Using nest box as a toilet

[herbi7]

I have had my hamster just a week and never had one before so I'm still getting used to her and vice versa! She is 9 months old and was being re-homed and when she arrived her tray was filthy and full of poos, literally everywhere, she had also used two corners for urinating and also her nest box. This was something I wanted to change straight away so I cleaned her out and left a tiny bit of wet litter in one corner. Like a poppet she now only urinates in that corner but she still does all her poos in her nest box and then seems to ping hem out of her front door! is this normal? She obviously has clean habits at heart but I was hoping she would both wee and poo in her toilet corner. When she has settled enough for me to change her cage about I was going to put in a little corner tray as a litter box but I don't want to rush her and it's easy enough picking up the soiled litter from the corner and giving it a little clean each day without disturbing her, for now.

[EmmaJ]

My Millie does excatly the same!! I have no useful tips for you, so it will be good to see what others can suggest. I got her a toilet, and put soiled bedding in it. But she still hasn't changed the habit as yet.
It wouldn't bother me so much, as I don't mind changing her bedding daily, but she stores her food in there and it disturbs me somewhat lol.

[herbi7]

I'm glad its not just me! Have u had Millie since a baby?

I thought maybe female hamsters r used to cleaning poo out of their nests when they have pups so maybe it doesnt seem so bad to them. But yes she stores her food in.there too. Yuck! So far I haven't cleaned her nest out every day as its her ultimate safe place and she has only just arrived, I have been kind of hoping the mess she is throwing out of her door is all there is but maybe I should check!

[Skeever]

I'd think its rare to find a hamster that only poos in one spot. Sometimes the fact they're poo-ing can slip their mind, if you know what I mean....and ooops.....

If they are throwing poo, learn to duck? :D

Sounds like quite the proper little lady in general, their poo is dry and ends up in their litter no matter what I do....and to keep the cage as spic and span as possible, you could spot clean the top layer of the bedding, the visible poo spots, without removing their stashes, and scents and stuff....

If they poo'ed like pigs or elephants, I'd probably be more concerned about their poo ;)

[Peanut84]

I don't think you can train hamsters to poo in one spot. Their poo doesn't really stink and you don't really need to spot clean for it, just remove it when you clean the whole cage :-) And after all hamsters eat their poo, so it can't really be that bad!

[Shannonmcn]

Yeah poo isn't treated the same as pee in the hammy community since it is sometimes used as food! Both my recent syrian hams have kept some poo in their nests and ejected the unwanted poo to outside their nest, like you putting the bins out for the bin man once a week.

As well as that they've pooped almost anywhere. The exercise ball is a common one. The current ham has a favourite spot but the previous lady did not and just pooped whenever the urge took her, the couldn't-care-less ham that she was.

[Skeever]

While it's mostly in his cage, Pook overdid his exercise in the ball/wheel last week. And left a present.
I don't know what I was thinking...so I removed it, and showed it to him.

He took it and ate it.

Last time I show them their own poo.

:-|

[EmmaJ]

Well I never knew they ate their poo *hand over face*
I have had Millie since she was about 8weeks old, and she's been with me for about 3 months now. She is also my first hammy. I thought maybe it was just because she was adjusting too.
Should I be overly concerned that she urinates in her bed?
I am getting her a bigger cage in the next couple of weeks, she's in a pet shop brought one (I didn't know any better before coming on HC, but she will soon be in a ikea Detolf set up) And maybe that's why she uses her bed, there isn't a corner for her to do her business in...?

[herbi7]

Ah thanks everyone that's reassuring. I invaded her nest box for the first time yesterday and it was full of poo so she has stored plenty as well.as pinging it out of the door! As it was all mixed in with her food stash as well I ditched the lot... I heard they could spread salmonella if poo hangs around too long. But u guys r right it was dry and not v offensive really. I might just spot clean her box a couple of times a week from now on as she was quite upset to find I had 'messed up' her nest and chattered her teeth at me. She has never pooed outside her box yet but maybe that's cos she is new and hid up a lot to start with.

[Thin Lizzy]

Ah thanks everyone that's reassuring. I invaded her nest box for the first time yesterday and it was full of poo so she has stored plenty as well.as pinging it out of the door! As it was all mixed in with her food stash as well I ditched the lot... I heard they could spread salmonella if poo hangs around too long. But u guys r right it was dry and not v offensive really. I might just spot clean her box a couple of times a week from now on as she was quite upset to find I had 'messed up' her nest and chattered her teeth at me. She has never pooed outside her box yet but maybe that's cos she is new and hid up a lot to start with.
Clean her pee area daily!
As for her poo, pick up any that you can see and maybe you could spot check the box 3 times a week instead of 2.
Twinkle puts hers outside her hut so I can lift them away without poking about in her hut, she's a smart hammie!
Archie does put some outside and keeps some inside his igloo.

[greysome]

Haha--Hazel Nut will, if she doesn't use her litter box (which happens whenever she's in a larger area because I put her litter box on the opposite side of the cage to her nesting area and she can't be bothered to make the trek) will make sure any soiled bedding is by the main entrance of her burrow. She poos mainly in her potty and nest area but some poo do appear from time to time in other areas of the cage as well. Teddy and Chubby are still very wary of me so I can't say for certain what their habits are exactly- pee wise but both don't seem to notice when they're pooping. Coincidentally (or maybe not) those two were the only two hamsters in their litter who poo'ed on me when I first picked them up.

[herbi7]

Thanks! Yeah, I do clean her pee daily, that bit's easy as she has already taken to doing it just in one corner so I can sneak in without upsetting her. She's already getting more used to me around so I'll aim for poo-picking more often. Thanks everyone!