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Old 01-19-2019, 05:30 AM   #1
Nbaig
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Join Date: Jan 2019
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Exclamation Help lost hamster

We have a toddler who has a habit of opening the cage and putting the hamster jn his pocket. But he’s never left unsupervised... we also have a cat in the house who hunts, but she wouldn’t eat the hamster she would play with it and leave it once it’s dead. There are no signs of droppings, no signs of a fight between hamster and cat. It’s been a day...

Local pet shop advised us to make humane traps to catch him. Which I am
About to do. I just want to know is there such thing as a service that can come to my home to find my hamster? I am pregnant and a week away from my due date, and feeling very stressed. Please help!

We are living in Luton
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Old 01-19-2019, 05:52 PM   #2
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Help lost hamster

A bucket trap is the usual thing - Get a bucket and put a towel in the bottom (soft land). Then put books and/or dvd boxes up to the side of the bucket, like shallow steps with the top book just above the height of the bucket. Then a 12" ruler on the top book so it is part on the book and part over the bucket - and a tasty treat on the end of the ruler over the bucket - plus some hamster food sprinkled up the books to the ruler and on the floor leading to the books.

Put it in the room you think the hamster may be in and leave the door closed overnight (and keep the cat out of that room). If the hamster comes out they can end up in the bottom of the bucket.

Another thing is leave the hamster's cage door open andhave the cage on the floor in the room - sometimes they just go back to their cage (again keep the cat out of the room).

If you don't know where in the house the hamster is, listen out for any scratching at night (could he have got under floorboards or into a wall somehow?

He may well just be sitting under a sofa or bookcase and come out at night and use the trap.

Just have to say though - cats in the vicinity are extremely stressful for hamsters so they do need to be kept away.
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Old 01-19-2019, 05:57 PM   #3
hisnameispip
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Location: Missouri, USA
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Default Re: Help lost hamster

I recently had a missing gerbil and I made a bucket trap just like Serendipity7000 explained. It actually worked to lure the little guy out and I managed to grab him as he was on his way up the book-steps of the trap. Hope this works out and you find your hamster.
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Old 01-20-2019, 08:21 AM   #4
buttercuplols
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Default Re: Help lost hamster

I really hope you find your hammy. Good luck!
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Old 01-21-2019, 05:30 PM   #5
Nbaig
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Default Re: Help lost hamster

*UPDATE*


We left food around for our little hammy to see if he comes back.. the cats has never really shown much interest in him. But we’ve tried to be careful.

The food was left untouched, we cleared everything in the house and moved everything. We checked the outside security cameras to see if maybe the cat had carried him out, or if my son did actually let little Sam escape... but no luck. We gave up hope. It’s been three or four days... I took my son yday to get a replacement. A lovely girl hamster and we named her goldie...

Today.. I send my husband tO the kitchen to bring me some yoghurt.. he returns saying ‘I think I’ve won the lottery’ he has Sam in his hands!!!! The poor thing was hiding under the fridge! The fridge was fitted by the previous owners of the house and it’s a miracle that sam managed to get in there and survive this long without the cat getting to him!

My new problem is... Sam is a male.. goldie is a female... I can’t keep them both together?! And as I said I’m expecting my second child, we’ll
Be moving to a new house shortly... I’m worried it’ll be too much for me
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Old 01-21-2019, 07:09 PM   #6
Spunkys_Owner
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Default Re: Help lost hamster

Oh, wow. Good thing you found him! But that is a pickle...
If you bought the new hamster from a pet store, then you can technically return her. I'm not really sure what else you could do besides get another cage and own two hamsters.
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Old 01-22-2019, 01:56 AM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Help lost hamster

I don't think it would be too much really - as long as you have space for two cages

They don't eat much - it's two water bottles to do - you and your H could alternate that (hamster bottle one day, nappies the next ). I actually find it quite therapeutic to have a little chore that isn't difficult and is nothing to do with humans.

Here's another big positive to having two. It makes it easier to cope with when one of them dies - and partly why I have two now.

The fridge seems to be a popular place for hiding! In our last house I had to virtually dismantle one end of the kitchen to get the hamster out from behind the fridge!

