Hi, you all seem very friendly so I hope you can help me.

I came downstairs wednesday morning to find my hamster had managed to push a piece of it's tubing out and escape sometime that night. I've only had him a week, so obviously I'm a bit upset

I went on the internet and followed what advice I could find, I placed plates of hamster food and sunflower seeds in every room of the house, I made a box trap so he can climb into it but not out of it and I put his cage on the floor (tube holes all blocked up) with the door open and his ramp up to it so he can get in it. I've left trails of sunflower seeds up to the cage as well to try and lead him in.

So far nothing has been disturbed and there is no sign of him anywhere, no trails of droppings or urine or anything. He hasn't fallen into the box, he hadn't been in his cage and I placed the same amount of food on each plate (5 pieces of each) so I could tell straight away if something's been eaten.

I just want to know, honestly, what are the chances of him coming back, or has he managed to get out through a hole somewhere to never be seen again?

I am not sure how much help I can be but when one of ours escaped a few years ago about a month after we gave up looking for him convinced the dogs must have got him, I opened the airing cupboard to get a fresh towel and there he was sitting on a pile of laundry - twice the size he had been when he escaped so he had been eating well. Just reached in and picked him up and he was back. He was missing for 7 weeks in all !

could be under the floor boards?

my ex partner lost his snake in a house full of holes twice.
the first time we found her the next evening in the under stairs cupboard on a box of christmas decorations.

the second time she was missing for 4 months before she turned up again - surprisingly, in the same place and no worse for wear.

a couple of the same things could be applied, like placing a line of flour across doorways before bed to see if there is any evidence of movement the next morning, so you would have some idea of where to look for him

also a lot of hamsters LOVE peanut butter, so placing a small blob with the food on plates and in fall traps could be an idea.

mine was particularly partial to dog food as well, and nutella helped me locate my syrian Matilda when she got out - she was under my mums bed lol came straight out for it, ate a bit, plodded through it and left brown sticky foot prints on mother of mines carpet

Cheers for the replies!

Still no sign of him I will try the flour thing though, seems like a good idea XD

I also have a box of christmas decorations under my stairs, so when my boyfriend comes home from work I'll get him to move the heavier stuff around it and check there. I can't move a stove on my own

I have managed to capture a couple of escaped hammies over the years, the first had taken refuge in a pile of boxes ready for moving house, the other one was missing for days , I eventually found him curled up on a scarf under the stairs.
Good luck, hope you find the little one soon.

Have you got a piano? Mind took up residence in there for a few weeks. Quite an adventurer he was. Moved under the house for a while - came out black as soot but seemingly quite jolly.

Also had a shot at setting up house atop the curtains - perched on the rail.

I had a mouse that was forever escaping!

Sofas, beds, back of cupboards, behind electrical appliances (where its warm) seemed to be her favourite spots.

She always turned up in the end x

Don't despair, keep looking and providing food and water, hopefully he'll get hungry enough soon.

I remember my sons hamsters escaping years ago, and 2-3 days later we found them sleeping cuddled up in our cats bed with the cats!

One of mine ended up in the hoover (by choice, not accident).

I had two different hamsters escape when I was a child. The first one somehow managed to get through one of the holes under the gas fire and under the floorboards. It was about a fortnight before he was found.

The second one I have no idea how he escaped, but we found him in the garden about a week later. They usually turn up when you least expect it.

Thanks for all the replies XD

I haven't heard from him yet, but have placed some more food and water about to try and entice him out.

Going to have another good look tomorrow in the hope he's settled down a bit.

My partners dad had a gerbil who was always escaping. Every single time he was in the back of the tumble dryer, nested in the warm fluff!

we lost ours and I came on here for advice too..if you think you know the room he is lost in..orfor example think he is downstairs..then sit down there (late night or aslate as you can into the early hours);...put tin foil here and there around the outskirts of the room and listen carefully..we did this after 5/6 days missing and late nights trying to find him..the tin foil is brill you cant fail to hear them walk across it x good luck

I tried putting the flour on the floor last night as well as placing bits of peanut butter around the house hoping to entice him out, but still nothing The flour hasn't even been disturbed, and I searched the house again yesterday and I still haven't found him

If anyone has any more ideas that may help me find him, I'll be very grateful because I really don't know what to do

Only thing I can suggest is a Bucket trap using dvds to create steps and banana rubbed on the dvds to lure the hamster up the steps.

Apart from that i'm not sure what else I can suggest.

There's a number of Hamster forums online where the owners might know more.

Good luck finding him, However if he's been missing since Wednesday, I'm afraid he'll be very dehydrated by now.

I've had a box with books leading up to it on the floor since wednesday morning, and I also put his tubes up to it because that's where he seemed to spend most of his time

I think it might be time to accept that he's probably not coming back. I've not heard him once since he went missing and no food or flour had been touched. We live by loads of fields and my mum says that if he's managed to get out that's where he'd have headed

When my sons got out, we put his open cage on the floor and few of his treats etc in there, in the morning hammy was in the cage asleep in his nest.
Was the same day he went, but maybe still worth a try.
Hope yours turns up safe ..

Hope you find your hamster soon, Don't give up! x

All I can add is look everywhere, which you most likely have but I mean everywhere.

When my neighbour lost his snake, his partner got the ironing board out it fell out from the extra board cover.

Hope you find him soon.

Hi everyone, I thought I'd better let you know he still hasn't turned up, and as there still has been no sign of him I don't think he will. Thanks for all the suggestions, I have tried every single one but I think he's gone for good

They'll show up! They're crafty buggers - and because he doesn't know you he'll be staying still! He'll come back.

Mine escaped three times, first time he was behind the cooker, the second time he played hide and seek with me between the cooker and the fridge (I actually swear I heard the bugger laughing - I moved the cooker and he went under the fridge, went to the fridge and he went behind the cooker..! This went on until I sat down on the floor and he ran up to me!) Third time he went missing, was out for a day and all of a sudden he darted across the living room floor!

Any sign of him OP ?

Nope still nothing And I think with only having him for such a short time I think if he managed to find a way out he'd have gone for it.