Is she in heat?

Question
My hamster Lu-Lu is a black bear hamster and is very hyper and perky but today she will not wake up and she smells horrible. I think she is in heat but she is my first hamster so I have no clue. Also she has a knack for escaping and I was wondering if you could give me a few tips on how to catch her and if I should worry about her safety. Thank you so much!

Answer
Hi Aelanah

Hamster come into season every 4 days and sometimes the female can smell a bit then (it really varies from one hamster to another).  Therefore the smell you notice could just be that she has reached adulthood.  However, if you have only just noticed a smell (this isn't her usual scent), and she is sleepy and doesn't want to wake up then she might not be well and this would need to be checked out by a vet - hamsters can get various infections which can be painful and quite serious and they need to be treated quickly with antibiotics.

Regarding her escaping - it is much better for you to sort out the reason for her escaping rather than rely on getting her back once she has escaped.  Is there a problem with her cage?  Do the doors open - if so it is advisable to find a way of securing them properly.  Is she chewing her way out of a cage?  If so, then she would need a new cage - and this would need to be checked regularly.  I've known several hamsters who chew their way out of cages - once they make a small hole in the plastic base it doesn't take long for them to chew a hole large enough to escape.

If she does get out the key thing is not to panic.  Hopefully you will know which room she is in (I always shut my lounge door at night so that if any do escape I know they have to be in that room).  Call her, make a sound, and then stand quietly and see if you hear anything.  Females in particular wake up more during the day and she may respond.  If there is no reaction, then carefully start looking behind and under furniture, in cupboards etc.  Hamsters can get into tiny spaces - even behind furniture that is tight against a wall.  If necessary use a long stick to gently check if she is behind furniture.  Don't block off any areas in case you trap her.

If there is still no sign of her then it is a good idea to try and trap her.  You can either leave her cage on the floor and hope that she goes back into it, or build a stairway out of books etc up to the top of a bucket.  Inside the bucket you fill it with her bedding and her favorite foods and hope that she will be attracted by them and walk up the 'steps' and fall into the bucket and not be able to get out.  This sometimes works.

If you are not sure which room she is in, count out about 6 nuts/sunflower seeds and leave them on the floor of each room, then close the doors.  You can put a towel along the bottom of the doors so that she can't get from one room to another.  Then the following morning check each room in turn and see if the food has been taken - this way you should be able to tell whereabouts she is - then thoroughly search that room.  Don't put too much food out for her otherwise she may store it and not come out for more for a while.  Also don't leave other food lying around otherwise she'll get that.

Also check any smallish cracks in the room - in the wall, floorboards etc as she might get behind these.  It is also worth remembering that hamsters can climb - they can climb curtains and stairs so be aware that she might be higher up in the room than you expect.

Sometimes hamsters can go missing for weeks, but it is always worth persevering with finding them as they do often turn up when you least expect them to.  

I hope this helps you and that she is OK.

Regards
Sheila