Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing to catch your hamster
• Part 2 of 3: Finding the hamster
• Part 3 of 3: Setting up a hamster trap

Hamsters love movement, so it's no surprise that after being imprisoned, they try to hide from the friendly boundaries of the cage. If you come home and find the cage is empty, don't worry. A hamster can also escape from experienced breeders. Getting your hamster back into its cage safe and sound will take a lot of patience and persistence.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Preparing to catch your hamster

1. 1 Close all doors. Before catching the hamster, limit the space for its movement. Check and close all possible exits to the outside, as if the hamster is outside the house it will be much more difficult to catch it.
   • If you know which room the hamster escaped to, close all doors leading from that room.
2. 2 Block gaps and possible exits. Hamsters can climb stairs or crawl into small crevices very quickly. Close all rooms in the house and block any crevices under doorways. You can use towels for this.
   • Cover the vents and large gaps in the floor with duct tape to prevent the hamster from continuing through the holes.
   • Use a flashlight to check the vents and any slots before you begin to cover them.
3. 3 Warn everyone in the house if your hamster is missing. Let everyone in the house know that the hamster is free, then they can help you close all doors.
   • To focus on finding your hamster, you need other pets and small children to leave.
   • To prevent other pets (such as a cat) from harming the hamster, close it in another room or have someone hold it.

Part 2 of 3: Finding the hamster

1. 1 Look for the hamster around the cage and in secluded areas. Usually, hamsters don't run far from the cage and are fairly easy to find. But sometimes hamsters can hide in secluded places. Typically, these are narrow and dark places where the hamster can easily climb. For example:
   • Inside boxes, including fabric boxes or empty trash cans.
   • Under sofas and beds (favorite places).
   • Behind or under bookshelves.
   • Inside wardrobes and wardrobes.
   • Inside kitchen furniture and dressers. When looking for an animal, pay attention to the furniture drawers. If the drawer is difficult to slide, a hamster may be hiding behind it.
   • At tables, vases, mirrors on the floor.
2. 2 Listen to scratching or chewing sounds in the room. Most hamsters gnaw through objects to get in and hide. Hamsters can gnaw or scratch any object, even the walls of the house, or crawl through holes with a diameter of 2.54 cm. Turn off all sources of noise, and then turn off the lights in the room. Sit down and listen for scratching, chewing, or rustling sounds. This will help determine where the hamster is hiding.
3. 3 Check for traces of food and excrement. Sometimes, running away, hamsters scatter sunflower seeds (or other food). Look for seeds or husks from half-eaten seeds to determine where your hamster is hiding. Use a flashlight to check dark and tight spaces.
   • The hamster may also run away to the bathroom. Look for any traces of excrement or food, as this could lead you straight to your missing hamster.

Part 3 of 3: Setting up a hamster trap

1. 1 Use sunflower seeds. If you know which room the hamster escaped to, and you have already closed all possible exits and shelters, try to lure the hamster with seeds.
   • Place ten sunflower seeds towards the hamster's cage. Then turn off the lights in the room and sit quietly in the corner.
   • The hamster will become interested in the seeds and come out of the hiding place. He can return to the cage on his own. Wait for a while in a dark room until it appears.
   • You can also dust the floor around the seeds with flour. From the traces on the flour, you can determine where it came from.
2. 2 Make a bucket trap. This is one of the most popular ways to catch a hamster. This very simple trap can be done very quickly using a tall bucket, a towel, a few boxes or books, and a handful of treats.
   • Place a tall plastic bucket upside down. Place a towel on the bottom of the bucket to help cushion the hamster's fall.
   • Place a handful of treats in a bucket as bait. This could be peanut butter on a cracker, a handful of sunflower seeds, or other treats that have a strong, seductive scent that lures the hamster. Place a lettuce leaf or a bottle of water on a stand in the bucket so the hamster can drink and eat when trapped.
   • Make a ladder that leads to the bucket. Use a stack of books or small boxes to create a ladder for the hamster to climb and trap.
   • You can also place sunflower seeds or other treats on each rung of the ladder so that the hamster reaches the top and into the bucket.
   • Close the door to the room and check the trap periodically.
3. 3 Leave the cage door open overnight. Hamsters are nocturnal creatures, so the hamster is likely to be more active at night. If you've spent an entire day looking for your missing hamster, try placing sunflower seeds in the cage and leaving the cage door open overnight. Your hamster can return to the cage on its own and eventually stay in it.
   • Pop into the cage in the morning to see if he returned safe and sound.