by Carol H. Morgan

Created on: April 23, 2008   Last Updated: April 25, 2008

One problem that hamsters don't run into in the wild is where to use the facilities. To keep their nests clean, they usually take care of business while covering their extensive territories in their nightly scavenging or in the tunnel networks in their burrows. This may be why my hamsters often use their wheels or tunnels in their cage, in line with their instincts for answering the call of nature on the run rather than closer to home.

Though hamsters like their nests clean, and the people they live with do to, it can be a challenge to achieve this in a small cage. They may be small but they can make a big mess and have a powerful smell if cleaning is left too long. But cleaning the cage frequently keeping it cleaner between bedding changes can greatly improve both the habitat of the hamster and that of the hamster owner.

FURNISHING A HAMSTER CAGE TO KEEP IT CLEAN

Because hamsters like all pets can take a lot of cleaning up after, it helps to find ways to minimize the amount of mess and pet smell in the house. I use several of my hamsters' natural instincts for cleanliness as a strategy to keep their cage clean during the week, even well after the last full cage cleaning. One way to do this is encourage the hamster's tendency to picking one area of their cage as their toilet. There are a few things you can do to help:

1. Get them a sand box. You can use a small ceramic bowl or small box. Hamsters seem to instinctively know that loose sand makes a great latrine. And before they dirty it up they have a great time rolling and burrowing in it, which can be great fun to watch. If for some reason your hamster doesn't get the message, put some of their dirty bedding in the sand and that will help cue their instincts.

2. Cage train them to a certain area. If for some reason sand doesn't work for you, you can still make use of the hamster's natural tendency to use the same area in their cage over and over. Try putting some of the hamster's dirty bedding in the designated area when it is first cleaned to help them be consistent.

3. Clean the areas that they get dirty during the week between full cage cleanings. As I mentioned, my hamsters like to use tunnels and often go while running in their wheels. Since these areas don't involve changing bedding, they can be cleaned fairly frequently. And this is a good idea if your hamster uses the wheel, since their paws get kind of yucky if they have to run in it.

CHANGING HAMSTER BEDDING

I have had hamsters that are so thoroughly cage

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