What to Do If Your Child Flushes Something Down the Toilet (Like A Hamster)

This post will discuss What to Do If your Child Flushes Something Down the Toilet. Children can be one of the greatest treasures in life. The moment they are born, their first steps and words become precious memories.

But there may also come a time when they run into the living room and proudly proclaim how they just flushed their favorite toy down the toilet.!

You’ll probably be speechless the first time it happens, like I was, but you need to know what to do when it happens (read my story below!)

My Daughter Flushed Her Hamster Down The Toilet 🙁

This actually happened when my daughter was four years old. She brought her HAMSTER to the bathroom (I did not know she did this), reached over, and flushed the toilet with the same hand as she was holding her hamster. Yep, down went her fluffy hamster too!!! 

This is a story that many people do not believe when I tell them, and they don’t know whether to laugh or feel sorry for us, but man, oh man, that was a very tragic event for my little baby girl!!!

That hamster was her everything. She loved that hamster so much. So, when she accidentally flushed it down the toilet, we were shocked and horrified! My poor little girl was crying so hard! And, that precious hamster named ‘fluffy‘, I am so sorry!

We all talk about it now, but oh boy, was that a doozy! So, I DO know that kids can be super QUICK, and I KNOW they can flush objects down the toilet rather quickly sigh…

What to Do If Your Child Flushes Something Down the Toilet (Like A Hamster)

With my personal story out of the way, let’s get back to why I wrote this blog post in the first place: To talk about What to Do If your Child Flushes Something Down the Toilet. 

Why Do Kids Flush Things?

Kids are learning about the world around them, so they are intrigued by the unfamiliar. Their curiosity can mean experimentation, especially when you’re not looking.

If their potty training involves games or fun, they might see a toilet as a toy. Kids might try to sail toys on the water inside the bowl or jingle car and house keys before making a splash. In more extreme cases, they might try to put a cell phone or even a tiny pet down the drain… (now I am sad again!).

Removing a Toy (Or A Hamster) from the Toilet

If you want to try and get a toy out of your toilet (or a hamster) on your own, start by scooping the water from the bowl. Use a cup, can, or milk carton.

You probably won’t get all the water out, but you can remove enough to see if you can pull the toy or object out. Wear a glove if you’d rather not stick your hand in there.

Smaller items might be things you can pull out directly, and they rarely get lodged in the drain. A stuffed animal might be a different story. If need be, get a metal coat hanger and bend it into a hook to fish the object out. 

Can’t physically see the toy? Grab your plunger, but use it carefully. Toys that get stuck in the drain are probably gone for good.

Also, plunging with too much force might damage the toilet or the object you are trying to get unstuck. You should also know that plunging the object out might bring up other really interesting things…

If the above options don’t work, you can try using a drain snake. Plumbers commonly use the drain snake to unclog toilets with items stuck in them. By inserting the auger into the drain opening and twisting it, you can, hopefully, dislodge the stuck item in the toilet trap.

I also heard that a wet vac might be an option to help get your stuck item out of the toilet. You can do that by gently sticking the wet vac’s hose down the toilet drain hole.

Turn on the wet vac and slowly pull out the hose. Hopefully, your flushed object will be on the end of that suction hose! If not, then maybe it is time to call in a plumber!

You’re Not Alone

If you try all these steps and fail to recover the item your child flushed down the toilet (like us and our hamster), that doesn’t have to be the end (for us, unfortunately, it was the end, though).

Renters can contact their maintenance teams or landlords, and homeowners can arrange for a plumbing professional to deal with the situation.

Getting the flushed item back isn’t always possible, like with our hamster, but resolving a clogged toilet is essential for keeping your plumbing working properly.

Prevention

Whether it’s the first time your child flushes an item down the toilet or part of a pattern, you can do things to keep it from happening again. Teach your kids to respect the things they flush, and discipline or train them as necessary.

If necessary, consider having a professional (or do it yourself) put a lid lock on any toilets your children can access until they’re old enough to be responsible. This will save you a huge headache for sure. Trust me, I know firsthand!!!

Has your child ever flushed an object (or hamster) down the toilet? Let me know in the comments below. And, if you are here to write rude comments about our horrible experience, you need to keep moving. Thanks!