Cage Cleaning/Change-up Help

[cypher]

Those carrot cottages are great for nibbling or playing/climbing on & an extra hideout for when they're out & about but probably not the best for making a nest in & if they get peed on you have to bin them. She might use it if you put a bendy bridge over the door to make it darker inside but if she might still be peeing in her nest for a while yet then maybe not such a good idea to encourage her to use it!
You could try giving her a cardboard box & see if she takes to that.
I'm not really sure which are the best houses available for Syrians in the UK, many people get houses from Rodipet in Germany, the labyrinth or granite houses, but maybe other Syrian owners will have more suggestions for you.

[mangoandmimi]

I think you need to remove the penthouse and put the bedding from there into a house - otherwise she very likely won’t change house. Yes it’s stressful but they cope fine if it’s one change at a time - and it’s better in the long run.
Cardboard boxes are fine but if you want a new one you’re best off looking at Guinea pig ones as most hamster ones are a bit small for syrians. The doors are big so either partially bury the house or like cypher said a log bridge. The wooden corner houses are good as is the wooden ferplast one with the four holes as the window but anything will do really.

[PumpkinSpice92]

Thanks for the info guys - I will bear everything in mind, going to make changes gradually as you said so as not to stress her out too much.
I will research an appropriate sized house - I do think she didn't like the carrot house for nesting as it wasn't big enough!
Do you have any recommendations for any safe climbing/hanging toys? I'm wanting to keep her occupied at night. Also, are plastic toys suitable to be left in the cage overnight if she's a big chewer?

[mangoandmimi]

The rat sized sputnik is pretty good as is the Savic hanging rat tunnel. They work well with small platforms or levels. Also it’s possible to make a hammock out of chew safe material - I’ve made them out of those grass mats and just attached using sisal.
As long as she doesn’t chew plastic, leaving plastic toys in is fine.

[CMB]

A thick cardboard tube, sold for hamsters or gunneapigs is often liked by hamsters. A platform is nice too.

Whimzee dog chews are ok for hamsters. They will help keep the hamsters teeth from getting too long. A lot of hamsters won’t chew the chew toys sold for hamsters.

If you read the Let’s see your cages thread. You can see lots of different cage setups. This may help you with setting up your cage. You may have to try different things to see what your hamster likes and doesn’t like.