Potty training/separating nest from toilet?

[Hanhanboban]

My two new dwarf hammys have a little hut that me and my boyfriend bought with intensions to be their nest, but they've ended up always dragging the shredded tissue out everytime we clean out and add more. They drag it all up and put it at the top of this puzzle playground we have.

It's like a small little tower that we bought and built from the pet shop, they can't be disturbed in the top bit as it has walls and a roof, with two small tunnels from either side taking them back down. They've built their nest up the top.

I'm worried as whenever I clean it out there's always poo in there and I'd like them to have a toilet outside their nest as they can get ill. What can I do to make a seperate toilet and stop them from doing it in their nest?

Thanks a lot in advance (:

Hannah x

[Esmy]

Mine is doing the same thing. She goes in her popsicle house and burrows under it and sleeps, hoards and poops. I spot clean that area every day to remove the poop and put new fresh bedding there. I don't know if it's the ok thing to do or not. It doesn't seem to be bothering her.

[DrKMcK]

Don't worry about this. All hammies do this and it won't hurt them. Some hammies will fling the poo out. Also, you should know that there is a type of poo that hamsters will eat. This is not only normal...it is necessary. This type of poo needs to go through the hamster's system twice in order to release nutrients the hammy needs. Hamsters who use a sand box or toilet are using it for urine, not poo. Hamsters poo everywhere! I, personally, don't like hammies nesting in tubes or tubelike toys. The enclosed plastic holds in moisture and can get really grungy. Hammies usually store their food in the nest too and any moisture can make their food stash rot or get moldy. I usually take those types of things away from the hammy until they make a nest somewhere else. Then I return the tube or toy. More importantly, if a hammy becomes ill, it can be hard to get them out of such a closed, narrow, nest.

[Hanhanboban]

Yeah I've been spot cleaning it as best as I can as it's a hidden tunnel but I might do what DrKMck suggest and let them build a new nest somewhere easier to access, atleast yours is somewhere easier and atleast it's normal (:

Yeah I have guinea pigs who also eat certain types of poo for the nutrients so that's not new to me (: I will do what you suggest tho and move the tunnel when I clean their cage out later and let them build a nest somewhere else that's easier to access (:

Thanks for the help (:

Hannah x