanks.

This is the best idea I have heard, will certainly put it in practice if/when Sugar gets out (and lets face it, she almost certainly will one day :roll: ).

[A7X4evr33]

What you can do is you can close all the doors of your house and in therooms put one of your hamster's favorite food or just some treats. and then come back about an hour or more later and check which room the treats are dissapearing in. Be careful where you step. What i would do is slide my feet instead of stepping because then you wont step on the hamster you would only just bump into him. Don'y vaccum! the hammy will be sucked up.

I wish you the best of luck to find your beloved hamster! :)

[chavers]

I doubt I could ever actually lose Pickles, all I do is make a kissy clicky noise, shake some treats and say pic pics! and she emerges from wherever she is and toddles over! A poor excuse for a rodent haha! is this normal?!

yep, totally! all i do is pat the floor a couple of times, then shake the food and out he pops. He goes mental when he hears the sound of a plastic bag being opened so that always works too! ruled by his little tumtum :)

[HamstersAreHardcore]

^^^ Lol ^^^

[LocoRocoPanda]

Gosh I remember the hell when my Robo escaped. I tore my room upside down to find him :( If only I'd had this advice when I sat up in the dark in total silence trying to listen out for him...

[mangoandmimi]

lol if mango escaped i go
Mango?? Mannggoooooooooooo?? come here and have some yummy yum treatiess!!! *shakes packet of choclate drops* and he runs to my hand like a fool lol XD
with mimi , she makes loud scuffling noisees when she runs along and so i know which room she's in, then i do a massive long trail of food right up to her cage lol and into her house XD yep she folows it aaaaaaall the way XD food addict!
as for the dwarfs i might just give up lol XD

[mangoandmimi]

robos would be a nightmare. i dare not find out with mine.
hmm the dark idea would be good!
but all my rooms have little hidey hole places - eg behind wardrobes and beds etc. perfect for naughty little robos!

[Faerydae]

I remember when one of my first robos escaped, he'd do it quite often but the longest was for 2 weeks and I was wondering why I could never get him out with food... I went to pull a tub out of my wardrobe and there he was with a MASSIVE pile of food XD

And when I first got my 2 latest hamsters, within 10 minutes of bringing them home, chibi found the slightest hole in the mattress and was inside it... we emptied the bedroom before realising and then had to slice open the side of the mattress to get him ¬_¬
then the second night he escape and my OH woke up to find a hamster sat on his face haha

[Redame]

I remember when one of my first robos escaped, he'd do it quite often but the longest was for 2 weeks and I was wondering why I could never get him out with food... I went to pull a tub out of my wardrobe and there he was with a MASSIVE pile of food XD

And when I first got my 2 latest hamsters, within 10 minutes of bringing them home, chibi found the slightest hole in the mattress and was inside it... we emptied the bedroom before realising and then had to slice open the side of the mattress to get him ¬_¬
then the second night he escape and my OH woke up to find a hamster sat on his face haha

Lol Faery! That story about waking up with a hamster on your face... How did he react when he was still ''half-asleep-but-slowly-waking-up''? I think I would be first like ''WHAT THE???'' but after a second you realise it is your little hammie and then I would melt!

[fluffymunchkins]

I would probably just go back to sleep as soon as i found out it was a hamster :mad:
My room is hamster secure at night though so its not that important if they escape!

[Faerydae]

Lol Faery! That story about waking up with a hamster on your face... How did he react when he was still ''half-asleep-but-slowly-waking-up''? I think I would be first like ''WHAT THE???'' but after a second you realise it is your little hammie and then I would melt!

haha it shocked me more actually, nothing wakes him :p but he walked over my foot first and I was still asleep going "there's a spider climbing over me!!".... then I woke up :/ haha

[Stormx]

my syrian escaped and got under the floor boards updtairs i cried for ages till my dad made a hole in the ceiling and when he looked up he was looking at my dad to say helloo its fun up here :) sadly he died 2 weeks later but the hole was there for months

[Womblehands]

I've never had an escapee.. i put pegs on all their doors just in case.. we once lost Bo down the back of the settee once, i cut my hands to shreds looking for her down the back then saw her sitting by my feet watching me... i thought i was going to have a heart attack..

[supermum]

I am glad Cordelia just comes over to us, she doesnt try to protest at all, we havent had to use food to get her back bless her. She loves my 10yr old daughter so if she is up when she escapes its her that puts her back lol. (She is sneaky and can open her pods grrr)

[Pomegranate]

I've had no escapes yet, touch wood. :) When Pudding was in a HH, the small top door was a little weak, so I reinforced it with a couple of binder clips, just in case. Don't know if she could have opened it on her own, but I felt better knowing she definitely couldn't with the clips on.

[navat]

my hamster is really good, his cage is open most of the evening and he is able to run freely round my bedroom. when hes had enough he goes back in his cage and goes to sleep. alot of the time he will go back in his cage just to run on his wheel!!

i love it when hes out hes a right little explorer. he climbed up a dress in my wardobe and was hanging from the coat hangers, i could hear them clinking. he can also climb up my walls as they are chip paper walls and up the curtains and on top of the wardobes hes a right little climber!!

I've done this for over a year and never once has he gone to sleep outside the cage or hurt himself. although once he did get hold of a whole packet of dried apricots that i had to wrestle from his as their bad for hammys!! i must admit I've never had a hamster that I've been able to do this with, i think he just has a really good personaility, he isn't a chewer so i dont have to worry about that, and i think he feels safe in his cage as he always returns:mrgreen::mrgreen:

[CoolcatNatNat44]

Glad Nibbles has never escaped xD

[linford27]

at 3am yesterday, we heard a rustling in the bathroom. my hubby thought it was a rat, he got his bb gun (!) and it turned out to b Charlie, in the bathroom cabinet, he'd opened his habitrail pod, got into the skirting boards, and used the pipes or floorboards somehow to get upstairs, he definetly didnt use the strairs so must've come through the floor! we managed to tempt him into the bathroom bin with a grape and return him!

[fluffymunchkins]

Gosh, a BB gun :shock:
Glad you managed to get naughty Charlie back though :) Grapes seem to work well, I used a grape and a biscuit to get my first hamster back when he snuck under the piano :roll:

[linford27]

apparently he was about to pull the trigger and realised it wasnt a rat in out bathroom cabinet! i think he got a bit over excited....

another escape this lunchtime, someone (....) had forgot to close the pod, and charlie spent a minimum hour running round the kitchen without anyone noticing! i reckon he ran his 8 miles, and picked up a few crumbs on the way!

[hannahbubble]

I remember using this bin trick about 7 years ago, I had a syrian hamster called Milkshake who lived in the hall downstairs, because her wheel was too noisy for me to sleep. She'd chewed a massive hole in the side of her cage which we kept patching up with old cds and things.

Every night she would get out, run up the stairs and come in my room. There must have been a hole in my floor because I could always hear her under my bed but never see her.

She always fell for the bin trick though, and I'd be sat waiting with a torch to go and put her back.

[MommaHammie]

One of my robos escaped a few weeks ago and I was in tears because I literally turned my room upside down to look for him. My room is upstairs and I left my room slightly open on the day cause it was getting quite warm. They were in the play pen connected to their cage when my bf put a hanging treat in it so I believe that's how he got out (smart little bugger).

I asked my housemates if they've heard any scratching or random movements around their rooms. As my room was upstairs I didn't think he would be downstairs but apparently my house mate got woken up by some scratching in the kitchen. I went down stairs and saw this little thing running around! I tried to chase him but he went straight to the gap under the cupboards.

We tried putting treats outside the gap but Alfie is a shy scaredy cat so my bf had to rip a part of our cupboard just to get him out. Took over an hour before we managed to get him back!

[DwarfHam]

Vacuum is quite bad idea.. But the creativity is good :D

[SprinkleHamster]

Our little hamster has escaped his cage several different times, and thankfully he has been pretty easy to recapture. We dont have a big condo, and we don't have a lot of places he likes to go. He always seems to find his way from my stepson's room to our bedroom and if i have a piece of clothes on the floor like my sweatshirt, I normally find him snuggled in it. I often will hold our little guy and have him sleeping in my pocket with one of my hands underhim for support so he feels safe and secure it in; so if he gets loose we normally find him looking for someplace safe and secure feeling.

[ElliotHamsterHeart]

With my hamster that ran away I sat in my room at night thinking he would have escaped to thins room, then I heard my mum scream in the hallway as she nearly stepped on him! xxx

[Anthorn]

Keep the door to the room where you keep your hamster closed at all times so you then at least know which room they are in if they escape. Like cats they love cardboard boxes so a small box with a ramp and a bit of food inside. They can get inside but can't get out but they will eventually gnaw their way out.

[Pickle]

My boyfriend got pickle out when I was at work and she escaped out of the ball because he wasn't watching. I'm so upset, I've left her cage on the floor with the door open and food trailing up and left traps with bits of ripe banana on. I so scared she's fallen somewhere and broken her leg or crawled outside or into the neighbours where they might squish her :(

[jawnski]

I got my first hamster (Syrian) yesterday. Long story short, I'm keeping him in the basement and he got out over night. Most of my basement is finished, but some isn't, and there are unreachable areas all behind the walls. Basically, a mouse/hamster's dream world.

I went to check on him at 7am when I woke up, and he was gone. Naturally, I panicked. Tore apart the finished and unfinished basement ares (deduced that he forced himself through a door to the unfinished basement area that wasn't fully closed because of wires), but couldn't find him. Started Googling, and found a method that said place sheets of tinfoil with mounds of their food in different rooms then turn all your lights off and wait (depending on time.) The method was more complicated (flour to track them, bucket traps, etc.) Since it was still early and he was still likely active, I quickly did this, turned all the lights off and waited.

Within 5-10 minutes I heard the crinkle of tinfoil in the furthest part of the basement from his cage (also unfinished), and my flashlight app revealed the little guy wolfing down his chow. Scooped him up in a solo cup, he didn't even try to run.

Basically, this method was incredibly effective for me. Highly recommend for basements and probably anywhere in the house!

[Purdy Bear]

I wonder if dog biscuits would work, as the field mouse in our house loves to nick them from my dogs bowl (it's Wagg dog food). I have a humane rat trap and some mice traps to get the little rodent so I can rehouse him in a local field full of Blackberry bushes. I will keep the other tricks in mind for said rodent, which I don't mind keeping in a suitable habitat just not under my cabinet.

Here's a You Tube video of a Hammie Rescue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPWLo1PfIo0

The duster method - You Tube vide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqXRJAg08ZY

[Skyblue2001]

When rainbow kept escaping i just left her cage open and she returned on her own.

[Libby01]

Maybe the vacuum thing would work if you put a stocking/tights/pantyhose (whatever they're called!) over the end and then put a tube over the end. It wouldn't suck them up. Would scare them though so would only do it as a last resort like if they're stuck somewhere.

[DCSHOECOUSA]

vaccum sounds pretty dangerous

[Whiskee]

I am wondering if you all figured out exactly how your hamsters escaped? I would like to prevent this happening with my new young Russian Dwarf, so I would love to know! Thank you!
I already thought that he escaped from his DIY bin the other day, I never had a lid on it for my previous sweet girl, Laydee, but this little guy is young and fast. After the first night, I thought he was gone and I dug through the bin, no ham. Searched my apt, no ham. Revisited the bin and he was there, in the corner, screaming in fear. :( I think I was more traumatized than him even! ANYWAY, now that the bin has a screen on top, I am wondering if he can escape the attached Critter Trail cages. Don't know how he would, but checking! :-)

[HenriandHobieHammies]

This was the first post I ever saw on HC. I was looking for a soulution for when Hobart escaped and this was the method that I caught him with! Great post even though the next day he escaped again!! :( :( :(

[Mollie and Sassy]

This is a great idea and tried it but didn't work. I have lost and found sassy (my hammy) 6 times. She is very smart and she knows when to come out, what not to go in as she has been out so many times and knows most of our tricks, but there is one thing that she always falls for. If she hasn't had enough water. We have a humane rat trap and have used it a couple times and it does work if you put a water bottle where the lever is.

You can buy one on Amazon.co.uk, it is called big cheese humane rat trap (or something like that). Very useful tool, and worth the money as you get your furry little friend back. I also have found a method that without fail works, If you get a phone, a camera or anything with a lot of storage left on it, set it up on the main area of your home and leave all the doors open, Place some food where the camera has been set up (so you have the food in the view of the camera screen) and record over night but make sure its a smelly food like cucumber or cheese but i like to put a bit of broccoli down as sassy loves it.

Make sure you have view of most of your doors so you know which room she/he goes in last and then narrow it down to the room he/she has gone in, last step is a bucket trap or as I like to use. The Humane Rat Trap. If this doesnt work, I would stay up all night with facetime or skype going through the house on 2 devices with a torch so i can leave it dark, once spotted the escapee, i will calmy go down to where he/she is, bringing the facetime or skype with me so i can watch where she has run off too, and i will use my playpen to stop her getting out of where she is. Then that is when I know I have her back. This is a lot to go through but i dont know what i would do without my little sassy.

[slatted]

In the past I have also used a humane mouse trap and I had to extend it slighly using a plalstic tube as my hammie was a tad 'sturdy' and could snatch the treat while keeping the door open with their bum before making a quick getaway.

When my baby Robos escaped they resisted the bucket trap and food based attempts but were finally caught using a humane mouse trap into which I had poured some of their Mum's bathing sand!