Runaway hamster back home after his second great escape

WHEN Monty the hamster escaped from his cage, his devastated owner thought she had lost him forever.

The adventurous pet had burst through one of the plastic tubes of his enclosure and made a dash for freedom.

But after a 10-day getaway, Monty returned home just in time for Christmas to the delight of his anxious keeper.

Emily Dodds, 23, of Richmond had grown increasingly worried that her beloved pet had escaped into the garden and been eaten or had frozen to death.

After eight days of turning the house upside-down, Miss Dodds began researching ways to lure him back.

She found a humane trap on the internet, packed it with chocolate drops and sunflower seeds, and placed it on the floor under his cage in her living room.

Miss Dodds, a marketing executive, said: "I had no idea where he'd gone. We literally searched the whole house, overturning every sofa.

"When I found him in the trap I was so happy I started crying."

But it's not the first time the six-month-old pet has disappeared. Monty staged his first breakout after a month living with the Dodds.

Miss Dodds said: "The first time he'd just pushed open his front door and made a run for it. I found him strolling around the kitchen. He hates being in his cage."