I'm almost in tears asking this, but how long would a pet hamster's corpse take to smell?

If she's in the wall, you may not smell it at all. Hamsters are just so small ... and she could be 'way up in the attic or even outside.

But she's likely NOT dead. Hamsters are survivors. Keep setting the bucket traps ... there are a couple different ways to do those; if one kind isn't working find another through Google and try it.

There are also little cage-type traps for squirrels and mice. You can get them at feed or hardware stores, or your animal shelter might rent you one. You could try those.

Also put her cage on the floor and leave the door open, with fresh food and water inside. She may come back there since it's familiar.

Keep in mind that hamsters are not actually nocturnal, but crepuscular. That means they are most active at dawn and dusk. So when the sun's setting or rising, turn out all the lights and make sure it's quiet. Leave some food in the middle of a room (or more than one) and wait.

You can try leaving her favorite food in different rooms at night, and shutting all the doors that you can. Then you might be able to determine which room she is in! (Obviously, the one where food gets eaten.) Just make sure any other food is sealed away tightly.

Good luck! Sometimes hamsters show up after months!

Never had this happen to me, and I'm sorry that it is to you.

If she is in the wall and died, it would depend on a number of factors like how warm it is, etc as to when you would smell decomp, but if it was 8 days ago, you would almost definitely smell it by now.

If you did need to get the hamster out of the wall because of the smell, you would need to determine where exactly the body is at. Then how you would remove it is dependent on what type of wall you have -- plaster, drywall, paneling, etc. If it is drywall which it usually is, then you should be able to drill a small hole and then use a small hand saw to cut just a small enough area to retrieve the body, making sure to not insert the saw very deeply to avoid wires, etc. Also would have to look out for studs. Then you can patch with a brace, new piece of drywall, tape mud, and some paint. With plaster or paneling, it would be far trickier. Of course, you can always just wait out the decomp and the smell will go away.

I hope that this isn't the case and that the hamster shows up!

I think a living body begins to smell in about the same amount of time that fresh meat would begin to smell if left out side the refridgerator...it would depend on how hot it is where you are. Anywhere between a few hours to a few days...

It depends on the temperature. It seems its been cold in most places in the U.S. It could be that the hamster froze and will never smell. On the other hand, if it is warm where you are, the hamster could have just run away from home and is living happily ever after stealing bird seed like any other rodent would do in the wild.

Remember hamsters are wild animals and can live very well on their own if given the right conditions. If it finds another hamster out there, the place could get over run with little ones and it would be a problem just like mice. They can eat the wiring or insulation in your house and if there are a lot of them doing it...big problems.

Try setting tasty, smelly food out and see if it disappears in the night. Could be your pet is doing fine away from home.

Keep the traps set! I love those "humane" mouse traps for this, lol. I've also had to lure one out of a wall. I knew it was there and had to set a trap for it (I used cage parts) that I could pull up with a string. Too smart for the mouse trap, I guess. If it gets into the wall you'll just have to keep the traps set for it to find.

If it is dead you'll be smelling him in about 2 days in warm weather. Definately by 8 days in any weather. I actually even rescued one from my cat once. The gerbil had somehow gotten outside (through the wall??). The cat didn't really try to kill it or of course could have. It was using it to play with. Good luck.

OMG it has only been 8 days! She/he can live a lot longer then this.

Put the cage on the ground with a way to get back in, you might be surprised.

Give your hamster more time. You might be surprised at how long they can live outside there cage in a home...

Check under the stove, under the refrigerator. Gosh I took took out draws of a built in dresser in the home I grew up in and low and behold escapee was there...Remember rodents will eat everything that is food, even that which is not food but has some kind of belly filling affects to it.

Do not give up yet :0)

the only way she could get into the wall, is if there's a hole in it already. it takes quite an effort for a hamster to chew through a wall, unlike a pet rat. anyway, if she died somewhere in the house, it would take about 2-3 days before you would smell her...if at all. most likely places to look for her are under the stove and fridge, where it's warm. i hope you find her alive...it's still a possibility. best of luck finding her alive.

I'm not the scientific authority on this or anything, but from personal experience, it depends on the temperature of your house-if its hot, it'll start smelling in a couple of days. If it's fairly cool, it could take more than a week. And I hate to say this, but if she's in the wall, you may have to hire an exterminator to locate and remove her, because the smell could be really strong in one area, but she may be in another. And I know you don't want to start drilling holes everywhere, right? Get a professional. I hope she's OK-and if she's not, sorry for your loss.

Ive had hampsters escape before,it will be ok,look just leave food out on the floor for it and a small container of water.this is so it doesnt die before you find it,it will show up sooner or later and you will laugh it off.yeah look for it at night with a flashlight it will come out to investigate "the strange magic mistical flying light"they are good at adaping,i found mine in the basement under a desk after it was missing for like 2 weeks,lol it made a nest out of dog food and was just fine.

I have also lost my hamster many times. It would take 4days+.

I trick that worked for me was that I turned of all the lights made sure the area was pitch black and tried to make as minimal noise as possible. My hamster would eventually come out to explore.

Be careful, it might be scared and bite. Oh. good luck catching it.They run fast.

i guess you should put a food trail. and hopefully it will be lured by the scent of the food. Just try your best to look everywhere, under the beds, the table. My hamsters escaped once, and i managed to find them under the bed and toilet so cheer up, i'm sure you will be able to get back your hamster.