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Pebbles82 · 07-11-2017, 10:02 AM

I would get her a bigger house. If it's a wood one you can paint it inside with plastikote (not sure if that's available in the US!) which is wipeclean. Or the easiest thing is a shoebox house - easily replaced and big enough to fit a potty inside.

I think sometimes it's normal for them to want to have their bathroom and larder in the house with their bed

I've always found when I provide a bigger house, the hamster moves their toilet corner inside the house - usually the back corner nearest the door end and nests furthest away from the door, at the other end, where it's darker. Hoarding is often under the nest or in another corner.

Agree with Cypher that cleaning everything in one go will stress her - and will also probably make her pee on everything more to re-scent mark her territory.

I also had to clean out a house soaked with pee the other day, but decided to just clean inside that one area, and that one bit of cage base and leave the rest of the cage smelling familiar. So it's not too much stress all at once.

A house that's open underneath and on top of the substrate is best. Then they can burrow down and bury hoards. She will probably use the litter tray if you put it inside a house. The trick is putting it in the right place! I put mine in the wrong corner - hence the other corner was soaked! So I have now put it in the right corner

If you make a shoebox house, cut the bottom out and use the lid as a lift-off roof. That way you won't have to take the whole house out and it keeps their nest in tact - and you can just lift the litter tray out, clean it out, replace the chinchilla sand and put it back in the house again. That's what I do anyway. Needs to be chinchilla bathing sand in the potty, not dust.

Also if you clean the house out, it helps to save as much of the dry hoard as you can - if it's all soaked, and needs chucking, then replace the hoard, in the same place as it was, with new dry food. And keep a little bit of the old nest that isn't too stinky and replace that too, so it still smells familiar.

07-11-2017, 10:02 AM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: hamster potty in house I would get her a bigger house. If it's a wood one you can paint it inside with plastikote (not sure if that's available in the US!) which is wipeclean. Or the easiest thing is a shoebox house - easily replaced and big enough to fit a potty inside. I think sometimes it's normal for them to want to have their bathroom and larder in the house with their bed I've always found when I provide a bigger house, the hamster moves their toilet corner inside the house - usually the back corner nearest the door end and nests furthest away from the door, at the other end, where it's darker. Hoarding is often under the nest or in another corner. Agree with Cypher that cleaning everything in one go will stress her - and will also probably make her pee on everything more to re-scent mark her territory. I also had to clean out a house soaked with pee the other day, but decided to just clean inside that one area, and that one bit of cage base and leave the rest of the cage smelling familiar. So it's not too much stress all at once. A house that's open underneath and on top of the substrate is best. Then they can burrow down and bury hoards. She will probably use the litter tray if you put it inside a house. The trick is putting it in the right place! I put mine in the wrong corner - hence the other corner was soaked! So I have now put it in the right corner If you make a shoebox house, cut the bottom out and use the lid as a lift-off roof. That way you won't have to take the whole house out and it keeps their nest in tact - and you can just lift the litter tray out, clean it out, replace the chinchilla sand and put it back in the house again. That's what I do anyway. Needs to be chinchilla bathing sand in the potty, not dust. Also if you clean the house out, it helps to save as much of the dry hoard as you can - if it's all soaked, and needs chucking, then replace the hoard, in the same place as it was, with new dry food. And keep a little bit of the old nest that isn't too stinky and replace that too, so it still smells familiar.