HAMMY the hamster escapes!

For his birthday, we had decided to allow Dylan to have a pet hamster. To his credit he read several books on hamster care and carefully researched the appropriate cages and equipment needed to house the animal. When the time came to choose a hamster we visited 4 different stores and spent two days sleeping over our decision.

Finally, we decided on a short-haired Syerian hamster, such as the one who starred in the very old show, Hammy the Hamster. Of course I am dating myself and perhaps some of you will remember the adorable children's show about real hamsters living in a little village especially built for them. They drove remote cars and carried out occupations such as the mailman, etc...

Hammy exploring the great outdoor in his pen
Anyhow, after just 3 days in our care, Hammy escaped from his elaborate cage and hid in our unfinished basement. Hammy's extensive cage

For one week we would lay out food and water at night time and by morning it would be gone without any trace of Hammy. First, Hammy was living in our fiberglass insulation in the walls. Then one night, Andrew could hear him scurrying over the bathroom ceiling on the second floor. Finally, he heard Hammy scurrying overhead and then a big drop as he fell one floor. There was that moment of sickening silence and then the hopeful sound of movement again. I slept in the basement one night with a carrot right beside my face only to awaken and discovered it was gone. We rented a squirrel cage from a rent-all company for two nights to no avail. I called several rodent removal companies and humane societies for ideas until someone suggested buying a mouse trap from Canadian Tire. And, voila! We had Hammy back.

Hammy is a little stressed and we are approaching him with kid gloves (literally we wear gloves when handling him in case he bites us from fear). But, we are glad to have him back.

And as the old classic Mastercard commercial says:
Buying a hamster: $8.00
Travel cage: $9.99
Habitat cage: $39.99
Extra tubing: $29.99
Bedding/Food: $19.99
Squirrel Trap rental: $22.15
Mouse Trap: $16.99
Finally catching your hamster after one week of unsuccessful attempts....PRICELESS!