In the event that your hamster escapes, there are a couple of things to try in order to lure him back to a life of imprisonment. (Which may or may not be a bad life, depending on how you treat your hamster.) Well, I've had several hamsters escape along the way, and have never ever completely lost one, though this latest has me concerned. Here are the best ways to try and find your furry little friend, or, to try and lure him back. Your chances will vary depending on the place that the hamster is lost in.. but you might as well try, at least. Here we go:

1. Set out a bit of food somewhere and then watch it as your hamsters wake-up time rolls around. Also, put out some water in various locations. Even if you don't lure him back or find him right away, you don't want him to die from dehydration.

2. The old bucket and books routine sometimes works, I'm told. Find a bucket and make stairs up into it out of whatever you want, books are just ideal. Place some yummy hamster treats (preferrably odorous ones) into the bucket. The theory behind this is that it will climb the stairs, fall in and not be able to make its way back out. Just make sure the fall won't kill him, that would be a bit self-defeating.

Those are the only two that come to mind right now, but there are others I'm sure. Leaving their cage open is a good idea so that they can go back to it if they want to (they might, for sleeping and whatnot). I guess the most you can really do is hope they come back, because it's not like they really owe you a lot any way. (Unless of course you lavish them with love and affection and yummy little treats all the time.)

Hamster's tend to head for the walls right away so if they can get into your walls any where, assume that's probably where they are. Search everywhere that they might possibly be including places that seem like a ridiculous place for them to have gone. I've found hamsters sleeping in insulation (poor thing, I had to clean it all up), and my father has smashed a wall twice to catch the same hamster that escaped twice about two years ago. Oddly, it didn't resist capture, I guess it didn't like it in the wall too entirely much. This smashing wall thing is alright if you don't mind repairing it afterwards.. listen for scratching and chewing, hamster's aren't quite so smart as mice when it comes to hiding from people, which is probably one of your only advantages.

Oh, and one other thing. If you've got mousetraps in your house, or poison out, make sure you get rid of them until you've found your hamster.. that wouldn't be a nice thing to find, I imagine. (It's bad enough to find a dead mouse, nevermind your beloved pet.)
To catch a hamster you must first think like a hamster. To do this you may need to live as a hamster for a week or two. You should eat what a hamster eats, sleep where a hamster sleeps, go to the bathroom like a hamster does and you could also try having wild hamster sex. All of these will allow you to think more like a hamster and thus increase exponentially your chances of finding your missing hamster.

There is also the hi-tech approach. Simply strap a radio beacon of small proportions onto your hamsters back. This will make the hamster much easier to track down should it somehow escape.

Maybe if your hamster is into bongs you could try leaving some laying around along with some munchies, this may draw the little guy or girl out.

My hamster once escaped by chewing through a junction in one of those silly plastic hamster cages (which you should never, ever use). On her way out, she got a small cut in her foot on one of the sharp plastic shards where she broke through. I was able to follow the tiny trail of blood to underneath the bureau that she normally lived on top of. Once I knew where she was, she was easy to lure out with the promise of food and love.

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