Tiny animals like hamsters are always cute. When you come back home and notice a very cute animal is enjoying inside your room on a wheel, running, eating, or making happy sounds- it makes you so happy.
A hamster can be only 2-4 inches which means 5.5 to 11 cm long. Very tiny, right? Here is one problem that arises. And that is- if a hamster is lost from its cage, it is hard to find the hamster at once.
So, how long can a lost hamster survive? Can it come back on its own? What things to do immediately? In this blog post, we will try to figure out why a hamster escapes and how long can a lost hamster survive. Let’s start.
How Long Can a Lost Hamster Survive?
A lost hamster can survive almost 3 to 4 days on its own though it’s not definite. Some hamsters can survive more than this time. It actually depends on the situation, the size, and the breed of the hamster.
However, there are still many things to consider. Stay with the article to learn more about it.
Reasons Behind Escape
Before we go deep, we should learn why and how a hamster escapes or tries to escape.
- Insufficient Space: The hamster cage needs to be spacious. A hamster needs enough space to run and play. If your hamster doesn’t get adequate space, it will definitely try to escape the cage.
- Lousy Smell: Hamsters poop a lot. This makes their place smelly and disturbing. A hamster can not live in such a smelly place. So, if the cage is too smelly to stay inside, the hamster might try to escape.
- Hunger: In the wild, a hamster needs to search for food. But when the hamster is in a cage, it doesn’t need to search for food. So, if you don’t keep food and water inside the cage, your hamster will definitely come out for food.
- Temperature: The hamster cage should be between 18 ℃ and -23 ℃. If you keep your hamster below this temperature or above this temperature, the hamster won’t be able to find comfort, and thus it will try to jump away.
How Long Can a Hamster Go Without Food or Water?
Hamsters can go 3 or 4 days without any food. Remember, a hamster can not cud. So, it doesn’t carry any food inside its body. Moreover, a hamster may tend to eat its poop if it gets very hungry.
A lost hamster can go a few days without water, though. But if it is summer, then the hamster is in trouble.
Where Do Hamsters Hide After Escaping?
You should know where a hamster usually hides after escaping before you ask how long can a lost hamster survive.
So, here is the list of some hiding places a hamster will try to hide. However, it can’t be surely said that your hamster will hide only in this place.
- Shoes: If a hamster runs away, then it may try to hide in your shoes. The hamster is definitely tiny in size, so it may fit inside your shoes. Try to search inside the shoes first.
- Furniture: Check all your furniture, inside out. Your hamster may hide inside your beds, couches, and dressing table.
- Any warm place: Try to find inside all the warm places in your house. Hamsters like to hide somewhere warm. So, any warm place like a blanket or rug will be their first priority to hide.
- Heater: A heater is also a place where a hamster can try to hide. It’s also a warm place. And hamsters are not tiny but soft enough to get into any small place like a heater. Check your heater too.
- Kitchen: Your hamster may try to hide in the kitchen too. When they find the smell of food in the kitchen, they might try to hide inside the kitchen and eat food discreetly.
How to Stop Hamsters from Escaping
So, now we know the reasons behind escaping and where hamsters usually hide. Now, it’s time to learn how to stop hamsters from escaping.
- Keep your hamster active and in a cheerful mind.
- Put tasty foods and some tidbits inside the hamster cage so that it doesn’t tend to go outside for food.
- Give some toys to play with inside the cage. If a hamster finds joy inside its cage, it won’t try to go outside for play.
- A running wheel should do a lot better than any other thing to keep a hamster inside its cage.
- Introduce your hamster to your house slowly. If the hamster knows the way to come back, you will not worry a lot when your hamster is lost.
Things to Do When A Hamster is Lost
We love our pets very much. Whatever the pet is, it is very loving to us. So, no one wants to see the pet’s cage empty.
So, in case your hamster is lost somehow, before asking how long can a hamster go without food, you can do certain things to find your hamster quickly.
Let’s see what the initial steps you can take to find out your hamster are.
Don’t Panic
First of all, you should stay calm. Haste makes waste. So, if you panic, the situation will get worse. Try to stay calm and find your hamster inside the house.
Wait for your hamster to come back. Sometimes hamsters can come back on their own. So, if your hamster can smell its own cage, it will return on its own.
Inform Your Family and Neighbors
Inform your family members and neighbors too. A hamster can’t run fast or run a lot at once to get away. Most probably, it can hide inside your neighbor’s house.
So, keep your neighbors informed. If they find any noise or anything suspicious related to the hamster, they can call you as soon as possible.
Publish A Lost News
Post a photo of your hamster and write about the hamster in detail. You can post it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other social media you want. You can contact your local newspaper about the matter.
These are the possible ways to find your lost hamster. We can’t say surely that if you follow these tricks, you can find the hamster back. But don’t give up. And still, if you can’t have it back, please don’t blame yourself.
Final Words
Losing your pet hamster is definitely unexpected. However, if your hamster gets away somehow, don’t worry. It can go a few days without any food or water. During this time, try your best to find it back.