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Escapee hamster reunited with owner
This cheeky chappy gave one man quite a fright when he crawled under the door of his bathroom.
The Syrian hamster was an escapee from another home in the block of flats, in Surrey. Luckily, once the man had got over his surprise, he carefully caught the runaway rodent, guessing he was probably someone's pet. He called us and we came to the hamster's rescue - and called him Dennis.
Natasha Clarke, our animal collection officer who went out to collect him, said:
Dennis was a friendly hamster who was happy to be handled, so we knew there would be an owner out there desperately missing him.
I asked around the estate but no one knew where he might live, so we took him back to our animal centre.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before Dennis's grateful owners came forward and claimed their missing floof.
Natasha added:
Many people don't realise we rescue and rehome small furries like hamsters, but all animals are important to us.
We often have hamsters available for rehoming, so remember to adopt not shop.
Furry fact
In the wild, hamsters live in deep burrows and are very capable diggers. Domestic hamsters also enjoy digging - and love chewing - so they can easily break out of a flimsy cage.
If you have a pet hamster, make sure they're kept in a large, sturdy enclosure with a solid floor and plenty of opportunities to dig.