Hiding Escaped Hamster

On Tuesday, May 12, 2009, I found my male hamster cold and still.  He had been sleeping a lot for the past two days, and now he was dead.

I replaced him with a new male hamster on Thursday, May 14.  Everytime I tried to touch him, he would curl up, hide, or run away.  He even did that when I approached his cage.

I should have been more careful taking him out on Friday, May 25.  He jumped out of my hands and ran away very fast.  Despite having already grown to adult size, he was still too quick for me, and before I could grab him, he dashed under the stove and oven where I couldn’t reach him.

I tried to chase him out with a broomstick, but it didn’t work.  I hit the wall to scare him out, but he was more afraid of me than the noise.  I also tried to lure him out by scattering treats in front of the oven and holding the female hamsters close to the tiny space, but his fear was stronger.

I had no choice but to wait.  Twice, he came out, but when I started approaching him, he rushed back under the over.  The third time, I saw him heading for the refrigerator  I waited until he was farther away from the oven before I approached him.  Fortunately, my refrigerator was small, so after moving it around and chasing, I finally grabbed him and got him back into his cage.

Since then, I’ve been afraid to take him out.  I don’t want him scurrying under the oven again.