The Great Hamster Escape

Last night was an interesting night to say the very least...

After hunting for eggs here on TCS , I went upstairs to do my evening check on my hamsters. They are in one of the spare bedrooms as I do not allow my cats in that particular bedroom. The hamsters are all rescues from a hoarding situation who I later adopted. And, just for reference, I have 3 Syrian hamsters, 2 Robovorski dwarves, and 2 Chinese dwarves. And, while the dwarf hamsters typically cause me the least amount of worry, last night the Chinese dwarves had me crazed out of my mind!

As I walked into the bedroom, I knew something was up. There was a trail of bedding from the door to the cage my two Chinese dwarves, Felix and Max, are housed in. And, when I looked at the cage, it became apparent why. The cage door had been nudged just enough that the hamsters could have escaped. But, when I looked inside the cage, I saw Felix had decided to opt out of the great adventure, but Max was gone. And, I freaked!

I usually have a runner that protects the bottom of the door so that if a hamster would be to escape, they couldn't sneak under the door and become an after dinner snack for my cats. However, I had picked the runner up and thrown it into the wash yesterday morning. So, I automatically thought the worst when I saw Max was not in his cage. But, nonetheless, I began to search for him. And, within 5 minutes of searching, I felt a little tickle on my bare foot. I couldn't even believe it was him so, at first, I didn't look down. But, I did finally look and there little Max was -- sitting right on top of my foot. And, so I quickly snatched him up and put him back into his cage and locked the door. Tightly.

All I could do was just thank God that Max had been too scared or unaware to leave the bedroom. I'd have been heartbroken if I hadn't found him and since Chinese dwarf hamsters are so small and thin, I didn't think it would be possible to locate him. So, while Max had a great adventure and I had a coronary, everything turned out okay and we're all back together again. Whew!

Just for reference...I've attached a photo of what Chinese dwarf hamsters look like. The photo credit goes to PetSmart, but the hamster really does look like my Max.

My little Max has managed to stay inside of his cage since his big adventure. Thank goodness! I couldn't handle it, I don't think, if I lost him...

My rescue hamsters came to me shortly after my birthday at the end of December. I took in a bunch of Syrians as well as a gerbil (RIP Luca). They all came from a severe hoarding situation and were malnourished, dehydrated, and full of fear. I lost Luca because his injuries and illness were too extensive to treat and I nearly lost my Syrian boy, Sampson, due to an illness. I posted here and received so many vibes that Sampson pulled through and is now doing well. I initially only was fostering the dwarf hamsters. I didn't know that I wanted to work with small animals again long-term -- especially having the cats in the house. Plus, I have quite a number of pets presently and didn't want to take on more than I could handle. But, in Luca's memory, I decided to adopt the dwarves and I'm really grateful I did as they are very loving and have completed my furry family .

I don't know how much everyone knows about Chinese dwarf hamsters, but they are very social and very docile. However, when I took in Max and Felix, they were always agitated and fearful. I can't even count the number of times I was bit to the point of bleeding. But, I worked with them a lot and they've really come around. As soon as I go into the bedroom, all of the hamsters are at the front of their cages. I can pick them all up without fear of getting bitten and they all accept treats from me and climb all over me. They are calm when I'm holding them, but will play when given the opportunity. They are all used to being handled and are friendly. I work with them daily and they all come out of their cages once a day for pets or to play. It's taken a lot to get here, but it paid off when Max willingly sought me out after escaping from his cage.

Initially, I had no idea where he was. The room is large and is furnished and decorated. And, without the stopper at the base of the door, in theory, he could have escaped and gone anywhere in the house (and with 4 cats and 2 small dogs, that wouldn't have ended well). He must have been as scared as I was -- it's no wonder he brushed against my foot and then climbed up on it (which is something he does in play all the time). All I know is that I'm thankful he wanted to be found and that he's safely secured in his cage at this moment. Many people would consider hamsters to be expendable, but they're not. I love my little critters and do all that I can for them. Sneaky little Max and all...