Our hamster ESCAPED!!!

[N&B'smom]

So, I was walking by our son's room when I decided to go in and check on our beloved hamster, Stuart.

He got a little igloo for Christmas and is usually curled up in a little ball inside but when he hears you he peeks out a little. He wasn't peeking out when I was talking to him. I thought he was in there but just not moving which had me worried. I opened the cage and lifted the igloo very slowly to check on him when I realized he wasn't there! I was ready to freak out! I glanced at the other cage that is attached to the one with the igloo in it and I noticed that one of the little openings that has a little screw on thingy (where you can attach tubes) was wide open!! Stuart was nowhere to be seen.

I screamed for my husband to come and told him that Stuart was gone. He made our kids stay downstairs because he just didn't know what we were going to find. We have a dog and our house is 3 stories, he could have been anywhere. (including the dog's stomach)

He came right upstairs and sat down because he was afraid he'd step on him. As soon as he sat down, Stuart came running straight towards him. I believe he had made a little shelter for himself in my son's jeans which he of course had taken off and dropped right on the floor.

Anyway, so I saw him and told my hubby he was behind him. I reached out and picked him up. He looked scared to death, the poor little guy. As soon as I got him in my hand he just sat there and let me pet him. After a few minutes we put him back in his cage where he slurped down a ton of water and then immediately retired to his favorite place, his safe and secure igloo.

What a relief. I was so scared that he would be hurt or worse. Thankfully the little guy is doing just fine.

Just thought I'd share.

Shelby

P.S. Needless to say the little screw on thingy on the sides of the cage are now covered in duct tape!

 

[Keira1387]

Glad you found him!!

 

[cathyce2]

As I was reading, I was thinking that you needed some duct tape!
My DD's hamster, Wizard, has pulled the disappearing act a few times too. It doesn't phase me anymore since he always goes to the same corner of her closet.

Glad your cute little guy is home safe and sound!

 

[S. C.]

Ours got out a few times. I use to set food by the outside of the cage and she would come back at night to eat. I caught her a few times like that.

 

[My sister's princess]

Poor little guy, what an adventure!

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

My hamster escaped once when I lived in the dorms. Luckily, she fell from her cage on the top of mini fridge and into a shopping bag. Unluckily, by the time I got back from class, she had chewed through the bottom of the bag and was starting to chew through a pair of my jeans on the floor. I was so shocked and picked her up but that freaked her out and she ended up biting me. She was good at getting out of her cage and I ended up having to secure the door with one of those heavy duty paperclip things. Stuart is cute! I miss having a hamster.

 

[Jaimee]

Yikes! I'm glad he's Ok. THis is so weird because just 2 hours ago we came home with our first hamster DS bought "Ted" today with his Christmas money. I'm so worried that he'll get out now. The cage seems pretty secure though. I'll have to check for any loose parts and be sure to duct tape them.

 

[N&B'smom]

Congrats on the new hamster. How about a pic of the little guy? They are such sweet little creatures.

I think what happened was a fluke but I'm not willing to risk a repeat, hence the duct tape.

Shelby

 

[LuvBaloo]

Luckily you got him back so easily. We had a hamster that would escape. The easiest way to get him back was to put piece of apple in a clean bucket and then get a few books to make a stair case to the bucket. The hamster would smell the apple, go into the bucket and wouldn't be able to get back out.

 

[staley7580]

Awww!! Poor little fella! We used to have a couple of hamsters. They were brothers.. Anyhow. They would get out at night and always end up skittering around under my bed. Kind of a creepy way to wake up.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I ended up having to secure the door with one of those heavy duty paperclip things. Stuart is cute! I miss having a hamster.

I used a binder clip - those black paperclip things - to secure my gerbil's door shut too! He had never gotten open but the latch was not too strong so I didn't want to risk it.

The picture of Stuart makes me want to get another gerbil! (I know...not the same thing, but I like that gerbils have tails but hamster's don't really.)

