Hamster Drama

We had a bit of excitement at our house this morning...our hamster, Benny, was on the loose.

I woke up around 6:30 to these funny little scratching sounds and a muffled squeak. I had this half conscious thought about whether we had a dog or not. We don't. An hour later there were several shrieks and squeals coming from the hallway. I turned my head in that direction and saw a streak of white fur followed by 2 howling kids.

My first fear was for the hamster. I can't imagine the amount of therapy my kids would need from squishing their beloved pet. Then I realized that we had to catch the thing before we left for school and the sitters. Of all mornings, it has to happen on a day when there's a class field trip and we actually HAVE to leave the house. We finally cornered Benny in a bathroom, sealed all exits, and tried to coax her into her ball.

The thing is...I'm actually scared of her. I don't want my kids to know but I'm terrified of handling Benny. I had a hamster in my classroom back in the day when I taught full time. That hamster bit one of my students and since then, I've been a little week in the knees around hamsters. It's silly really. I managed to put on my brave mom mask and get her safely back into her home, a 20 gallon aquarium. I'd love to know how she got out! How does one little furry hamster scale glass walls and cause that much havic?!