A mum-of-four has been left in ‘hamster hell’ after her new pet went rogue and caused ‘thousands of pounds’ worth of damage to her new car.

Amanda Johnson, from St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, had purchased the orange Syrian hamster for her children on August 14.

But the ‘active’ rodent managed to escape from its box during her drive home and got lost inside her four-month-old Ford Kuga – where it still remains.

Amanda Johnson’s hamster is stuck in her car (Picture: Caters)

The crafty hamster has managed to defy a whopping eight traps left by 43-year-old Ms Johnson, causing her to already order three more.


In just six days, it has wreaked havoc on her car, chewing through seat belts, gnawing through plastic and wires, and destroying one of her airbags.

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‘We began the 35-minute drive home full of excitement with our new family member,’ Ms Johnson said as she remembered the moment the hamster got loose.



‘Twenty minutes into the journey I felt something brush past my left ankle, I scratched it and carried on driving.

‘It happened again! I looked and there’s a fucking hamster sat under the fucking clutch pedal.

The ‘active’ hamster has chewed through the seat belts (Picture: AMANDA JOHNSON / CATERS NEWS)

‘Holy shit balls! No stopping allowed on the roads, so had to drive the rest of the way home knowing there’s a fucking hamster on the loose in my car.’

Ms Johnson, who owns Sam’s Coffee Shop in St Athan, described seeing the hamster out of its box as ‘shocking and terrifying’.

But despite the expensive damage it has already done, she says she would still like to find the tiny creature ‘alive’.

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‘I am absolutely heartbroken about my new car,’ Ms Johnson said.

‘But despite the damage, I would love to find the hamster alive, safe and well.

‘I believe there is thousands of pounds worth of damage. Hours and hours of labour and diagnostics.

Ms Johnson has been devastated as the damage to her car (Picture: AMANDA JOHNSON / CATERS NEWS)

‘It’s also destroyed the passenger door airbag as well – the light is flashing on the dash.

‘We have had no luck catching the hamster yet, but I can hear it in the seat belt column on the passenger side of the car.

‘The little shit has defied the eight traps and of course the mop bucket with homemade ladder made out of rail track and sticky tape.

‘This hamster is fast becoming my life.’

Ms Johnson shared her hamster woes in a detailed Facebook post on August 15, asking for advice from her friends.

Ms Johnson has been leaving traps for the hamster to try and catch it (Picture: AMANDA JOHNSON / CATERS NEWS)

The post has since gone viral, with over 61,000 likes and 59,000 shares.

Ms Johnson has continually updated the status with regard to her progress in finding the hamster – or lack thereof.

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Four different garages have told her that the damage to her seats is ‘extensive’, while the passenger seat belt has been ‘totalled’.

‘I can’t decide whether I’m devastated or very fucking impressed with the wit of this little critter,’ she wrote this evening, playfully described as ‘Day 6’.

‘I tell you what, I’m sure I can feel her eyes boaring into me from her secret place!’

She then joked that the hamster must have a ‘big fat swollen belly’ by now and could grow to the size of ‘godfuckingzilla’ if not found soon.

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