@Drago @cypher
thanks for the advice! so i actually just went ahead and removed it the day after i posted this thread because she was spending a lot of time in there and i figured it was probably getting really nasty in there.
it ended up being the best idea because i was getting nervous i might not be able to see if she is hurt or sick or something. she was totally fine with it, i just left some of her old nesting and gave her a lot of other hiding options. and actually after removing the bendy tube i noticed the next morning that she learned how to use her litterbox.
i cleaned out the tube and i will probably only use it for play time.
@BubbyandHamper
her name is kupo and she really is a little potato!
@Nadia
thank you!! she is. she melts my heart!
thanks everyone for your welcome wishes!
here's another ham tax