How to Catch a Hamster

Look around your hamster’s cage and in his normal hiding spots. Sometimes hamsters don’t stray further than the area around their cage and can be found easily. But your hamster may also have spots he tends to hide in when he goes missing. Usually these areas are narrow, dark, and easy to get in to. For example:^[4]

• Inside boxes, such as tissue boxes or empty garbage bins.
• Under couches, beds, and loveseats.
• Behind or under bookshelves.
• Inside cabinets and wardrobes.
• Inside kitchen and dresser drawers. Keep in mind when searching drawers not to push them back too hard in the event your hamster is hiding behind a drawer.
• Behind large furniture like tables, vases, and mirrors that are on the ground.

Listen for any scratching or chewing sounds in the room. Most hamsters will chew through objects to get inside and burrow or hide. Your hamster can also squeeze into a hole as small as an inch in diameter, so she may try to chew or scratch through objects or even a crack in your walls. Turn off any sources of noise and then switch off the lights in the room. Sit still and listen for any scratching, chewing, or rustling noises. This may help you determine where your hamster is hiding.

Check for food and poop trails. Sometimes, hamster who escape bring a hoard of sunflower seeds with them. Look for piles or trails of half-eaten sunflower seeds, or seed husks in any of your hamster’s usual hiding places. You may want to use a flashlight to check dark and narrow spots.^[5]

• Your hamster may also end up going to the bathroom when he is outside of his cage. Look for any droppings or poop trails, as this may lead you straight to your missing hamster.

Use a sunflower seed trail. If you know which room your hamster escaped in and you have sealed off all possible exits and hiding places, you can try to bait your hamster with sunflower seeds.^[6]

• Set a trail of ten sunflower seeds leading into your hamster’s cage. Then, turn off all the lights in the room and sit quietly in one corner of the room.
• Your hamster will be attracted to the seeds and should reveal himself to you. He may even walk straight back into his cage. However, it may be some time until he shows himself and you may have to wait awhile in the dark room.
• You can also dust the floor around the seed bait with flour. Then when the hamster walks through the flour to get to the seeds, you will be able to see where he was headed.

Make a bucket trap. This is one of the most popular ways to catch a hamster. It is also a very simple trap that you can whip together using a tall bucket, a towel, several boxes or books, and a handful of treats.^[7]

• Flip over a tall, plastic bucket so the opening is facing upward. Place the towel in the bucket to cushion your hamster’s fall when he lands in the trap.
• Put a handful of treats in the bucket as bait. It could be peanut butter on a cracker, a pile of sunflower seeds, or other treats that have a strong, enticing smell that your hamster will pick up on. You may also want to place a piece of lettuce or a water bottle on a stand in the bucket so your hamster has something to drink when he lands in the bucket.
• Create a ladder leading up to the bucket. Use a stack of books, legos, or a set of small boxes to make stairs your hamster can climb up on to reach the bait, and the trap.
• You can also place sunflower seeds or another treat on each step leading up the ladder to ensure your hamster makes it all the way to the top of the ladder and falls into the bucket.
• Close the door to the room and check the bucket periodically to see if your hamster has fallen for the trap.