Bit too much of a fan of the zoo plus large lodge

[Pebbles82]

I've found the same as Cypher says - when they have a large house (especially with rooms or compartments) they do make areas for nesting, hoarding and toiletting inside the house. Our Syrian has a labyrinth house as well (bigger than the Leif) and his potty is in one room, his nest in another and his hoard in another. It becomes the equivalent of a burrow.

The cardboard house idea is good - a shoebox eg. If you cut the bottom out you can use the lid as a lift-off roof for checking inside.

Another option is this one - they're quite cheap and also cardboard so can be replaced if necessary, plus a hamster potty will fit inside. I had a wood guinea pig house this size and it worked well with a potty inside and a bendy stick bridge over the door so it was dark inside (plus it gives access to the flat roof on top). I put these in the freezer for a week before using though in case anything living in the hay! It's not as large as the Leif house - less deep and less wide, but taller, so it works well partly submerged under the substrate to make the door lower. With it being open inside your hamster will nest furthest away from the door most likely, in one end, and pee at the other end (which is where the potty needs to go). Or it might be easier plastikoting a smooth wood house then it's wipe clean.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Na...73B4K05TYDTQD8

A house with a lift-off roof is good though - easy to empty the potty without taking the house out and the nest falling apart. Rodipet make really good hamster houses but they're not cheap and postage adds about £7 to the cost (you can use google translate on the page).

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/haeuser/rodipet-granit/

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/haeuser/...s-stecksystem/

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/haeuser/...-xxl-5in1.html

This is the Syrian sized labyrinth house I have - but it's really big! But a potty fits easily in the larger rooms.

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/haeuser/...x26cm-7cm.html

I actually think this one is better - smaller than the Lief and squarer and rooms big enough to fit a potty as well. They are all quite lightweight birch plywood and smooth so easy to paint inside with plastikote.

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/haeuser/...x28cm-7cm.html

I think hamsters like those top doors - but if your hamster is getting older it might be best not to have one - ours can't use the top door any more as he can't climb now he's older.