Share your hamster escapades and escapes!

[Maz]

I'll start this one with - I once forgot to put Pickle (Syrian) back in the cage one night. He'd been having sofa time. He would stay on the sofa as long as I kept an eye on him (quite a laid back hamster). I went in the kitchen to do a few late night things and kept sticking my head round the door to see he was still ok. I will just add I couldn't do that with any other hamster but Pickle would just sit there. Went back in the kitchen again, tired, turned everything off and went to bed.

Next morning I remembered I hadn't put him back in his cage! Panic. I have never done anything like that before! He wasn't on the sofa any more of course. Turned the living room upside down looking for him and he was nowhere to be found. I spent most of the rest of the day calling him and looking for him in every room (I hadn't closed all the doors). I thought I heard the odd scuffling sound in the kitchen.

I set up a bucket trap in the kitchen that night, sat up in bed and within 10 minutes heard a clatter as the ruler fell in the bucket. Went down and there he was in the bucket. Looking a bit flustered. But soon settled down again. He was slightly maverick for a couple of days after all that freedom.

He escaped twice actually. The second time he did a runner off the sofa and hid somewhere and I couldn't find him (he was very good at hiding and being very still). That time I knew he was in that room and put his cage on the floor with a tube leading into it, and set the hamstercam pointing at it - so I could sit up in bed and watch on my phone. Sure enough he came out when it was quiet and followed the trail of food up to the tube and then into the cage. So I nipped down to close the cage door. He was just thinking about climbing out of the cage again when I got there but got there in time.

I actually have that last one on video - from the nightcam footage! (Below)

Pickle is the only hamster who ever escaped on me really and he was the quietest one who didn't usually make a run for it (apart from Pip's recent jump out of the cage!).

 

[Member ID2]

One morning my OH woke up and saw something move on the floor out of the corner of his eye. He thought it was a mouse.
He looked properly and there was tiny dwarf Clarissa sitting prettily next to his trousers waiting for him to wake up.
He scooped her up and put her back in her Hamster Heaven and that's when he noticed that he had closed the door on the first bar instead of the second.
Clarissa was a very adventurous and determined hamster. She had managed to squeeze herself through the tiny gap.

 

[Member ID2]

I think Pickle was glad to get back home.
Fancy forgetting to put him back in his cage, lol. It's funny now but at the time you must have been out of your mind with worry.

 

[Member ID2]

One day i came in from work and heard rustling behind the big chair in the lounge. I thought it was a mouse.
I looked under the chair and thought, i know these little white legs.
Yes, they belonged to Rodney who came to me when i called him.
I put him back home and then inspected his cage. Both doors of his Alaska were closed but he had climbed and monkey barred to the top door and then squeezed himself through the small gap at the side of the door.
In his youth, Rodney was a very athletic and agile hamster who loved to climb.
I cable tied his top door shut after this escapade to keep the little monkey safe.

 

[Member ID2]

I always push a towel under the toilet door gap when a Robo or dwarf was out free roaming.
One day i put tiny Clarissa on the floor who took off like a rocket.
At the same time i remembered that i had forgotten to close off the gap with a towel and rushed into the hall.
No sign of Clarissa so i looked into the toilet and knew rightaway that she had ventured into the pipe behind the toilet.
Honestly, my heart nearly stopped.
I run to the kitchen to get a small piece of cheese and held it to the opening of the pipe while calling Clarissa.
Clarissa's sniffing nose appeared and i slowly moved the cheese away from the pipe with Clarissa following my hand and then scooped them both up.

 

[Maz]

One day i came in from work and heard rustling behind the big chair in the lounge. I thought it was a mouse.
I looked under the chair and thought, i know these little white legs.
Yes, they belonged to Rodney who came to me when i called him.
I put him back home and then inspected his cage. Both doors of his Alaska were closed but he had climbed and monkey barred to the top door and then squeezed himself through the small gap at the side of the door.
In his youth, Rodney was a very athletic and agile hamster who loved to climb.
I cable tied his top door shut after this escapade to keep the little monkey safe.

Those little white legs! Yes they can climb to the top to find a way out! I used to worry about that with the Barney top door and peg it closed but I don’t think the gap was that big (or the hamster just didn’t try!)

