[Pebbles82]

I thought Pip had escaped the other night. I’ve had a difficult week as my Father passed away last weekend.

I didn’t close the cage door properly one night. I found it just pushed to the following night with quite a large gap down the side. I thought Pip had been quiet - he’s normally making a racket mid evening and on his wheel. So I checked inside his house and rummaged around the cage and no sign of him. More worry and anxiety. So I set up a bucket trap that night and nothing in it next day. On top of everything else it felt like a mammoth task to try and find him. He is so tiny he could have got into any room and certainly under the door into the kitchen. So I thought I’d need a bucket trap and water dish in every room. But we had heard no noises anywhere so I was quite worried.

Before doing all that I thought I’d try going in each room and calling his name and listening to see if I could hear any noises. Nothing. Came back in the living room and there was Pip at the cage bars looking out at me. He clearly recognises his name then. So he was in the cage the whole time but strange he went awol for two evenings. I was so happy to see him and chatted to him and I’m sure he listened.

So drama over. There is no way he could have escaped and gone back to the cage as it’s on the top shelf of a stand - quite a drop to the floor (which is why there’s a large floor cushion there).

I am making a conscious thing of double checking the cage before going to bed. Life has to go on and hamsters still need to be looked after.