Hi Jill. Poor you! You are running around like a headless chicken preparing for your new hamster!
I can`t comment on Syrians as I don`t have any, but yes, you can use a ceramic, metal or plastic dish/tub and put some chinchilla sand in there. I have three of those corner loos and my robos have one each and Scooby the winter white russian dwarf has one. The robos roll in it, poo in it and right now, Tiny has made a sleeping hut in there with his ripped up toilet tissue!
