Litter Training

[IndigoElectron]

My Syrian hamster is 10 weeks old (I've had her for 3 weeks) and she refuses to use her potty, just pees at the side of it I've tried litter (she didn't seem to like that, had a bit of a dig but wouldn't pee on it) and how I'm trying sawdust but she won't pee on that either. I've tried mopping the pee up with the litter/sawdust and putting it back in the potty, then cleaning where she has peed (basically on bare plastic) to remove the smell, but no luck so far.

Did anyone else have an awkward hamster who they eventually managed to potty train and if so, how long did it take/any tips?

Thanks!

[Smysha]

Sorry for resurrecting this old thread but I have a few questions about litter training hamsters.

Is it necessary? I'm interested because of hygiene issues. I noticed the last time I cleaned her cage that there was some crust on two of the corners and I assumed it was from my hamster's pee and it took a bit of soaking to get it off. Also she tends to hoard some food in corners and I think she might've hoarded some in one of the corners she pees in. Do I need to worry? Or should I do it to keep her cage clean? I clean it once a week as it is but it took time to soak that crust off. I use simple fairy liquid when I clean her cage.

[suga]

Diluted white vinegar is good for getting the crust off the bottom of the cage. Hamsters will pee on their food (I know weird) and it is normal behaviour - just don't you take her up on any treats she may offer you. You can get specific animal disenfectent from pet shops.

[fluffymunchkins]

When i first cleaned Porridges cage out i found all four corners covered in crust!
The previous owner must have been useless at cleaning out
So now i make sure to sopt clean every couple of days. But i'm defintely goin to try some sort of potty with Porridges to see what he thinks.
I'll use the white vinegar aswell, thanks suga!
To answer your question Smysha, no it is not necessary i have never potty trained any hamster, although i o find it benificial to have some sort of sand tray for my dwarf.
For my syrian i spot clean and put potty litter in the corners for xtra absorbancy.
Keep an eye on her hoard and check whether it is the same corner she pees in if so then be sure to remove some of the old store oten (although you should do this anyway)
Porridge uses seperate corners but some hamsters don't Silly billies