Potty training Syrians
 

How did you potty train your syrian hamster? Is it fairly easy?
Ideally I would like Hadley to go to the bathroom someplace separate from where she eats/sleeps/hoards.

Re: Potty training Syrians
 

I've found that my hams choose where they pee as soon as they arrive. they always seem to use one particular corner, so as soon as that is established, you can just spot clean that bit, or even put down a 'potty' for them. after I put in sandbaths for mine though, I did notice that they peed in both their wee corners as well as in their sandbaths haha.

Re: Potty training Syrians
 

The easiest way (might be a bit smelly for a while) is a Cath face says.. Identify where she wee's... Put the wet wee soaked substrate into the potty and then put it where she is wee-ing! Once she has got used to the potty you can start gradually to move it where you want it to be.. Step by step keeping wet wee soaked sawdust (just enough to smell) in the potty and thoroughly cleaning where the wee is in the cage...
Patience will pay off.. My old hammy Tillifer would always wee in her bed, on her wheel in her tubes.. But I even managed to potty train her Lols.

Good luck
Arraminta x

Re: Potty training Syrians
 

I'm not quite sure if Hadley has a specific "wee corner" apart from marking her territory. For various reasons I had to make slight adjustment to go lay out of her cage and she wasn't really happy with that idea :p

Re: Potty training Syrians
 

Zoro used to pee in her bed but after getting used to the cage she now has a wee corner :)

Re: Potty training Syrians
 

Pick a corner with evidence of dampness and put toys in all the others to discourage weeing there.
Good luck :)

Re: Potty training Syrians
 

Ok well this is day 1 of potty training

Re: Potty training Syrians
 

From the day I got both of mine back I gave them sand baths and they've always used them as toilets - no need for training at all. Makes cage cleaning etc so much easier.

Re: Potty training Syrians
 

Hadley was using her litter box/potty as an open nest, but I moved it last night when I changed her cage. I put a bunch of extra substrate and her toilet paper in the corner she was using as an open nest and put the potty in the corner she was weeing in rather than the litter box (with her used/scented substrate). We'll see how this works!
I think she actually likes the slight changes I made to her habitat last night because she was much more relaxed when I put her back in her fresh cage and didn't run around marking things :)

Re: Potty training Syrians
 

I didn't potty train Belle. She just decided shwe was going to go to the toilet in her sandpit instead! So now that's where she always goes ...