ProudGrandma Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 adn we can't find a missing hamster. OUr home is a 3 story home....unfinished basement, main floor and bedrooms upstairs. We have looked every where we think possible on the main floor. If he is in the basement, it is a lost cause...way too much junk down there...and if he is upstairs I would be amazed, because there are a lot of stairs to get there. But they are carpeted, (all but the top one), so I don't know. we have left food out all over the place, and he hasn't come for it. What would you do??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Jen Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 check your ductwork. We lost one once and it made its way to the range hood fan over the stove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 check your ductwork. We lost one once and it made its way to the range hood fan over the stove. how does one even begin doing this??? How did you even find your critter??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Awe......we had the same thing happen but it was TWO hamsters at once. The dogs got out of their area while we were out and knocked over the cages allowing the hamsters out. There were 8 babies in the cage too who couldn't quite walk around on their own, so we scooped them up and took care of them (12 days old!) and they were fine. We tried everything to find out hamsters with no luck. I know that isn't the happy ending story. We never found them and never saw traces of them again. If he isn't eating the food, he isn't where you can easily find him would be my guess. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Do Havahart traps come small enough for hamsters? You could put food and water in one of those. When they go in, the door shuts behind them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeehiveSez Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 adn we can't find a missing hamster. OUr home is a 3 story home....unfinished basement, main floor and bedrooms upstairs. We have looked every where we think possible on the main floor. If he is in the basement, it is a lost cause...way too much junk down there...and if he is upstairs I would be amazed, because there are a lot of stairs to get there. But they are carpeted, (all but the top one), so I don't know. we have left food out all over the place, and he hasn't come for it. What would you do??? :grouphug: Firstly I understand how you feel, its awful whenany animal goes missing under your care, especially when there are children involved, as its harder to explain to them the situation. Is there any evidence that the hamster may have eaten the food? Otherwise it may be starving for food and water. Its crazy how animals can get through the tinniest gaps in places too, I remember when mice came in a hole the size of a 50P once. I would even check your attic or garage too, they will want to be somewhere warm, so unlikely to go outside. I really hope the hamster turns up soon! But if its longer than a week, I think you may have to start to think what you are going to tell everyone. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trlt Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I lost a hamster when I was young...we never found it. Just be prepared for not finding it....but I hope that you find it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 I left pieces of bread out last night in about 8 different spots on the upstairs floor and they are all still there this morning. Which is waht we did the day he went missing...same thing. If he is on the main floor, he would be able to find all sorts of hamster food, I am sure since this is where the cages are...but if he in upstairs, he won't find any food (hamster or human food is not allowed up there). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 when our gerbils escaped, I did live traps - even in the basement. I put out our cage full of food, and it was set up so it was easy to get in, but once in, they weren't getting out. They were in it the next morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlylocks Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Did you look in your heating registers? We had one go missing one time...found it 2 days later in the register. (still alive and well) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Our's was missing for 3 or 4 days, I cna't recall now. One night after sending ds8 to bed he started yelling that the hamster was running to dd's room. I was sure teh cat had eaten it when the cage got knocked over, because she was an excellent hunter (and that is what had happened to some other small caged pets of ours). After we finally caught him and caged him again I started to search where we found him. He had made 2 little homes, 1 in the back of the girls closet under a shelf behind a toy bin and one under the girls bed, in the far back corner in a shirt that had been forgotten under there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We found my daughter's dwarf robo hamster about TWO WEEKS later........in my closet where it had built a nest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Jen Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 how does one even begin doing this??? How did you even find your critter??? One of the heat registers had a gap that the critter squeezed through. I heard scratching above the stove and when my DH removed the hood fan he was in there making a nest. I guess it was a good warm space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We lost our for a week. Turns out he was in the room his cage is in, just inside the heater baseboard. We have hotwater radiant heat so I guess he was just cozy in there. :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Mine was missing for 2 or 3 days, when I was a kid. He did build a nest inside a fold-out sofa. I would be leaving out foods that are more tempting for him, than just bread, and trying to trap him. But don't leave too much of tasty food either--he might decide to eat all of it, and get sick. Hope you find him alive and well.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeehiveSez Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Any updates on the hamster situation? :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I would also recommend a Havahart trap with some smelly appealing food inside. I hope you find him. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrn Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 :grouphug: Hope you find him soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeteranMom Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 When I was a kid, my hamster escaped his cage. Several days after his escape, my sister was lying on the sofa watching t.v. She glanced at her arm and the hamster was sitting there. We put him back in his cage and he lived for another year. We think he had been hiding in our sofa. I hope you find your pet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Put out water, too. Hamsters can live for days without food--we had one that went missing for a week, and came walzing out of a crack in the basement wall, thinner but healthy, and walked right into the little carry cage. Don't worry, he is probably just fine. Put out some food in the basement, too. Hamsters can't climb as easily as rats and mice, so once he goes downstairs, he's kind of stuck. Watch out for the furnace, though--they can fall into registers. Yuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I found a hamster out stuffing his cheeks at our bird feeder. It was so cute and I fond his owner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Wow, was it a neighbor? I found a hamster out stuffing his cheeks at our bird feeder. It was so cute and I fond his owner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 When I fist moved out on my own, I had two mice that escaped their cage. My room mate had three cats, so after 24 hours I assumed they had killed my mice. I ended up finding them 2-3 MONTHS later! They scurried across the bathroom floor. I picked them right up and they were fine. I still have no idea how they survived, but somehow they did. