It is a common tip Souffle has often mentioned that they do like to go back to their familiar cage and scents. So putting it on the floor can attract them back. Much easier with a front opening door!
Interestingly my first hamster about 30 years ago (it was actually my boyfriend’s hamster) when we knew nothing much about hamsters) had his cage left open every night after we went to bed. He would free roam then go back to his cage and run in his wheel and was always asleep in his cage in the morning. Mind you I didn’t know about the dangers of them climbing tall curtains in those days. Which he regularly did. He lived till he was two in a horrible 3 tier rotostak (but mostly out of it) and then got a large neck tumour - sadly died under anaesthetic to have it removed.
Sounds like your hamster 30 years ago had a lot of fun and never came to any harm. I don't expect that your boyfriend inspected and hamster proofed the room inch by inch like we do nowadays and then still worry when they decide to hide somewhere for a wash and rest.
Oh we absolutely checked the room was hamster-proofed! The bf was very conscious of his hamster's wellbeing and safey! (More so than mine lol). Luckily it was a hamster proof room anyway - solid floors, no gaps anywhere - as long as the doors were kept closed - but the hamster did used to climb the curtains and pop his head over the top - which as the time was amusing but we didn't realise back then about fall risks. In terms of the room being escape proof, hamsters are quite sneaky and clever - this one used to sit on the back of my long dressing gown so when I left the room he hitched a ride as well ha ha. I was half way up the stairs before I felt my dressing gown dragging at the back. They all leave a mark on our hearts. Cried my eyes out when I came back from the vets with an empty cage after his op.
I have this picture in my head now of a hamster hitching a lift on the back of your dressing gown, lol. It's absolutely hilarious!
That hamster must have been a right little character.
Is that when you got hooked on them or did that happen later?
Well I certainly fell for that hamster but no once he was gone (shortly followed by the bf) life got busy. So no more hamsters until about 25 years later when stepson was 6 and we got one for him after looking in the local pet shop and Charlie came nose to nose with stepson and seemed to want to come home with us. I remembered Hammy (yes the first one had such an unoriginal name!) and promptly bought a 3 tier rotostak again but with added yellow tubes and a space dome. Within two weeks realised the cage was unsuitable (he got stuck in some tubes, bar chewed and had cage aggression) went onto google , bought an 80 x 50 cage and found HC. Within a month I had absolutely fallen in love with Charlie who was like my baby . Despite being a grumpy old man at times. He was very much a full member of the family. So that’s when I got hooked really. Charlie lived to 2 years 8 months. Followed by Newt (Syrian) and Nugget (Robo) who both passed within a few months of each other last year. Then got Moo from a rescue at a year old and Pickle last autumn.
Charlie was stepsons Hamster but sort of became mine as well (well somebody had to look after him!)
All our hamsters are part of the family really though and always look happy to me when there is a sofa full of people to crawl over. Newt in particular always perked up when stepson was here and the others perk up at the sound of a younger voice - I think they like children . Although younger children need to be supervised. At 12 stepson is more into making jokes about killing things . But he still likes a hamster crawling over him and was very concerned when Pickle went awol overnight .
Some out-takes from Pickle for the tea party competition. He investigated the chair, then turned his back on everything doing his ostrich, then smelled the food and started to nosh. Sat still for long enough while noshing for me to get the main photo