I found a pet hamster under a carpet pad in a Phoenix condo

I was pulling up the old pad in a bedroom last month, and a tiny grey blur shot out from under it. The homeowner had lost her kid's hamster three days before and thought it was gone for good. We spent about twenty minutes trying to corner it with a bucket before I got it. The kid was thrilled, but I had to re-stretch that whole section because we messed up the tack strip. Has anyone else had a surprise animal pop out during a demo?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_chen3mo ago

Surprise animal" reminds me of the squirrel in my attic.

dylanh973mo ago

Actually, squirrels are pretty great roommates if you think about it. They pay no rent, they're quiet at night, and they keep the insect population down. Free pest control. Having a little wild life around just makes a house feel more alive.

harperschmidt1mo ago

Squirrels in attics are a whole different beast than a lost hamster though. A hamster is a pet someone's looking for, but a squirrel will chew through wires and drywall and cause thousands in damage before you even know they're there. I've seen attics where the insulation was completely shredded and packed with nesting material, not to mention the smell from droppings. Free pest control is great until you're replacing a blown transformer because a squirrel decided to chew through the main electrical line.