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Old 09-17-2018, 10:11 PM   #1
larry ben kenobi
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: British Columbia, Canada
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Question Where is she peeing?

Hello all.

I am trying to potty train my little ham. She's a year old but I just adopted her. Before this she was in a crittertrail tiny cage and had two discernible pee corners. I put her in the Detolf, and I cannot tell where she is doing her business. I have a litter pan out but she just turns it over into the substrate. I've been trying to put dirty bedding/sand there.


Would it be normal that she is doing it somewhere in the burrowing area/deep substrate? Should I be checking somewhere besides corners?
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Old 09-17-2018, 11:11 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Where is she peeing?

How long have you had her now? It can take them a while to settle on one pee spot & if she is peeing in different places still it may be too little for you to find, I wouldn't worry I'm sure once she settles on a pee spot you'll find it ok.
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Old 09-18-2018, 01:34 AM   #3
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Where is she peeing?

As Cypher says she may not have decided on a pee spot yet. If she's turning the potty over she maybe doesn't want it there - try moving it nearer the house and/or in a corner of the tank. I shouldn't worry - the detolf is so big that wherever she is peeing, if it doesn't smell yet don't worry about it! You'll find out.

She may be peeing in her nest of course or on her hoard. You could check that. If she is then a way round that is to provide a large house and put the litter tray inside it - at the end nearest the door (they like to nest at the end furthest away from the door where it's darkest). Our hamsters have always used the litter tray when it's inside a larger house. They seem to like having an ensuite bathroom

Something like a shoebox is fine - cut the bottom out and a hole at one end of the long side for a door and keep the lid as a lift off roof - that way you can empty the potty without having to take the house out and disturbing the nest and also check in there now and then. Or a guinea pig sized house is sometimes a good size - if it has a flat roof it also doubles up as an extra platform.
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Old 09-18-2018, 01:44 AM   #4
larry ben kenobi
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Default Re: Where is she peeing?

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
How long have you had her now? It can take them a while to settle on one pee spot & if she is peeing in different places still it may be too little for you to find, I wouldn't worry I'm sure once she settles on a pee spot you'll find it ok.
Five days. She is also my first hamster so while I've done some research I lack experience.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000
Something like a shoebox is fine - cut the bottom out and a hole at one end of the long side for a door and keep the lid as a lift off roof - that way you can empty the potty without having to take the house out and disturbing the nest and also check in there now and then. Or a guinea pig sized house is sometimes a good size - if it has a flat roof it also doubles up as an extra platform.
I've been trying to coax her into a bigger house I made out of an Ikea magazine holder but she really prefers her little igloo. I will try the shoebox, I like the idea of being able to check up on her without messing with her next.
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Old 09-18-2018, 06:20 AM   #5
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Where is she peeing?

Five days isn't very long They need two weeks to settle into the cage and form some habits - usually advised not to clean anything or move things around in those two weeks or it can cause set backs in taming and stress the hamster.

It's just patience at the moment. In the first few days they suss things out and scent mark everywhere - partly to make it their own and partly to find their way around by following their scent trail (they don't see well at all). So if you move things or clean them out then they lose their scent trail and feel lost and stressed again.

I would leave everything as it is until she's been in the cage for two weeks and maybe start the two weeks from today. Then see what she's up to. During that time you could just spot clean the pee area of any wet substrate - ie take a handful out and put a new handful in and mix it in a bit so it still smells familiar. But if you can't find the pee area then don't worry - it doesn't need spot cleaning yet!

Adding something new after a week or so may be ok proving it doesn't mean moving things around or removing something. Once they're well settled in and used to you it's easier to change the odd thing sometimes - although it depends on the hamster's personality. Our last Syrian hated anything moving even a centimetre in the whole of his life and got very upset and anxious about it and would give black looks and ignore me for days.

The Ikea magazine rack is maybe too open. She will probably look for the darkest place to build a nest and if there isn't anything dark inside or big enough for the nest they sometimes just pile a load of substrate in one corner and nest in that - which does make spot cleaning difficult.

Which country are you in? I know some good wood houses/nesting boxes in the Uk and Europe. But you can't got wrong with a cardboard shoebox really.
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Old 09-18-2018, 10:09 AM   #6
adrien
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Default Re: Where is she peeing?

What I found with my hamsters, was I gave them some clutter objects, and let them decide where they wanted to pee. With my robrovski, he decided he liked a ceramic cup for his business, and my teddy bear absolutely REFUSED any kind of potty until i put a little sand in it.
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Old 09-18-2018, 05:04 PM   #7
larry ben kenobi
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Default Re: Where is she peeing?

Quote:
I would leave everything as it is until she's been in the cage for two weeks and maybe start the two weeks from today. Then see what she's up to. During that time you could just spot clean the pee area of any wet substrate - ie take a handful out and put a new handful in and mix it in a bit so it still smells familiar. But if you can't find the pee area then don't worry - it doesn't need spot cleaning yet!
Okay, thank you for this advice. I did rearrange the cage a little mostly because she wasn't taking to the Ikea house and preferred the igloo under the straw hide. But starting now I will leave it for two weeks. She is marking her territory for sure, found that out when I replaced food. But I am going to stop fussing and leave her cage be.

I am in Canada but my sister lives in the Channel Islands so if somewhere ships to there I can definitely order it.
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Old 09-18-2018, 05:10 PM   #8
larry ben kenobi
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Default Re: Where is she peeing?

Quote:
Originally Posted by adrien View Post
What I found with my hamsters, was I gave them some clutter objects, and let them decide where they wanted to pee. With my robrovski, he decided he liked a ceramic cup for his business, and my teddy bear absolutely REFUSED any kind of potty until i put a little sand in it.
I think I saw my first little pee spot today and it was in the sand jar. So this is good to know, thanks!
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Old 09-18-2018, 06:52 PM   #9
adrien
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Default Re: Where is she peeing?

Quote:
Originally Posted by larry ben kenobi View Post
I think I saw my first little pee spot today and it was in the sand jar. So this is good to know, thanks!
Yeah! My teddy would move or pee next to any potty I gave them, but then he starting peeing in his sand bath whenever I put him in it, so I just gave in and put some sand in his enclosure. Problem solved!
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substrate, put, corners, turns, area/deep, pan, checking, business, litter, dirty, normal, bedding/sand, burrowing, discernible, ham, shes, year, train, potty, peeing, adopted, pee, detolf, cage, tiny

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