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 They can almost go anywhere as long as the head fits through the opening. Have you put treats out in places, especially over night? It can give you a clue where he is headed. One of ours dug into the wall and wandered around in the framing. We heard gnawing from inside the walls and eventually cut a larger opening to find him. He was ever so surprised. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 we are still looking for him. I have left out food hoping to find about where he might be...so far no luck. Maybe I am not using the right food....what would you suggest??? I hope we don't have to be cutting a hole in our wall...this is not our home...my husband is a pastor and the house belongs to the church. My little guy (age 7) is getting more and more sad everyday his little friend is gone. I keep hoping we will just see him running across the room...but so far...no luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Our hamster loved cheese and pinenuts. Those seemed to get his sniffer going faster than any other food. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Was your hamster more active at night? If you can, get up in the middle of the night and quietly walk around and listen for noises anywhere. If you hear him in a wall, don't worry about cutting a hole in the sheetrock - they're easy enough to repair. It might help encourage him to come out into the open to get the food you leave out if the dogs are contained upstairs. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Our hamster loved cheese and pinenuts. Those seemed to get his sniffer going faster than any other food. Dawn Mine loved cheese! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 My mom lost a hamster growing up. She said they finally found it behind the oven... a little singed :D from the oven but perfectly fine! Where have you put the food? I know a lot of rodents don't really cross rooms to much. They keep to the wall. I agree with the pp about the nighttime wandering. They are nocturnal so your best bet would probably we in the middle of the night to find the critter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 I did put the food next to the wall...nothing...but I will try cheese tonight. right now I am just trying to figure out which floor he is on..then I can go from there. We don't have any other pets, so that does help. Oh, the walls are plaster....it is a VERY old house...so it's not as easy as sheet rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlylocks Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Have you heard him moving around at all?? (They are active at night...) When our hamster went missing, I sat in a darkened room. Once it became dark and quiet and he thought everyone was gone, he started moving around/making noise. I was able to take the heater/baseboard apart and get him out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I haven't read the other replies. We once had a hamster go missing for 6 or 7 months. :glare: I eventually found him curled up in the bottom of a cardboard box that he had chewed a hole into. Apparently, hamsters can go into a semi-hibernation state, which is what this one must have done. Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 When I was a kid I had a hampster and a train type cage. The wheel of the train was the exercise wheel. He ran so much that the pin popped out and the wheel fell off! My little hampster climbed our stairs (carpet all the way up, don't know if your hampster could climb to the top without carpet to grab to on the top floor) and then climbed into bed with me! Aother time we heard hm behind the dishwasher. I got a new cage. I hope you find your hampster soon! I grew up on junk food. My hampster LOVED Captain Crunch.:001_rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 last night I put about 4 peices of cheese on the mail floor and 4 pieces upstairs and they were all still there when I got up this morning....am I not leaving enough food? Am I not doing the right thing?? I can't believe he is still gone...my son is sad sad sad!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Here's some tips I found: Tracking a Lost Hamster Unfortunately, it may be next to impossible to find a lost hamster. You may not even know which room your hamster is hiding in. Here are some tips on tracking hamsters: Remember that hamsters are nocturnal, so will probably only move about overnight. Place a small pre-counted pile of sunflower seeds on the floor in each room. If any seeds disappear from a room, that gives you a better general idea where your lost hamster is hiding (unless you have any wild mice that are stealing your bait!). Sprinkle a little flour or cornstarch on the floor around the piles of seeds. A trail of little white footprints may lead to a hamster's hiding place. Similarly, sprinkle some flour across doorways and in front of any suspected hiding spots (like spaces under the cupboards or holes in the wall, as noted on your search). Check for footprints to see where your hamster is travelling at night. In the evening, try placing tinfoil or crinkly cellophane on the floor (concentrate on possible hideouts, doorways, and around the cage or food), turn out all the lights and sit quietly. If your lost hamster comes out, you may be able to locate it by the noise made as it walks across the foil or cellophane. An ingenious owner sent me this tip: tie long strands of yard to some peanuts (in the shell) - your hamster may gather them and take them to his or her hiding place, in which case the strands of yarn will lead you to the hiding spot! Finding A Lost Hamster :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Do you have anyone with a dog that could help track the hamster? When my gerbils or hamsters got loose as a kid, our dog would help us find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 hope you find the furry little one...I'm so afraid ours are going to escape or be dropped while putting them back into the cage after a cage cleaning or something.....dh has rats too I'm always afraid they are going to get out...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Ds5 just prayed for your hamster. :001_smile: I hope you find him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 It's not impossible it has escaped your house. One of ours went missing overnight (20 years ago) and we found him in the front yard after our cat was done with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I hate to say this, but I heard my hamster for several weeks living in our wall. I left out food and waited for him to come out. I stopped hearing him after awhile. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 (edited) One of ours is a master escape artist. She likes to hide behind the bookshelves. I hope you find yours. Edited February 25, 2012 by kimmie38017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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