Escaped Hamster - suggestions?

[Greyskye]

My 6 year old son's new hamster - which I was calling Hamlet, but am now leaning towards Yorick (as in "alas poor Yorick, I knew him well") has escaped. Evidently the cat has not yet found him, as I heard hamsterish noises from my son's room last night.

Does anyone have any ideas for how to capture the little furball before he becomes the cats playtoy and snack? If my son comes across a hairball with little hamster bones in it, he's gonna freak. :cry:

[demnan]

1. He's bound to get hungry

See if you can get some kind of humane trap and bait it. I'd definately keep the son's door closed.

[Wickerman]

2. Call Kerry

He has a way with them!

Put his cage in the center of the room with food and water in it - door open, check it regularly. :shrug:

[Chovexani]

13. LOL

That's totally what I was gonna post. :)

[calico1]

3. If you have an idea of where he is

I would try enticing him with food.

[DarkPhenyx]

4. Ummmmm, a cat?

:)

Yes, I know...I'm evil.

[miss_kitty]

12. I was gonna post that

We're both evil
:evilgrin:

[lazarus]

5. If you're fairly sure he's in the boy's room

Keep the cat out, and put the hamster's cage on the floor, with food in it.

Also, you can just look around and spot him. Most of these little critters are just plain scared when they get too far from the cage, so they'll try to hide under something, in a corner, like that.

[atreides1]

6. Been There, Done That

Make sure that the hamster is limited to your son's bedroom, and make sure that the cat is kept out.

Take the time to do a very thorough search, especially areas like closets and under the bed, under dressers, pay specila attention to
dark places in the room.

Hmasters like all rodents don't like wide open spaces and tend to stay where it's dark and closed in. And like mice they make a trail along the base boards.

We've had our hamsters escape several times, luckily we have a dog that is able to hunt hamsters without actually eating them.

The last time our current hamster escaped we found her in one of the closets of my wife's sewing room, the closet with all the loose material.

Good luck on your hunt, and I hope this will help.

[Merrick]

7. set the house on fire

and stand outside with a net to catch the evacuating vermin of your choice.

[Greyskye]

8. We've been trying to entice...

...the little beast back by keeping his entertainment center (fancy cage) on the floor with the food in it. So far he seems to be coming for the food and high-tailing it back to his hiding place.

We've also been keeping the door closed to keep the cat out, but Yorick could easily pass under the door into the kitty zone if he so desired. I use to have a live trap, but it went to a biology student a long time ago, and I don't know where I would be able to borrow one for a week or so.

[watrwefitinfor]

9. Simple hamster trap

Fresh cut fruit or vegie in a bucket set near something
he can climb on to get in. He goes in, can't get out.
Lost one in my car once. This worked.

[Greyskye]

11. That's a great suggestion!

Thanks, we'll try that tonight! :thumbsup:

[Placebo]

10. Get a cat.

It will find that hampster alright. But the kitty cannot be held responsible for what happens to the hampster once it finds it. :)

[blue agave]

14. Try only putting the food out during the night ...

since they seem to be primarily nocturnal. Go to the room in the middle of the night, and put the food and water out. Then sit tight for a few minutes, and I bet it will come around. This is how my daughter caught her hamster last time.

If they get out of the room, look for them to show up in the kitchen during the night.

[49jim]

15. When my son was about 8

he had one that escaped.....never found him.....we moved from that house....however, there was always a strange odor from the walls..........

[captainjack]

16. muhahaha..have you seen the Nip/Tuck episode where the mom

flushes the hamster down the toiler? maybe your 6 year old had some new experiences?

serial killers are bred this way, please please talk to your child about not killing people!

[noonwitch]

17. We had one that always hid behind the fridge

Or behind the washer or dryer.

[Greyskye]

18. Update: Furball in Custody

I had set up a bucket trap as suggested above in my son's room. Then later in the evening, my wife (and the cat) noticed the little escape artist in the living room. So I took the hungry looking cat into another room, and moved the bucket trap to where he had been last seen. I figured I'd have a hamster in a bucket by the time I got up today.

Well, I was watching the veep debate that I'd recorded earlier (GO EDWARDS!) and saw Yorick cruising around the entertainment center. I was able to grab the hamster proof glove (this sucker can BITE!) and stick him back in his cage - er - make that his 'hamster friendly environmental play area'.

So thanks for the suggestions and advice! :toast: