My magic hamster

Question
My young syrian hamster Max escaped yesterday, in the day he was in his bed then when i looked a bit later he wasnt there, i checked the whole cage and he wasnt in it! the door room was open so he could have got anywhere, but i cannot find him anywhere he has actualy vansished! i have checked everywhere and theres no floorboards upstairs, so would a hamster survive falling dwn the stairs cause thats the only place he could get dwn floorboards? or would he be dead at the bottom if he had gone downstairs? where the hell could he be its soo weird how can a hamster just vanish i put out food everywhere next day none of has been eaton (xept by my dog lol) so anyway what on earth could have happened to him  how did he just vanish like that! no signs of him no noise nothing as if he vanished froim the surface of the earth!?? lol thanks for any help?

Answer
Hi,
I am very sorry he has gone missing, but the most important thing to do is not give up.
Firstly, leave the cage door open, and keep it on the floor. Many hamsters will just come back theirselves.

Here's some information I found about how to find a lost hamster:
   * Remember that hamsters are nocturnal, so will probably only move about overnight.
   * Place a small pre-counted pile of sunflower seeds on the floor in each room. If any seeds disappear from a room, that gives you a better general idea where your lost hamster is hiding (unless you have any wild mice that are stealing your bait!).
   * Sprinkle a little flour or cornstarch on the floor around the piles of seeds. A trail of little white footprints may lead to a hamster's hiding place.
   * Similarly, sprinkle some flour across doorways and in front of any suspected hiding spots (like spaces under the cupboards or holes in the wall, as noted on your search). Check for footprints to see where your hamster is travelling at night.
   * In the evening, try placing tinfoil or crinkly cellophane on the floor (concentrate on possible hideouts, doorways, and around the cage or food), turn out all the lights and sit quietly. If your lost hamster comes out, you may be able to locate it by the noise made as it walks across the foil or cellophane.
(information from About.com)

If he had fallen down the stairs, yes, he may well have died, but he could easily have crawled down.

Look behind sofas, wardrobes etc. Everywhere you can, but warn everyone to be careful where they step or sit.

I hope very much you find him.
Best wishes,
Kathryn