OMG, what a relief. youngest daughter’s hamster HAS BEEN FOUND!!!

I went down to the basement last night and not far from the treadmill I noticed this pile of chewed up newspaper on the floor. I knew exactly what it was.

But how? This was from newspaper stuffed up into an abandoned forced-hot-air heating duct, because when I use the treadmill at 5 in the morning, the noise was traveling right up that conduit into my youngest daughter’s room and waking her up. Getting the picture? It seems that Mister Hamster went into that duct — on the second floor, mind you, and had to have fallen about 8 feet down to where the newspaper was stuffed in from the basement.

Now this hamster has been missing how long? Five days? And Sunday night I had run on the treadmill and I know there was no pile of newspaper shreds then. So he must have been in that ductwork for like four days before he finally chewed his way out — and then fell who knows how far onto the chair below or the floor?

I ran upstairs to get the Havahart trap, loaded it up with more peanut butter, and called to Wifey so she could see the pile of shreds. And while I was setting the trap, she says, “hey, look who I found over here!”

Mister Hamster had gotten himself stuck in this huge plastic bucket, the one we use for party beverages, and couldn’t get out! But he was safe and sound!!

But wow, what a relief. My daughter has been so upset about this whole thing and I just didn’t know what to do. Thank goodness, this crisis is finally over!