 

[Maz]

That must have been a huge scare. Bathrooms and toilets are places hamsters seem to hone to I think - they always seem to find some hidden crevice or pipe. And then there is - under the bath itself. You have just reminded me of something!

Our first hamster Charlie was having bath tub taming. It was going so well that we let him have a run around on the bathroom floor with the door closed. I checked everywhere first. Blocked off the bit behind the sink as there were pipes going down through floorboards. The rest was secure and carpeted. He puttered about a bit and then suddenly shot towards the bath. In the same instant I looked at the bottom of the bath panel (side panel) and saw there was a small gap under it. I thought - he can’t get under there. He did - in a flash!

Major panic - lots of pipe work under there - we pulled the side of the bath and he was in the furthest darkest dampest corner and I could see holes in the floorboards. We called him and he sat there looking - yah boo sucks. Really quite cheeky looking. I called him again and he sort of sat and hesitated next to this hole. I stuck his tube under there - maybe he sensed the panic in my voice but he walked into the tube. Then walked out again when I tried to pull the tube out. Tried that again with the tube nearer the edge and eventually got him out.

It really was a big scare! So I am very wary of bathrooms - especially if they’re upstairs as there is pipe work going down through the floors sometimes (if it’s not boxed in). I’ve heard of a few hamsters getting under the bath.

 

[Maz]

If there is a gap - a hamster will find it!

 

[Maz]

I hope we’re not scaring Rainbow out of out of cage time! These are experiences I’ve learned from. Only let the hamster out in a secure area- and check the fooor first. We’ve had plenty of free roaming in a secure room. And I watch them constantly. I still can’t believe I forgot Pickle was still out that night.

If it’s a hamster proof area they usually want to go back to their cage anyway at some point. Thankfully hamsters will usually walk into a tube.

I use the playpen if they’re not hand tamed.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Haha no, do not worry. I cannot see Orko ever wanting to come out his cage but if he did then I would set up a play pen. He is so tiny and I can imagine he will slip under a cupboard or the sofa if he free roamed.

 

[Maz]

I am shy of a Robo free roaming as well but I’m sure it’s fine in a modern house in a secure room. Ours is old with nooks and crannies so it’s playpen only!

 

[RainbowBrite]

I am shy of a Robo free roaming as well but I’m sure it’s fine in a modern house in a secure room. Ours is old with nooks and crannies so it’s playpen only!

My partner has tons of boxes and books everywhere and a curious robo would likely try to investigate them!

 

[Member ID2]

Our bathroom is hamster proof but the toilet next door isn't.
I just remembered something else.

When Syrian Henry was small i let him out in the bathroom.
He was sniffing around and then climbed up the skirting board, pancaked horizontally behind the sink and dropped down the gap onto the floor.
I sat there and watched in disbelieve reacting far too slowly. I looked down behind the sink and he looked up at me with a 'now what' expression on his face.
My hands are long and slim so i managed to get one down but couldn't look at the same time. I just grabbed him any old way and pulled him out by his back legs.
After that i had to lay down on my bed with Henry on my chest and neither of us moved for a while.
I think we bonded that day.

 

[Maz]

Goodness! Pancaked is such a good way to describe it!

 

[Member ID2]

I just remembered another escapade when i was fostering for a rescue. That day i collected four pitch black dwarf babies and fostered one. Bob was very lively, very small and very black. The carpet in the spare room is dark grey, the net curtains are black and so is the motorcycling gear on the floor. The light is dim because i don't like bright lights or the sun.....
Anyway, it was midnight, my favourite time of the day and Bob wanted out.
I thought there's no harm in handling him a bit and letting him sniff around on my lap.
Stupid idea.
As soon as Bob was on my lap he jumped off it and run as fast as a Robo under the large black clothes rail and disappeared under a motorcycle seat.
I listened to his little paws racing around the room and was glad that he was having fun but expected to be in for an allnighter.
Luckily hamsters are nosey and food orientated. A treat new to him caught his interest and while he nibbled it i placed a large sieve over him and managed to pick up Bob and treat.

 

[Maz]

Glad it wasn’t an all nighter!