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Old 06-17-2020, 11:09 AM   #1
Kyrkogrimr
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Default Cleaning up after a clean hamster

I'm aware there's been a similar thread recently, but I didn't want to hijack someone else's thread. Happy to take this elsewhere if appropriate.

I've mentioned before that Carbon is a very clean hamster. My other dwarf was a consistent nest pee-er, and although I tried to spot clean, she pretty much went wherever she felt like at any given time, so her cage always needed at least some cleaning on a regular basis. Hydrogen, my syrian, would use a toilet but would also strop-pee if he was feeling petulant, so he also needed at least some substrate cleaning out and replacing, though not to the same degree as Cadmium.

But Carbon... he literally only goes to the toilet in his sand dish. At first he was using his sand bath too, but he stopped pretty quickly, although I do check regularly. But he genuinely doesn't seem to be going anywhere else. It's been about a month, by this point Cadmium's cage would be ready for more than a spot clean, but as long as I stay on top of the toilet, Carbon's cage seems clean. I have a really sensitive nose and I can't smell anything at all. I've checked his nest regularly and he's definitely only using the sand dish, so I'm not sure if I should clean out his cage or not. I don't want to upset him unnecessarily but I feel like his cage must need cleaning out at some point...
What do you think? At what point do I clean him out if he's not making a mess?
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Old 06-17-2020, 12:37 PM   #2
Coco61
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Default Re: Cleaning up after a clean hamster

It is a human feeling really that the cage ought to be cleaned out. Carbon would prefer it if you never touched his home! So long as you are cleaning his sand dish regularly, there is no need to upset him by removing his scent from his cage. You check his nest and replace it and no doubt check his hoard too. You only need remove uneaten fresh veggies after 24 hours and any dried food and debris from snacking in bed, that is too old, leaving what you can. I know others will clean a cage and remove only a half or third of the substrate at a time, replacing the old mixed in with the new so that the scent of the hamster remains. Thus avoiding huge stress. This can be done every 3 months or so if you must. I never did that much as my boy was very clean except in a couple of places. I only removed handfuls at a time and mixed in the new with the old. When I needed to remove some of his nest, I mixed old and new inside his house and left new toilet paper torn up strips at the entrance as an apology and some treats for him to find. He was a very contented fellow.
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Old 06-17-2020, 12:45 PM   #3
Kyrkogrimr
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Default Re: Cleaning up after a clean hamster

Well this is why I'm asking; I know removing their scent from the cage can be stressful and I want to minimise stress for him, but I guess I worry I'm neglecting him or something! He's just such a tidy hamster, I've never had one so tidy that he barely needs cleaning up after!
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Old 06-17-2020, 01:00 PM   #4
Coco61
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Default Re: Cleaning up after a clean hamster

I would regard that as a bonus! Some house proud hamsters will tidy up their own nest and leave a pile of elderly bedding or other debris out side the nest entrance as a hint that this can now be taken away please. When I cleaned his nest area as needed, I never put completely new bedding in there. I left what I could, took some from elsewhere in the cage as it would have his scent and put the completely new mixed in the base of the cage. The torn up toilet strips gave him something to collect up and remake his nest as he chose.
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