Cleaning a cage/bin

sunabako · 11-11-2015, 10:14 AM

Hi All, this is my first time posting and I come here since I will be getting a hamster soon. I tend to do as much research as possible before bringing home a pet; which brings me to my question.

In regards to cleaning a cage, how often would you recommend cleaning the cage, replacing the substrate (do you have to put brand new substrate each time?), etc? I am starting with the SAMLA bin from IKEA for now and am using Carefresh bedding to start (non-scented/natural).

Thank you for your time.

ps.
If there is a post already on this topic please reply with the link and I will continue my research there.

cypher · 11-12-2015, 01:03 AM

Hi & welcome to the forum
Cleaning doesn't have to be done too often, it does depend on your ham but if you can just spot clean as needed removing any wet substrate, any uneaten fresh foods that might go off then only clean the cage about once a month, again depending on your ham some need doing more often than others & if your ham is litter trained & doesn't try to hoard fresh foods then it won't need too much cleaning.
Never remove all the substrate, always keep back about a third to 2 thirds, again depending on how much it needs doing, also always replace some of the old nest material & some of any food hoard (dry food only) that you find or put fresh dry food back where the old was.
You don't need to use any cleaning agents unless your ham is sick, if things need wiping down then a damp paper towel is usually sufficient.
Hope that helps.

greysome · 11-12-2015, 07:14 PM

Hi sunabako!

How often you clean will depend on the hammie but generally speaking, they're pretty clean and you shouldn't have to clean too much. Cypher has covered the general bases already--for the first two weeks or so after getting the hamster, I wouldn't clean at all except to remove soiled bedding/litter. It also will depend on the size of the cage--you may find it necessary to clean a smaller cage more often than a larger one. Most of my hammies get spot cleaned either daily or every other day (to remove any leftover fresh food and soiled litter--or in the case of one hammie who refuses to leave his burrow to use the toilet during the day, soiled bedding). My syrians, who are currently in the largest cages, only get a deep and complete cage clean every 2-3 months, which is also when I will re-arrange their cage. However, they have a burrow area and an "activity" area and the activity area gets a thorough clean/wipe down once a month or so. Even with deep cleaning, I always save most of the hammies' bedding (in addition to it being less stressful to the hammies to have their old bedding/scent around, it's also a nice relief for your wallet!) With my robo, who is in two bin cages connected to one another, I find myself doing a thorough cleaning of one bin every two weeks, alternating the bins, one of which is the Samla.

I do currently have a Samla in use to house another hammie but he's new and not been here even a month just yet so hasn't undergone anything beyond spot cleaning. However, with the Samla, I would imagine doing a complete cage clean every 3-4 weeks (so just about on a monthly basis), depending on your hammie.

sunabako · 11-13-2015, 04:09 PM

Thank you for the replies, this information will definitely come in handy.

Another question I just had; is it apparent which parts of the bedding are soiled? Can you spot the soiled areas immediately, how does one know?

cypher · 11-14-2015, 01:59 AM

Sometimes it's not so easy to tell but usually just anything that's damp, smelly or discoloured or mixed up with old food that may not be completely dry.
Once you start having a poke around you'll soon get used to knowing what needs to go!

sunabako · 12-01-2015, 01:05 PM

Hi All,

I've had my SAMLA (IKEA) bin set up for a week+ now and so far so good. I spot clean at night, check his food, etc. I still find it very difficult to find the soiled areas? I have no problem finding the droppings

— is there a trick or quick way to spot the urine?

I plan to start potty training next week.

Thank you all again in advance.

cypher · 12-02-2015, 12:10 AM

They really don't pee a lot so unless it's really fresh & depending on what substrate you use it may be hard to see, if I can't see anything I just pick up a few some substrate & sniff!
New hams often pee in the house so it could be in there.
If you do find any smelly substrate just pop it into the litter tray on top of the sand or whatever you will be using in there, I do find the chinchilla sand works best.