hamster emergency!!

Question
so heres the story in a nutshell
my hamster had 3 babies
i left the cage open by accident and the mom got out
last night we diccovered that and gave the babies warm milk with a q tip and i made them a little nest of tissue
i woke up this morning to check on them bewcause i had left the cage on the floor hoping the mom would come back but i went in and she just came in and the food was half eaten and the whole tissue nest was gone with no babies! where to look?!? what to do?! please

Answer
Hello Taylor!

Let me start by saying "Uh oh!" this is quite a problem you have here.  Sounds like Momma came back in the middle of the night and took her babies with her (crib and all).

There are now several issues here.

The mother hamster would have likely placed her babies in a secure area of the house.  Chances are that she will end up in the kitchen under all the cabinetry.  It is very possible for you to capture the mother, however IF you do you will have to face the fact that the babies will likely not survive without her.

IF you do not capture the Mother and she successfully raises her babies to be full grown (I would say around two weeks) then you can stake out each night and hopefully capture each hamster.

IF you do not capture all of the hamsters within 2 months and there is a single Male in the family group, then this can quickly turn into a giant problem,  hamsters gestation period is only 28 days.  Which would mean that if the Mother hamster successfully raises her babies to their full growth.  Then IF there is a boy in the litter he will breed with his mother and/or sisters and then you will have more than just 4 hamsters to worry about.  

This is a really hard case because I know you didn't mean any harm by leaving the cage open, and you were very responsible by worrying about the babies, however if you do not capture the mother hamster soon and she raises a successful family you will end up with a bigger problem in your hands.  I am sure your Parents would not appreciate having dozens of hamsters running around the home after only four months (even if they are cute).

If you do not want a giant "infestation" of hamsters, then you will have to make a decision.

Either capture the mother immediately, OR locate the mother and wait a week and a half before capturing her (this way she will have weaned her babies) then you will have to stay up for many nights trying to capture each surviving baby.

It will be very difficult for you to capture the hamster in the first place, which is why I suggest that you capture the mother and unfortunately the babies will die off.  I do not want you to risk having an infestation of hamsters because it is possible your parents will not appreciate having too many hamsters running around,  in a case where there is an infestation of hamsters the hamsters turn from domestic pets to PESTS and no adult would like this.  It is very sad but take this as a learning experience.  I hope you can make a mature decision, it was not your fault that your hamster  gave birth at such a time.

To capture your hamster (the mother).   Hamsters can easily squeeze out of a room by the crack of the doors, so she could have escaped into the other areas of your home.  It is very important that you follow all these instructions as fast as you can but do NOT panic.

You will need several towels for the first part. This process is only to locate the hamsters, it will be up to you to catch her. Remember that any small animal will get scared if approached fast, so you will also need patience and a light towel or basket to drape over the hamster if you do find her/them. Never act too fast or you may traumatise the hamster.

Part 1:
*If you have any other domestic pets, please contain them in a room temporarily where you are 100% certain the hamster is NOT in. This is only for a few hours depending on how fast you complete this part.
*Place a towel under the crack of the door to the room the hamster was in and do a thorough check of the room before concluding that he is missing completely. Repeat this to every room in your house, leaving a towel under each door. Just for security.

The towels will ensure that if a hamster is in a room, it will not escape by squeezing under.

Since the hamsters are nocturnal they will be more active at night. Night time and very early morning are the best times to look for these guys.  In my experience hamsters always head towards areas that contain food, most likely they will end up in your kitchen after a few hours if you do not find her. Hamsters also do not have much fear of falling when they know solid ground is near, so if you have more than a 1 floor home then she could have gone downstairs as well.

Part 2, will require a flashlight and absolute silence (or as close to silence as you can get) you will do part 2 at night, or during the late afternoon.

If you are 100% certain the hamsters are not in your other rooms, then I would strongly suggest you start with either the Kitchen or any other area more readily accessible to the hammies that has food.

All the lights in your home must be turned off and your other domestic pets should again be quarantined for this. Have a light towel or net at hand to catch the hammy, remember that if you do find her she may be all hyped up by the freedom of being able to run around that she will not be too willing to come back imediately.

Listen for any sounds of scurrying the hamster might make.  I would check under the kitchen stove or refrigerator.  Likely thing is they would hide under the cabinet work and most cabinetry is all connected and usually there is an open crack near the stove.  Flash your light under the stove and wait patiently.  Hamsters are usually attracted to light at night so they will come to investigate.  

If you have not yet found your hamster then I suggest you make a hamster trap.

Fill a deep bucket with shreddings.
Using a few bricks (or books) make steps to gradually allow the hamster to climb up.
Inside the bucket place an irresistible treat.  (like a few veggies, fruit, or... even a donut) whatever floats the hamsters boat.
Make sure that you rub the food item up the steps you created making a trail ending up INSIDE the bucket.  You may also choose to leave small bits of the food (too small for the hamster to hoard away and leave satisfied)

Leave the bucket near the area you suspect the hamster to be in (like the kitchen)  or if you have yet to find any hamster evidence, just leave the trap anywhere.   

If you have more than a 1 floor home, then I do believe the hamster would head downstairs,  is is much easier for a hamster to climb down than to climb back up, especially if the kitchen or any food is located downstairs.

I know this will not guarantee you to catch your hamster but these are things which helped me catch mine.  I wish you the best of luck in finding them.

Remember to clean your home VERY well so that your hamster will be forced to go look for food in ONE place.  Good luck!