Hamster Disaster

I was pet-sitting my friend’s hamster, Crayon, for the weekend.
She was a spunky little thing, always scurrying around her cage.

Come Saturday morning, I noticed Crayon was a little droopy. She poked her nose out of her cage, staring into the great yonder of our apartment living room.

Awwwn, I thought. I’ll cheer her up with a good roam.

Carefully, I placed her in her plastic ball. Crayon spung to life immediately! She dashed about in her round enclosure, hitting furniture legs with a repetitive clang clang clang. I then went about my Saturday morning happenings.

A little while later, I realize the apartment was quiet…too quiet..oh no! I ran to search for Crayon only to find an empty hamster ball. Crayon was missing!

One by one, I secured each bedroom and narrowed down the possible places Crayon could be. Scratching sounds under cabinets notified me that Crayon was in the living room / kitchen area. So I became a couching tiger and waited.

Eight hours later, in the dark of night, faint footsteps came from a corner of the living room.
I turned my head and leaped upon sight of the merrily trotting hamster. However, Crayon was too fast. She darted under luggage cases, just out of my reach.

I attempted to lure her out with a yogurt treat.

Despite her great love for sugary snacks, Crayon retreated back into hiding the moment she sensed my looming hand poised to snatch her up.

Time for a more clever plan.

I blocked off all other exits from that luggage case and placed her case at its sole entrance. Crayon, ever curious, step by step climbed back into her cage.

A huge sense of relief washed over me.
I hope to never have a hamster disaster again.