O for Open

Day #15 of the A-Z Challenge

This post is just going to be a quick post on what to do when your hamster's cage is left open... and if your hamster escapes.

The top 10 things you should do when you find out your hamster is missing:

1. Don't panic! If you start panicking, it is only going to make it harder for you to concentrate on finding your hamster!
   
   
   
   
2. Have a look around the room, but while looking shuffle your feet instead of walking normally, so you don't accidentally step on your hamster.
   
   
   
   
3. Remove any cleaning supplies, mousetraps chemicals or art supplies off of the floors so that they are not a danger to your hammy, and put them away.
   
   
   
   
4. If you are about to sit on the sofa or lie on your bed,check under the cushions and mattresses before sitting or lying down. Hamsters like to burrow in warm and cozy places, and you don't want to crush your hamster!
   
   
   
   
5. If you have any cats or other pets roaming around the house, put them in a room far away from your hamster's cage, as it is less likely that your hamster would have wondered that far. If you don't want to lock your pet indoors, you could always leave it outside on a warm day for a while while you search -- but be careful, you don't want to loose that pet as well!
   
   
   
   
6. Make sure that anyone who enters the house knows that your hamster has escaped, and make sure they know what to do, and what not to do.
   
   
   
   
7. Leave the cage door open - your hamster might decide to come home on his own.
   
   
   
   
8. Put a large bucket of some kind in the room your hamster is most likely to be, (e.g. the room with your hamster's cage in it), and put a yummy hamster treat in the bottom of it, along with some hamster bedding.
   
   
   
   
9. Make sure to attach some sort of ladder, or some way which your hamster can climb into the bucket.
   
   
   
   
10. Now it is just waiting to see if your hamster will turn up. Remember, hamster's are nocturnal, so don't worry if they are not captured in the day. Do not panic!

Hope this helps anyone who has lost a hamster!