Hamster wee

Question
Hi, I've very recently bought a female syrian hamster and i've noticed twice a yellow/cloudy wee substance that is extremely smelly, smells bit like fish? Could you tell me if you think this is normal or not? I've heard that hamster wee-females can be smelly but this is so strong i thought it best to check!
Thanks

Answer
Hi Roxana

Hamster wee can be very smelly.  The description you give sounds fairly normal.  If you think there are signs of blood in it, or it the quantity increases and if anything changes in her behavior, then it would be worth getting your vet to check out her.  

Some hamsters are very clean, in that they wee in one corner, others like to move all the wood chippings away and then wee - which tends to make it even smellier.  Have you tried training her to use a hamster toilet?  I've had some success with this - you buy the little plastic toilet, and some of the special hamster 'potty' litter in it.  Put some of her soiled wood chippings in it to begin with so that her scent is in there, then clean out the cage and put the toilet in the corner she uses.  Hopefully she will start using this instead.  This means that you can just clean out the toilet daily/alternate days and replace with new litter, which can keep the smell down to a minimum.  It is when they wee in their nest it is a bit more difficult!

Good luck with this.

Regards