Multiple toilets?

[Teddy001]

Hi HC..

Does anyone have multiple toilets in their hamsters cage?
I'm in in the process of toilet training my newest addition to my hammily, whom
Is a male Syrian. I got him at 6 weeks old, and he's now 5 months old.
He is housed in a IKEA Detolf. I set up a toilet tray in his sand area, due to that's where he has been pee'n.. I noticed he was using the toilet in the sand area, and also, using an area close to his nest.

Also, after placing the toilet tray in the sand area where he is using the toilet, I've placed sand that he has pee'd on in the toilet tray, with more sand- he appears be pee'n off the tray, even tho I've blocked the ends- any suggestions? Or is he just miss aiming? Lol

Is it due to he is young, that he is going pee in 2 different places, or he simply does t want to walk the distance to the other side of the cage to use the toilet in the sand area?

Anyone else's hamster do this? I have another Syrian hamster, that has used 1 toilet in her main cage, and she has continued to use 1 toilet.

This is my first male Syrian hamster- when he pee's I noticed he lifts his bum way up in the air, which my female Syrian, does not do that.. Is this position normal? Lol

[kyrilliondaemon]

Pepper usually has more than one toilet area, I'm not sure why she does but it keeps her happy so neither me or my OH have ever been concerned by it.

Is your ham toileting in the toilet at all or just on the sand around it? It might be that he's decided he'd prefer to go around the toilet instead of in it

Him lifting his bum is definetly normal, some hamsters take that so far they end up almost doing handstands when going to the toilet. It looks a bit bonkers but isn't anything to worry about

[herbi7]

Willow either uses her toilet corner or a plastic jar close to her nest... Where she also stores food :/. I don't know why she keeps alternating, she will go in one or the other for ages and then suddenly switches again. I wish she would stick to the jar, its easier to clean out but j dont really mind either way

[Teddy001]

Originally Posted by kyrilliondaemon

Pepper usually has more than one toilet area, I'm not sure why she does but it keeps her happy so neither me or my OH have ever been concerned by it.

Is your ham toileting in the toilet at all or just on the sand around it? It might be that he's decided he'd prefer to go around the toilet instead of in it

Him lifting his bum is definetly normal, some hamsters take that so far they end up almost doing handstands when going to the toilet. It looks a bit bonkers but isn't anything to worry about

Hi Kryill-

He is going pee, behind the tray, since the tray does not fit close up against the cage. I've been scooping the sand with pee on it onto the tray.. I'm thinking he is going in the right area, but he is peering so close to the side of the cage. I may look for a corner tray, the tray I'm using is from the Savic hamster heaven cage, but without the top, due to I had a closed toilet in his sand area, and he did not go into it, rather, used the toilet in front of the jar, or on the side of the jar. Lol..
He does not pee any other place in the sand area, and it's a large sand area, although, I've blocked the other corner, and blocked the sides of the toilet tray.
I'm baffled as to why he goes pee around the tray, when there's no corners, and his pee scent is on sand in the tray:/.

[Teddy001]

Originally Posted by herbi7

Willow either uses her toilet corner or a plastic jar close to her nest... Where she also stores food :/. I don't know why she keeps alternating, she will go in one or the other for ages and then suddenly switches again. I wish she would stick to the jar, its easier to clean out but j dont really mind either way

Hah!! Yes, he also has placed a few bits of food in his toilet tray, by his nest. He was peeing on substrate by his nest, so I put sand and some potty litter and his soiled substrate in the tray.. I'm not sure if this is confusing for him, since his toilet tray in his sand area, doesn't have substrate, however, I didn't want him to change the place he pee's to another location by his nest. As far as I can tell, he has been using the toilet by his nest, but missing the toilet tray in the sand area, which he is peeing around it.. Lol

[Pebbles82]

I think they tend to choose a pee corner, but will also pee in a sandbath as well just because it is sand lol. Is the place he pees in near his house in a corner? I find the open corner potty works well. Charlie sticks his back end up too so he can pee as far back in the corner as he can. If he is trying to pee behind the sand tray, I would move the sand tray somewhere else and put his toilet where he is peeing at the edge.

When I first had Charlie he started using his potty straight away, and when he moved to a bigger cage I put his corner potty tray in the same corner on the substrate - but his new cage had a shelf in (the one from the Hamster heaven) with a pod house on which he chose to make his nest in and then switched his pee corner to the corner of the tray! Which had an inset food bowl, so he kept peeing in his food bowl lol and the pee would run all down the tray . Someone suggested potty his potty in that corner over the top of the inset food bowl and putting a separate food bowl somewhere else. That worked for a bit but he kept pushing the potty out of the way and peeing in the inset food bowl. Then I realised he wasn't pushing it out of the way, he would climb in it then reach to have a drink out of his water bottle and the potty tray would slide down the shelf with him in it lol! And he would go back to the corner and pee in the bowl.

I was quite glad when the ladder to that shelf broke and I took the shelf out and replaced it with a big wooden house. I put the potty tray back in the same corner but Charlie moved his pee corner to a corner inside his house - so he now has his potty tray inside his house and only pees there and nowhere else. Sorted!

I don't know what the Savic potty looks like but a potty tray with a corner can help I think - because it looks like a corner! I would move the sand bath somewhere else in the cage and put the potty tray in the place near his house when he pees (they tend to go as soon as they wake up - somewhere close to the nest) and see if he just sticks to that one place. You could even bury one of those corner potty trays under the substrate so he doesn't know it's there! And then just lift it out to clean and replace it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...rch_detailpage

I also used the hamster potty litter to start with - it has something in that attracts them. If your ham tries to eat it it would be best not to use it though. Charlie tried to eat a bit the first time but spat it out again and hasn't tried since.

Superpet Potty Litter 473ml: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

He really liked his potty tray because of the shape I think he would pee right in the back corner, then sit in the dry front bit and have a wash. I don't know what he does now because he has an ensuite lol!

[Teddy001]

Thanks for the info. Serendipity .. What I need to get is an high corner/back toilet tray. I've put in an order for one, hopefully that will help the area around the toilet clean.