Potty Training - Page 2

Jenibelle · 01-01-2016, 05:35 PM

I can try, but I would probably have to move more things around to make it fit elsewhere :/ I'll figure something out. Hopefully something very non intrusive. If not I guess I can pick up his wheel to clean that corner? Or would that be bad too?

Pebbles82 · 01-02-2016, 03:54 AM

Hmm tricky. Is it the back corner or the front corner? (On the right of the tank looking at it from the front I'm guessing). You might have space just to move the wheel along a bit and leave space for the potty tray (or a smaller one).

The only time Charlie moved his potty corner was when I gave him a large house - it was big enough for a nest and a potty corner and he moved his potty corner inside the house. The first house got stained (I hadn't plastikoted it) so I had to replace it, but now it works well. He has a big house and his potty is inside it. I think they tend to do this (have a potty corner inside the house) if the house is large enough or has 'rooms' as Jen found recently when she got a two room house.

I just put the new bigger house over the top of where the old one was. Charlie was a little bit freaked that the roof top smelled different and avoided the roof top for a week, but then got used to it (especially after I put treats on it!)

But as he is just settling in it might be better to try something else for now. Rearranging things slightly to fit the wheel might work - but then if you rearrange things he might move his potty corner again as well. And rearranging things isn't great so early on either.

I would just plonk the wheel in, as far away from the corner as you can manage and see what he does.

Aliciacyh · 01-02-2016, 05:23 AM

i agree that moving the wheel somewhere else is better then moving his potty area. When i got my boy, he started peeing in a specific corner and i just put the litter tray there and he uses it so well until about a month later i got him a new wheel and it could not fit where the old wheel was and i thought the pee tray place is a perfect place for it and i do not have to move so many things around so i moved the pee tray to another corner thinking that since he already had been peeing in with no mistake for the past 1 month, he should know to use it even if i move it some where else. i was so wrong. the next day i wake up and saw that he had peed in another corner. Not in his pee tray and also not at the old corner. So i moved the pee tray to his new pee corner and he totally refused to use the tray. Days after days he just kept peeing at different spot even when i move it to his old or new pee spot, he doesn't use it. peed in his house instead. It went on for about 2weeks until i decided to do a major clean up, but i purposely save up some of the soiled bedding and after cleaning everything and placing everything back i put the soiled bedding into the pee tray and place it at where he was peeing before the clean then i let him back to his cage and he started to use his pee tray again! Now i never dare to move his pee tray anymore, even when i got him a new cage i still put it at that same corner.

Pebbles82 · 01-02-2016, 05:27 AM

I also tried moving Charlie's pee tray outside his house when he started using it for hoarding his food. He ignored the potty tray and carried on peeing and hoarding in the same corner of his house! My Solution was get a bigger house - now he has room for his potty, nest and hoards. He did use the potty tray once I put it back 'in the right place'!

So I would also suggest leaving the potty corner as it is and putting the wheel somewhere that isn't on top of it.

Jenibelle · 01-02-2016, 07:30 AM

You're exactly right, it's front corner on the right.

I think I can fit the wheel along the front wall of the sand area too. I didn't want to do that because it will block a huge section of view (and I'll still have to move the bendy bridge wall slightly to make it fit), but I guess that's better than covering his potty corner.

Pebbles82 · 01-02-2016, 10:28 AM

What is in the right back corner of the tank? I seem to remember there is something wood there, beyond the sand. That would probably be a good place to put the wheel. ie on your sand side beyond the 'fence', with the back of the wheel on the right hand short side of the tank, but placed as far over to the right back corner as you can. I'm sure that would leave enough space for the potty front right corner.

Jenibelle · 01-02-2016, 01:34 PM

I can't because of the shelf :/ it most likely won't fit under it and the shelf is now permanently secured to the tank. Besides that, that wooden wall isn't only for looks like I assumed! The little guy uses it as balance beam and as a way to get onto the shelf, so I think he would be upset if I were to take that away.

Pebbles82 · 01-02-2016, 03:51 PM

Oh yes I forgot about the shelf. Probably the easiest thing then, would be to have the wheel on the left hand end of the cage. I know that's not the sand area, but you could have the substrate a bit lower near the wheel if necessary and slope it up deeper away from the wheel - maybe moving the house along a bit and making the sand end a bit smaller. Maybe it's the sand that attracted him to pee at that end! That would be less disruptive than swapping the sand end to the other side. Some of those lovely set ups that inspired you might look lovely but I bet they don't always work out well and have to have things moved around!

Jenibelle · 01-02-2016, 04:05 PM

I could absolutely have the wheel on the other side, I thought of that! But to make it fit there I would need to scootch his house over some, and he's begun to make a nest in there that I'm afraid to disrupt. Any ideas how to move it over with little damage?

Pebbles82 · 01-03-2016, 03:22 AM

Just shift it along a bit with the nest inside

He might be slightly confused but it shouldn't be too major an issue - same house, same nest. If I did that to Charlie he'd be tetchy for a couple of days and stamp his feet.