Does your hamster drive you potty?

**babyboos** · 02-28-2005, 07:13 AM

Hamsters are actually very clean and relatively smell free little furballs. We can help keep odour down, and complete enclosure clean-outs too by introducing a potty into their lives. There are specially designed potties on the market but you don't need anything fancy - an old coffee or large jam jar will do. All you need to ensure is your hamster can get in and out comfortably. It is best to find one with a flattened sides to prevent your little one going for a wee and ending up rolling around his cage covered in sodden potty litter! If you observe your little one closely over a few days after giving his enclosure a good clean out you should hopefully see he goes to one or more particular corners to do his business. Place your potty here with a pinch of two of soiled cage litter inside ontop of whatever substrate you will use for his toilet. I prefer chinchilla sand - make sure it is sand now not the much finer dust as this can irritate their little noses - but you can get proprietary hamster litter balls and even just some of your normal litter layer will do. If chinchilla sand is unavailable you can use children's play sand but make sure to roast it in the oven first to kill of any nasties and make the grains a bit smoother. Get oven a good constant relatively high temperature maybe 200 or 220 degrees centigrade and leave them in there for 10 minutes. Give the sand grains a good toss/shake on the baking sheet whilst hot and then place back in for another 10 minutes. Remember to allow the sand to cool thoroughly before storing or using

and that the sheet and sand will be hot enough to give you a nasty burn so be careful

Potties should be changed daily preferably and you will also see your little one have a "bath" probably before widdling in it. One of my little ladies always wakes up goes for a wash and a wee, and then comes to say hello, when I change hers. For those hamsters that really seem to like their potty baths I often give them two potties, one for rolling around in, tossing up into their oxters/armpits and another for toilet purposes. Messy boys often have one in each corner but gradually you can wean them down to just the one. I have tried this technique with gerbils too, never rats or mice sorry as I have not personally cared for these, but I can't see why it would hurt to try.

SnuggleHam · 02-28-2005, 07:39 AM

When I had my two Syrians they has a potty with chinchilla sand. they just seemed to use it as naturally as a cat takes to a litter box, there wasn’t really any training involved they just kind of went there.

I find they like it close to their nest, so they can wake up and crawl into it, do their business and go back to bed.

My two Roborovskis have a little sand box with chinchilla sand but I’m not sure they are using it for a potty or just to dig in yet. They are so small and with the carefresh bedding I use being so absorbent I’m not sure Ill ever find out where they do their business hehe

**babyboos** · 02-28-2005, 08:22 AM

You should see the sand get a bit clumpy and little tiny poops in it quite soon

My Roborovski Dwarves love their sad baths and I empty their potties every two days.

hammydude · 02-28-2005, 11:40 AM

Thanks for sharing Babyboos!

**babyboos** · 02-28-2005, 03:31 PM

You are welcome

I love the avatar by the way - he really is a good looking lad your Biscuits

Emma · 03-01-2005, 08:04 AM

I never had any success potty training - I tried it twice. One hamster just kept moving his toilet corner every time I put a jar in it, that went on for quite a while before I gave up! The second hamster I tried it with managed to shove the jar out of the corner and then use the corner anyway.

So I just stuck with cleaning out the toilet corner, and didn't try again with using a separate jar or potty.

**babyboos** · 03-01-2005, 02:39 PM

Do your Roborovski Dwarves have a sand bath ever?

SnuggleHam · 03-01-2005, 02:45 PM

So far I've just seen mine hop inside and dig around and that's pretty much it, they seem to like the sand, but I have yet to catch them rolling in it.

**babyboos** · 03-01-2005, 02:53 PM

What kind of container are you using Candace?

peanut25 · 03-06-2005, 05:51 PM

Thanks for sharing. I think Bear might be a little strange though. He pees in one corner and goes on the other end of his home in a plastic square to poop. Is that normal?