New Hamster owner with questions
- Thread starter SueZ
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Hello 
So you've been given two hamsters and one is still on the loose? Do you have a photo so we can determine the species? If you were given two then they are probably either russian dwarf hamsters or roborovski hamsters.
First thing is - how did they escape the cage. If it's a barred cage, the bar spacing might be too large. The one you got back is probably just biting from fear and maybe needs to settle a bit.
Also they need a cage each so especially after they've been separated now, it wouldn't be safe to put them back in the same cage - they are likely to kill or seriously maim each other. These days it's not recommended to keep pairs of dwarf hamsters living together (and Syrian hamsters - the larger ones -should always live alone).
So if you have some kind of plastic storage bin - eg Ikea Samla type thing - you could set that up as a temporary cage for the second one to go in when you find him - with bedding, a house (a cardboard box will do) and other enrichment if you can - eg a toilet roll tube at least for now. And you'd need another wheel.
Do you know which room he is in (I don't know if it's a he or she!). If you know which room, then keep the doors closed. And the usual advice is to set a bucket trap or put the cage on the floor with the door open. You can't do the latter if the other hamster is in the cage - and especially if it's escapable. If they only escaped because a door was left open eg and the bar spacing is fine, then you could move the one you caught to the bin cage and put the barred cage on the floor tonight, with a ramp leading up to it or a cushion if you don't have a ramp. They usually go back to their cage, but it helps to leave a trail of sunflower seeds leading to the cage and a smelly treat (eg cucumber or cheese) at the top of the ramp and inside the cage somewhere, to tempt them back in.
I'll add the article about how to catch an escaped hamster below Do you have a photo of the caught hamster and the cage please? Then we can suggest further You can just upload photos by clicking on "attach files" at the bottom of the message box when you reply
So you've been given two hamsters and one is still on the loose? Do you have a photo so we can determine the species? If you were given two then they are probably either russian dwarf hamsters or roborovski hamsters. First thing is - how did they escape the cage. If it's a barred cage, the bar spacing might be too large. The one you got back is probably just biting from fear and maybe needs to settle a bit.
Also they need a cage each so especially after they've been separated now, it wouldn't be safe to put them back in the same cage - they are likely to kill or seriously maim each other. These days it's not recommended to keep pairs of dwarf hamsters living together (and Syrian hamsters - the larger ones -should always live alone).
So if you have some kind of plastic storage bin - eg Ikea Samla type thing - you could set that up as a temporary cage for the second one to go in when you find him - with bedding, a house (a cardboard box will do) and other enrichment if you can - eg a toilet roll tube at least for now. And you'd need another wheel.
Do you know which room he is in (I don't know if it's a he or she!). If you know which room, then keep the doors closed. And the usual advice is to set a bucket trap or put the cage on the floor with the door open. You can't do the latter if the other hamster is in the cage - and especially if it's escapable. If they only escaped because a door was left open eg and the bar spacing is fine, then you could move the one you caught to the bin cage and put the barred cage on the floor tonight, with a ramp leading up to it or a cushion if you don't have a ramp. They usually go back to their cage, but it helps to leave a trail of sunflower seeds leading to the cage and a smelly treat (eg cucumber or cheese) at the top of the ramp and inside the cage somewhere, to tempt them back in.
I'll add the article about how to catch an escaped hamster below
Do you have a photo of the caught hamster and the cage please? Then we can suggest further You can just upload photos by clicking on "attach files" at the bottom of the message box when you reply
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I forgot to add the article
www.thehamsterforum.com
How to catch an escaped hamster
The best way to catch an escaped hamster is to use the bucket trap. Information on how to set up a bucket trap and other methods to catch your hamster are in this article. It's also important to make sure your hamster cage is secure and...
www.thehamsterforum.com
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Good luck, I hope your second hamster gets back ❤