lost hamster

Question
I lost my hamster this morning and he did this before but the thing is he open the cage his self what to do, how to find him?

Answer
Hi Nickayla

I'm sorry to hear about your hamster.  The first thing is to work out which room he is in.  If you look under and behind furniture, then listen carefully in case you can hear him move.  Tonight you need to put out some food for him - count out some small biscuits, or sunflower seeds and put a pile of them in various places where you think he is (I suggest only putting about 6 sunflower seeds).  Tomorrow you will be able to see if any of the food piles have gone. Don't put too much out otherwise he will hoard it and won't come out again for a few days.  If the food is eaten/removed, then you know he is in that room.  Be aware that hamsters can get into tiny spaces behind and under furniture, and they can also climb up curtains/stairs etc.

It is also worth putting his cage in the centre of the room.  he may make his own way back to it.  Is he a dwarf hamster?  if so, you can use the humane mouse traps - the ones that catch the animal alive.  If he is a Syrian, then you need to set a trap.  You could build up a 'staircase' of books etc. and place a bucket.  Put some of his bedding in the bottom of the bucket with plenty of food and wait and see if he will come out of hiding, walking up the 'stairs' and fall into the bucket.  Sometimes this works.

The most important thing is that you don't give up on him.  Hamsters can go missing for weeks or even months, but often they turn up safe and sound.  Do not block up any holes in walls etc in case he gets trapped.  If you think you know which room he is in, then it is a good idea to close that door and you could place a towel or similar along the bottom of the door so that he can't get underneath it and escape into a different room.  Also, be wary if you have any other pets that they don't find him first.

I'm afraid it really is just a case of keep looking, trying to identify which room he is in, then devising a safe way to trap him.  I hope he does turn up soon.

Regards
Sheila