So maybe you've been in this situation before, or you're afraid it's going to happen someday. After all, if you own a hamster there's a chance it will escape sometime in its life, despite your best efforts. The reason I'm writing this thread is because it happened to me- my little robo Tangerine escaped out of his extra cage. It's a scary situation, but I hope the advice in this thread will help if it ever happens!
Scenario 1
So you're in the room where your hamster's cage is kept. You turn around to see your hamster on the floor, somehow loose from its cage. Here is what you should do-
1. Immediately block off the door(s) that lead to the room you're in. If you can, get some towels, fabric or clothing to stuff under the door crack to prevent your hamster from squeezing under the door. You can also place objects such as storage bins in front of the door if clothing or fabric isn't available. Also block off closet doors using the same method.
2. Remove any other pets from the room such as cats or dogs so that they cannot attack your hamster. In general, you should always keep other pets out of the room your hamster is in.
3. Get anything up off the floor that your hamster could hide under/in. This includes baskets/storage bins, clothing, toys, and anything else that is light enough to pick and move to a higher place such as your bed or a countertop.
4. Get someone to help you if you can. Sometimes this isn't a possibility if you live alone or you are home alone, but having someone else to help you can be really useful.
5. If they are available, use flashlights to search in and under furniture where it is dark. This can make your job easier.
6. Gather things to capture your hamster if you spot them. This can include cups or buckets, or even things around you such as toys, bowls, or anything else that could be used to scoop your hamster up. Using your bare hands usually isn't a good idea, for two main reasons:
1. Your hamster could bite you if it feels threatened
2. Your hamster could easily slip out of your hands, especially if they are small (mainly dwarf hamsters, especially robos.)
7. Avoid making loud noises. These can scare your hamster, sending it running into the nearest hiding spot.
8. Eliminate all other household noises if possible and listen quietly for sounds of your hamster running, scratching or biting. This can easily lead you to them or at least near them.
9. Avoid leaving the room too much if you can in order to prevent your hamster from getting out if it. Having an extra person to help will make this a lot easier as they could watch or stand in front of the door.
10. If you can, put your hamster's cage on the floor and open its doors or make it possible for them to get in on their own. Sometimes this isn't possible due to your cage's design. Some hamsters will get tired and go back into their cage. Monitor the cage so that you may shut its door if your ham decides to go in it.
11. If you suspect your hamster may have escaped to another room you can use small dishes and place a certain number of their favorite treats in them. Remember how many treats you put in the dishes so you know if your hamster has eaten any.
12. If all else fails and you still cannot find your hamster, you can create a humane bucket trap. Here's a tutorial for one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkB7nUtQoKM
Do everything you can to can to prevent your hamster from getting into other rooms. If you suspect your hamster may have gotten out of the room its cage is in, follow the procedure for scenario 2.
Scenario 2
So you go into the room where your hamster's cage is. You go over to their cage- and they're not in there. You check in their burrow, in the bedding, in their hideouts- everywhere. You upturn the whole cage and you still can't find them. They must have escaped. This situation is scarier than the first one, but stay calm. Some of the steps are the same as the ones in the first procedure, except there are a few different steps.
1. Immediately get any cat(s) or dog(s) you own into a separate room. Be sure to thoroughly check the room you're putting them into though, just to be sure your hamster isn't in it.
2. Use step 4 in scenario 1 if you can.
3. Like step 6 in scenario 1, gather things to capture your hamster with.
4. Using steps 3 and 5 in scenario 1, thoroughly check each room of your house/apartment before shutting its door and using towels, clothing or fabric to completely block off the bottom of the door.
5. First check in the rooms you suspect your hamster to most likely be in, such as the kitchen or the room their cage is in.
6. Use steps 7 and 8 in scenario one when you are in each room.
7. Use step 11 and 12 in scenario one in each room before you block it off. Check up on the dishes/bucket traps every few hours if you still cannot find your hamster.