If you can rig up a playpen area or an area of hallway blocked off, then you can let them out to run around (not at the same time though) without them escaping.

They do need a cage each - even if they were both male or both female they would still need a cage each because hamsters are territorial and would kill another hamster.

If their cage is big enough they only need to come out once or twice a week, not every night.

I can understand the worry at a stressful time when you're moving and having a baby. But once you're moved in it'll all slip into place. I guess it's a case of either "the more the merrier" or - delegation!

I think the toddler may be more hard to manage than two hamsters ha ha. We had bits of lego and all sorts drop in the hamster cage and he soon learned that the fear of harming the hamster taught him to be careful.

Will you have more space at the next house? Eg a room you could leave a hamster playpen up in? Then it's easy to let them out one at a time without escaping.

Not sure what cage you have, and assume they are syrian hamsters not dwarf ones, but the Alaska cage or Hamster Heaven are about the right size.

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...r_cages/284288

It would be a shame to return the new one and very stressful for the hamster being moved twice - and your other hammy will be getting older I assume so you may not have two for long.

The new one, being a baby I guess, may have more energy at first but will soon settle.
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Old 01-22-2019, 02:10 AM   #8
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Help lost hamster

Put it like this - hamsters sleep all day. You put food and water out once a day and if they have enough space in their cage and a cosy house and nest, they more or less sort themselves out mostly.

If it's cleaning you're worried about then here's a tip. You don't need to do it very often at all! The key is to have plenty of substratein the cage - at least 4 to 5" deep - and use a litter tray.

Pet shops usually tell people to clean everything once a week. This is not the case and is very bad for the hamster. The best thing is to never clean everything at the same time - and just "spot clean" occasionally and/or empty the litter tray and refill it every few days and the rest of the cage stays clean and dry. You do the wheel, as and when, and any toys as and when (toys often don't need cleaning very often at all) and do the substrate/litter at a different time again - and if you use a litter tray or spot clean you can easily go about 2 months before needing to change the substrate.

They will use a litter tray if you put it in the right place - which is the place they have chosen as a toilet for peeing - often a corner of the cage. They are quite clean little things really and like to keep their toilet separate. It's usually only baby hamsters who have accidents and pee in the nest at first.

So a few really simple things and the whole thing just ticks over with hardly any effort:

1) A good sized house (a child's shoe box or an adult shoe box if you can fit one in - made with a hole cut for a door - cut the base out and keep the lid as a lift off roof - the house is best open underneath and sat on top of the substrate). The hamster will build a large nest in this and fill it - and they tend to look after their nests if they have enough room to build a large one. They tend to bury hoards under the nest and snack from their hoards. Dry hoards are fine to leave for quite a long time.

You can check inside the house by lifting the roof off - that stops their nest falling apart as it upsets them if anyone messes with their nest or hoard - and then they start peeing on the hoard to deter anyone taking it away!. If all is dry it is fine. If it's pee'd on you need to remove some of the nest and hoard but try and leave some dry behind, and then add a handful of new food in exactly the same place as where the hoard was - so they don't get stressed and start peeing on the hoard. And add new nesting material in a heap in the cage (not inside the house) so they can pouch it, take it to the nest and rebuild it.

This is the main thing for giving them normal behaviours so there is less cleaning to do - a good sized house, left alone mostly, and a litter tray.

The more substrate there is, the less likely the cage needs cleaning, so the substrate lasts longer and it works out a lot cheaper. And the hamster is happier because they can dig, move the substrate around in heaps and burrow down further in their nest.

2) A wheel that's big enough - 8" diameter minimum,but ideally about 11" diameter. Anything smaller than 8" and they can get back problems and need vet care.

3) Leave the set up as it is - hamsters scent mark their cage to find their way around and so it's familiar territory for them (why it's best not to clean everything at the same time so something always smells familiar).

4) Apart from occasional out of cage time they are then more or less self sufficient! You just put food and water out once a day, at the time that suits you, and give them a chew stickand the occasional treat.

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...r_cages/284288
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