 

[bumbershoot]

Very lucky!

My hampster growing up was an escape artist. She got out many times and we couldn't figure it out. We finally realized that she was somehow getting up onto her smooth plastic wheel, wedging herself up there, and slowly gnawing the plastic screw/fasteners to the opening of her cage until they turned and she could lift the lid.

She was kinda scary....


She once set up camp inside our couch, which we didn't know for days until we finally heard her. Another time she spent at least 2 nights in the San Jose CA winter in between our screen door and front door...it was school vacation and it was (relatively) cold so we didn't go out those days (walking the dogs involved the back door and backyard fence, not the front door), and we were so sad until the third day or so when someone opened that door and found her!

Crazy girl.

 

[matthew&haleysmom]

I had to laugh when I read your title! Both of my kids got hamsters over the summer. One day, i went to check on DS, 4, hamster and it was gone! Now, I am not a hamster type of person. I actually called DH at work, something I never do! He did come home at lunch to look for the hamster. For the next 2 days, I just sat on the couch or stayed outside. DH did finally the hamster. Thank goodness. Turns out that DS thought it would be a good idea to let his hamster roam free! Thankfully, he has not done this again!!!

Glad your hamster is safe!

 

[DVCLiz]

Don't use duct tape!!! They will just chew it again - use wire to shut things - they can't chew through wire.

I know this from sad experience!!

 

[Barb D]

Our gerbils would chew through anything plastic, including the cute plastic habitrail. We finally put them in a big glass aquarium with a wire mesh lid, and put the habitrail tubes inside the aquarium.

One time they got out, and we couldn't find Ger for days. We finally found him living in the Fisher Price castle. He was hence renamed "King Ger."

And then there's the rats.

We thought we had 2 males. We didn't. Soon we had 12 rats. We figured out how to accurately sex them, and divided them into girl and boy cages. This lasted until the day that one of the girls broke out of the girls' cage and broke into the boys' cage letting all the boys loose. By the time we got home she was in the boys' cage WITH HER FATHER, and of course, pregnant.

That's when all of the girls found a new home at the wild life refuge. I told the refuge lady the whole story; didn't want her shocked when the rat gave birth. All she could say was, "That little slut." But she laughed and took them anyway, and promised they wouldn't be used to feed the snakes or owls.

Eventually the boys ended up there too.

 

[quasar4legs]

Perhaps Stuart's middle name is Houdini. Glad he is doing OK and back safe and sound in his cage.

Trish

 

[N&B'smom]

Don't use duct tape!!! They will just chew it again - use wire to shut things - they can't chew through wire.

I know this from sad experience!!

Don't worry, he can't get to the duct tape. It's on the outside of the cage, over the little round thing that if it spins the right way it opens up. This will just keep it from spinning and possibly opening again.

Trust me, I know all about hamsters and their ability to chew everything. When I was younger I had one and so did my brother. Then we ended up with 11 babies!

Shelby

 

[Ohiodislover]

Our hamster got out many times. Only 2 went undetected long enough for him to have an adventure.

The first time, we found him outside sitting by the patio door No clue how he got there. He had gotten out of his ball, and couldn't have been out of it too long? We were all in PJs, and NO one had been outside.

The next time (at night), he got out of his cage, through a tube connection, that wasn't connected. Not sure how long he was out, but he climbed into my daughters bed, and woke her up, by crawling on her face.

 

[thewesterberg]

All these stories bring back lots of memories!

My sister had an escape artist hamster too. He was always getting out, no matter what we did. We changed his name to Houdini. One time he got out and managed to get into the basement. We found him behind the piano a few days later. Poor little guy - I'm surprised he set up home back there since my sister and I were taking piano lessons at the time! (Although maybe it's a sign that we weren't practicing enough! That's quite possible!)

 

[Cap'nJack'sMum]

Hamsters are the best little escape artists. We have Guinea pigs. They're not too motivated to escape and explore.

Glad you found Stuart a-ok!!