When your hamster suddenly becomes Houdini the great escaper...
and you want it back in its cage, here's how->
Place a bucket or deep container from which a hamster cannot escape (but not too deep) on the floor. Put a variety of tasty hamster foods in the bottom. Stack books like a staircase next to the bucket. Put treats on the "steps" as well. The hamster should climb up the books, enter the bucket and remain there until morning (they forage for food at night). You may want to put out several of these. In addition, you can just put dishes of food out on the floor, especially sunflower seeds, and look for droppings in the morning. This will at least tell you that the
hamster is still in the area. And since they tend to form regular patterns
of behavior you may be able to catch him as she goes out to dinner.
The one thing you don't want to do is give up. Hamsters take their own sweet time, and sometimes getting them back takes a while. Many people have used this method successfully, and write back saying "I was about to give up when, suddenly, my hamster appeared!"
Most hamsters are basically always moving, always rambling from place to place. Very few will sit docilely in your hand. So if your hamster simply will not sit still, that's not terribly unusual. But there are things you can do to get him more accustomed to your touch.
Getting a hamster used to you requires that you train him slowly and regularly. This could be just putting your hand inside the cage and letting it lie still there for 10 minutes at a time (you can read a book at the same time). He should, over time, become curious and walk over to it. Make no attempt to grab, just let him investigate. If he begins to nibble, pull you hand away, but smoothly and without scaring him.
When you do take him out, put him on a big supervisable surface like a bed or sofa (it should be furniture with your scent). Let him wander freely. When he comes to an edge, nudge him back with the back of your hand, or even your nose (yes, I'm serious), rather than grabbing him. Let him play like this for some time every day, until he comes to realize that you will not grab him.
Another good technique is to get two or more people to sit on the floor, spread their legs and join at the feet, making a big "arena" for the hamster to run around in, bordered by your legs. When he gets to a border and wants to climb over, nudge him back in without grabbing. This can be a game for them. After ten minutes or so the hamster is very used to the scent and feel of humans, but feels less threatened by them.
It's the grabbing itself that can be intimidating to your hamster. Some suggest it's an instinctual reaction based upon the rodent's being a favorite target of birds of prey (your fingers resemble talons to a degree). The sooner you can get your ham to simply walk on your body without fear, the sooner your battle will be won.
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Using a glove to handle the hammie will also help you to gain confidence over it and the hammie could gradually be tamed too. |
 
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Interesting Fact: Hamsters are often referred to as nocturnal, i.e. animals of the night. This is incorrect. They are actually crepuscular-creatures of dawn and dusk!
