Potty Training Help

**Sm_banks** · 02-22-2016, 11:51 AM

I am trying to potty train my winter whites, they are 6 months old. Is that too late to start? Also, they use the bathroom everywhere but the nest so where should I put the potty?

CMB · 02-22-2016, 11:58 AM

Try with collecting the wet bedding and putting it in a corner/in a potty in a corner. The smell should attract them to then go in that area or if the have used a corner as well as other places. Take out wet bedding that isn't in the corner and throw it away or put it in the corner that has been used.

They may prefer to use Chinchilla sand and just by putting some in a bowl in a corner they may start to use it.

A hamster toilet/potty/litter tray are good, but other things work well too. Like a glass jar (helps stop the urine going over the edge if the hamster sticks it's bottom up high when going to the toilet).

**Sm_banks** · 02-22-2016, 12:05 PM

The main problem is they like to use the tubing in their cage as a potty and it just sits and I have to rinse it out 3 times a day

CMB · 02-22-2016, 12:11 PM

Where are the pipes? And do they have to be there ie to get from one level to another?

You could remove the pipes and block the holes. You can buy hole blockers or cover the holes with wire or something.

If the pipes have wet bedding, tip that into a corner and clean the pipe with a deodorising pet safe cleaner (like the use for cleaning up puppy were/poop).

**Sm_banks** · 02-22-2016, 12:15 PM

They are in a bin cage. I put a Kaytee Fun-nel flat in the cage.

CMB · 02-22-2016, 12:20 PM

Maybe take it out for a little while, until they get used to using a toilets corner.

Pebbles82 · 02-22-2016, 01:09 PM

Hi. Hamsters can get in an itch scratch cycle if you keep cleaning out the place they are weeing, as it makes them wee in it more to scent mark it. Which is ok if its a potty but not if it's tubes! Agree with CMB about removing the tubes and blocking them off, and about the potty advice. You could put a couple of dishes out with Chinchilla bathing sand in - and see which one they use (or they might use both). Once they are in the habit they will actually go there to use it rather than randomly doing it everywhere, although I believe dwarf hamsters do tend to wee in more places than Syrians! No six months is not too late, they should be able to take to it any time. I think they like a separate toilet area - ours sits in the front of his and has a wash and pees in the back corner - it's like an ensuite bathroom. He also puts substrate on top of it if he thinks it needs emptying lol.

Sometimes too much cleaning can make them wee more and they will scent mark everything. I picked up some very helpful tips from this video from Erin's Hamsters - you can change the cleaning routine to avoid the stress/scent marking using her method - worked for me (more for avoiding stress in my case because he was already potty trained, but got really stressed over cage cleans).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jVnEjrXbww

cypher · 02-22-2016, 10:18 PM

I think probably the only way to stop them peeing in the tubes would be to remove them tbh.
I would do that, put some wet substrate in the litter tray on top of some chinchilla sand (not dust) & they should begin to use it if they pee somewhere else move the tray to that spot & put wet substrate in it again.
Having to clean three times a day sounds like a lot of pee & they normally only pee a small amount, how many do you have in there?
If you do remove the tubes you should be able to keep cleaning to a minimum so they won't feel the need to constantly remark their territory.