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.)