Hamster toileting

[charlotte1501]

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been asked before, I can't find an answer. Our Syrian is 10 weeks old and is still going to the toilet anywhere and everywhere, including his food bowls... I have put a hamster potty in his home and he goes in and scratches the litter, but doesn't use it as a toilet. He is urinating in his cage anywhere (carefresh natural and shredded paper), which makes everything stink. We have to throw out all his base each week, which means he can't keep his own scent anywhere in the cage (which I understand is stressful for them).

Please can someone advise if there is a toilet training trick?

Many thanks, Charlotte

[GraceandJunieB]

I use Nature's Miracle cage odor eliminator on my hammys food bowl (before I put the food in of course), wheel, and any other place I don't want her peeing, and then I take litter that she has peed on and put it in the litter box. As for the pooping, they cannot really control their poop, I know it sounds weird but they poop whenever they need to without trying to. Hope this helps!

[cypher]

Have you tried putting chinchilla sand (not dust) in the litter tray? Most hams seem to be more inclined to use that rather than pellets.
I think if you clean completely each week you're setting up a bit of a cycle, the more you clean the more he'll pee & scent everywhere & be less likely to settle on one spot.
I would try the sand, putting some peed on substrate on top & try not to clean so often or just do partial cleans so he can settle down better.