hamster peeing in multiple places - help

[rockclimber17]

Hello, I just got a new female Syrian hamster ( Chestnut ) about a week ago and her bathroom habits have changed. I observed her over several days at the pet store and she always pee'd in the same corner of the cage. They had her in an aquarium with only a food bowl , water bottle and aspen wood chips. She is 5 months old. I have here in a large cage ( 4" base with wire top ). In her new cage she has an igloo to sleep in, an exercise wheel, water bottle, food bowl, litter box and 4 different chew toys. The problem is is that she is peeing in her house on her food & peeing in her litter box & under the water bottle. I can,t understand why she doesn't just pee in the litter box. How can I get her to go back to peeing in one corner like she did at the pet store???? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[NiceCrocs]

She's probably just a bit erratic because she was moved, give her some time and she'll probably settle on one corner. I can't promise it'll be in the litter tray, but you can encourage her by putting a bit of soiled bedding in the tray.

I'm no expert on Chinese ham behavior, but my syrian took a good four months to settle on a regular bathroom corner (and of course, it was not in the litter tray I was trying to use)

[Skeever]

Four months?!! whew......

I'll worry less myself then. I'm as stumped as you are rockclimber. The little potty I bought worked from day one! Till I ran out of the stuff to put in it? which someone said here may actually be scented to attract hammies to it as an outhouse. Worked for me.

Since then nothing has worked in providing a consistent toilet corner so far as I can tell. Constant spot checks show not a single place is being used apart from anywhere else. Thick substrate may account for it. Waiting till payday to find the pellets for the potty to see what happens then. Yup, I've tried moving soiled bedding to one place etc.....its all a mystery so far. The plus in my situation is he doesn't do it in his food, but he has three nests or so in this weather....not there either....

When he lets it rip in the wheel I think he's just happy.... or excited.....

I spose it's possible that not ALL hams will have one spot? even if they did once? and I feel better knowing four months can go by without singling out a spot as well.....trial and error. I always try to keep in mind how OCD they are about their living space when making changes or interfering in their cage...and will probably encounter something insignificant to me that drives the hammy bonkers.