Hamster Houdinis

[EweSheep]

I've got two hamsters, a male and a female, kept getting out of their cages. We had the Habitrail, they were very good getting out. So we switched to10 gal glass acquariums. All is well until they both figure out how to climb up the water bottle if they can "jig" it to a corner, they would crawl out, paws on bottle side and wall side...grrrrr! So we found them, and put them in the cage again, removing the water bottle. The girl has been good so far, no escape. Now the boy, he is very persisent. He would jig his plastic hamster house into a corner up high enough that he would reach the lip and push the metal cover off.

Man, it is getting to me! the male always escape and the only thing I could get him not to escape is to remove his home, his wheel and his water bottle, leaving him his water and food bowls and his bedding with newspaper strips.

Twice he escaped, but found him in the kitchen in the stove drawer. Easy Peasy. Now he is finding his way downstairs in the basement....one time, he was gone for six days, found him in a cooler, no lid...its a wonder how he survived but good thing I found him when I was moving the bleach bottles. The last time, hubby found him in the shop vac LOL! Gone for two days...

Now he escaped this morning...so would a humane rat trap will catch him?????????? Any suggestions where I can trap him? He seems to favor the laundry room instead of the pantry room with carpet.

Love this little guy but man, he is something else! Hope to find him soon! Our cat is worthless, no help in finding him.

 

[RHRanch]

isn't there a top on your enclosure?

 

[redhen]

Set something heavy on top of the cage so he cant push it open..

 

[Q9]

We've had all but one of our hamsters (six over the past few years) escape at least one time. They really are crafty little buggers, and it's astounding how creative they can be with their little pea-sized brains.

Protip: don't try to outsmart the hamster. Seriously. Take the direct route, and do like Redhen suggested - put something heavy on top. Hamsters are surprisingly strong, but there's only so much they can do when their little arms are busy pulling the rest of themselves up! Find the weakness, remove the weakness. One of my hamsters figured out how to pop the tubes and caps in a Habitrail cage, so we just replaced the cage. I'll see if I can find a pic of the cages where there have been no escapes from.

Odd thing is, the only hamster of ours that hasn't escaped is a little Campbell's hamster, which I believe is a variety of dwarf hamster. He's tiny, yet he's the only one who hasn't become an escape artist.

 

[r devries]

Put a cage out with a door open so he can climb in and put a trail of food into his cage thats how I caught my sisters three days later fond him sleeping in his cage the next morning.

 

[EweSheep]

We had that heavy metal cage cover (made for snakes and lizards) but that little bugger is strong!

So far we have not found him yet. Will see if I can get the cage set down for him to crawl in. Hope he does not take the food / bedding elsewhere if he decided to camp elsewhere other than his cage..

 

[ForeverSunshine]

Not sure about hamsters, but when my gerbils get out, sometimes they fall for a cardboard paper towel tube innocently sitting on the floor, just waiting to be chewed up. Then you quietly put a box or your hands on top of him. Hamsters, I imagine would be a bit easier to catch with your hands, but I've never had any.

You might try taunting him with treats, as well. Good luck!