8. If you have wood or tile floors (any flooring except carpet) you can sprinkle thin layers of flour over them. If your hamster walks in the flour it will leave tiny pawprints. This can lead you to where they may be hiding or which room they are in or have been in.
9. Use step 10 in scenario 1 if you can.
Remember to stay calm, despite how difficult this may be. The faster you search for your hamster the faster you can catch them. If they escaped from their cage and you find them, place them into a spare cage or tall container which they cannot escape from. Access how they escaped if you can. Here are some questions you can ask yourself-
-Are there any holes in their cage?
-Does their cage have bars (or wire mesh)? If so, are the bars (or wire mesh squares) spaced too far apart so that your ham could squeeze through?
-Does your cage have a lid? If not, are there any toys they could have used to climb out?
-If your cage does have a lid, does it have bars or mesh at the top (like the zoozone 2)? Are there any kebabs, hanging toys or tall toys that your hamster could have climbed on top of and squeezed through the bars or mesh?
Before placing your hamster back in its cage, do anything you can to prevent your hamster from escaping again (i.e. getting a cage lid, temporarily patching holes in the cage until you can get a new one, or even better just getting a new cage if the bars or mesh are too big or if the cage is irrepairable).
Scenario 3
You are supervising your hamster while it plays in its playpen and it escapes. If you have a syrian or a slow hamster the most obvious thing to do would be to pick them up and put them back into their playpen or back into their cage. But if you have a dwarf, a robo, or a very fast hamster, they may outrun you. Follow the steps in scenario 1. If your hamster was free ranging and it escaped, follow the steps in scenario 2.
Things to do to prevent escapes
Despite our best efforts, sometimes our hams can be sneaky little escape artists. But by following the steps below, you can lessen the chance of this happening.
1. Mentioned earlier in the thread under scenario 2 in the section where I mention accessing how your hamster escaped, ask yourself those questions about your hamster cage, preferably before you move your hamster into the cage. You can also ask yourself those questions about your current hamster cage and upgrade it if needed.
2. Be sure that your cage has a lid, preferably one that locks or latches. Also be sure it is ventilated and allows good air flow. Even if you think your hamster couldn't escape without a cage lid, think again. Not only will the lid lessen the chances of your hamster escaping, but it will also keep your ham safe from dogs or cats if you own any and it could protect your hamster from falling debris if there were to be an earthquake, tornado or any other natural disaster and you couldn't get to your hamster in time to move their cage.
3. If you can, place tall boxes or tall containers along the outside of the edges of your hamster cage. This way, if your hamster climbs out of the top of its cage it is likely to fall into the containers and not be able to escape from them until you are able to put your ham back into its cage.
4. Always remember to shut your hamster's cage door/lid and secure it if it is opened. Sometimes accidents happen and you may forget but putting a note or poster on or near the cage that reminds you to shut it may help.
5. Tell any guests, visiting friends, family members or neighbors and especially young children to not open the cage without your permission. If you do allow them to open the cage when they want, show them how to properly lock/latch it back when they are done.
6. If you get a petsitter to watch your ham show them how to properly lock/latch the cage and tell them how important it is that they remember to do so. If you leave a care guide for them be sure to include how to lock or latch the cage in it. Generally it is best to not have the pet sitter interact with your ham just to avoid an injured or escaped hamster.
7. If you can, keep the door(s) of the room that the cage is in shut whenever you are not around or you leave your house/apartment. That way if your hamster escapes they can't get out of the room and into other rooms.
8. If you use a playpen, be sure it is tall enough and chew proof so that your hamster can't easily get out of it.
9. If your hamster is free ranging, be sure to keep them in one room and eliminate any places they could squeeze in/under if you can. I recommend researching free ranging before doing it so that you know how to do it safely.
Following the steps above could prevent scenarios 1,2, and 3 or at least lessen the chances of them happening.
Whew! If you have anymore questions or things you would like to add, just tell me. Hopefully this info can help anyone with an escaped hamster or lessen the chances of it happening.
What to do if your hamster escapes
I went back and read the whole thing and I could have written some parts better but oh well lol.
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