Travel: Hamster revival

HAMSTERS really can rise from the dead, writes Ms P A Pilbrow of South-west London in response to the letter from Jean Elliot (Independent Traveller, 13 November).

'I also had what I assumed to be a dead hamster. When the children had gone to school, I removed him from the cage, carefully wrapping him with the household rubbish in newspaper. Included in the rubbish were some warm teabags.'

But next morning - a miracle] 'On going outside to put more rubbish in the bin, I took off the lid and there was Hammy running around none the worse for being thrown away. I can only guess the teabags warmed him up] He was seemingly unaffected by his ordeal.'

How do you know if your hamster really is dead? Are there, say, five tell-tale signs a vet looks for before he is prepared to write the death certificate? Could you try mouth-to-muzzle resuscitation just to be on the safe side? Or what about popping him into the oven on a low flame? The mind boggles.