Missing hamster :(

Question
Well I live in college station and I had bought a hamster 2 months ago, and this weekend I had went home to visit and didt bring my hamster with me I thought that he would be okay,I left him a full bowl of food && clean water and when I returned 3 days later the cage is scattered all over the floor like he bumped himself off the bathroom Counter n took the cage with it, so I'm freaking out because I can't find him anywhere in my apartment and it's just me and my roommate n I looked through my whole closet && everything in the living room what do I do I'm really worried & I miss my little Buford and idk if I should give up or just keep looking I'm really sad and I just want him to come home :(

Answer
Dear Britanny,
thank you for your question.

Hamsters are really good at hiding in tiny spaces. Try scattering a small amount food in every room and close all the doors to find out where exactly the hamster is. Then you can use a humane trap (rat-sized if it's a Syrian, mouse-size for dwarfs) to trap him. A big bucket or storage container is a simpler method that also works well: put some food in the bucket and lean a piece of wood or something against it as a gangway. The hamster will jump into the bucket and won't be able to get out, they can't jump very high. Anything higher than 14" inches or so should work.
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer