hamster using wheel as bathroom

[emma_teddy]

hey all,

for the past couple days my hamster seems to be using his wheel as the occasional bathroom. i’ll wake up in the morning to find bits of poo and some urine on it. i’ve rinsed it out every day since this started. everything else about him seems normal, except he occasionally tries to chew at the corner or his tank, so i put a bendy log thing there in an L shape to try and deter him/block it off but he still tries sometimes. he won’t chew on his wood sticks either.

[cypher]

Totally normal! A lot of hams pee in the wheel, don't overdo the cleaning, the more you clean the more they tend to do it & peeing or pooing as they run is quite normal for them.
Just give it a wipe down with a damp paper towel once or twice a week if it gets really messy.
A lot of hams don't chew on wood or wood chews (unless it's something you'd rather they didn't chew!) have you tried whimzee dog chews?

[emma_teddy]

okay great thanks i was worried that it wasn’t normal! and no i haven’t but they’ve been recommended to me so i plan on getting them soon ! thanks so much

[buttercuplols]

I just got a 3 pack of Whimzee's from eBay in the post and my hamster is in love with them. She has an alligator shaped one and it's as big as she is. Very funny to watch!

[Pebbles82]

Is this just since you moved his cage?

[emma_teddy]

no i only moved his cage tonight