Lost rodents

What to do if you lost a mouse, a pet rat or a hamster.

If you've lost a pet mouse, a decorative rat, a guinea pig, a hamster or a squirrel - do not panic, follow our advices and your chances of finding a rodent will increase noticeably. Our advices would also be useful if you have to catch a mouse or a rat that is not a domestic one. Wild rodents are dangerous and should be caught as soon as possible.

If you've lost a mouse, a rat or a hamster within a living area, for example, because of an unlocked cage or during playing, nothing terrible could happen while the rodent is inside an apartment or a country house.

• The first thing to remember - move carefully and thoroughly watch your steps. It would be very sad if, during the search for a hamster, you accidentally step on it. Rodents outside of a cage can move very quickly and the probability that they can get under your foot is far from zero.
• Thus, when stepping gently, close all exits from the room so that the search for a pet mouse or a rat is localized within the acceptable limits. You do not want to look for a rodent in the stairwell or in the yard, do you?
• Then, if there are other animals in the house, keep them under full control or ask relatives or friends about it. If other animals do not get along with rodents - nothing good would come out of the fact that a missing mouse is found by a domestic cat or a dog. On the other hand, if other animals are properly brought up - you can use them to search. A properly trained dog will find a hamster in a few moments. Also, if you have such a possibility, you can use another rodent to search for the missing one, for example, by borrowing it for a while from friends. Your hiding mouse can quickly respond to the squeak of another mouse and leave its shelter.
• If there are no other animals or their usage to search for a lost rodent is impossible - begin examining the premises by yourself. Listen carefully to the sounds, perhaps the missing mouse scratches or eats nearby.
• Suppose you managed to find a place where your pet hides. If the mouse is trained or knows your voice - try to call it. If the persuasion does not help - use edible bait. Be cautious and ready to catch the fugitive, as, having grasped the bait, the rodent can return to its shelter and is unlikely to come out again in the nearest future.
• Use purchased traps for rodents only as a last resort! Although they are quite effective, those of them that simply hold the rodent in place, rather than kill it, can also be harmful, at least for the parts that sticks to the trap. Washing out the adhesive composition from the rodent's coat would be far from easy!
• Folk remedies for mice catching may be more appropriate. From an empty bucket and a bridge over it with a bait at the end you can build a primitive trap for the missing rodent. When it goes for the bait on the bridge - the latter will outweigh and fall, along with the rodent, into the bucket. Be on your guard as clever rodents can use the bridge in order to get out.

Do not forget that in a stressful situation rodents can be inadequate! Use gloves to catch a missing pet mouse or a rat. This is also a prerequisite if you catch a wild rodent!

If a decorative rodent, such as a guinea pig, is lost outside of a house, for example, when walking outdoors or on a country plot - finding it will be much more difficult.

• First of all, you need to let as many people as possible to know about the loss of the rodent. For example, using the online pet search service Petrieve. With us you not only will be able to submit an absolutely free advert about your missing mouse, including all its traits and the place where you' ve lost it. Having a profile of your pet on Petrieve, you can share it on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and print flyers and poster easily. You can also receive notifications if someone has found a rodent similar to yours.
• Let your neighbours know and ask for permission to inspect their territory and buildings searching for a lost mouse, a guinea pig or a hamster. Talk to the owners of dogs and cats - maybe, while walking, they have seen your lost rodent in the neighborhood, a dog or cat chased a mouse or a hamster under the house, etc.

If you are looking for a missing rodent - for your convenience use our map of found pets. Find the place where the hamster disappeared, look at the marks on the map near this place (click them to get additional info) - maybe your mouse or rat has been found and it is already waiting for you!

Below you may find a list of countries where lost rodents have been registered on Petrieve: