hamsters use tube as bathroom

Question
Hi Kelly, I recently bought 2 dwarf hamsters and keep them in a plastic cage that has a tube going out of one side, round the corner and into the other.
The hamsters are very happy in their new home however insist on using the tube as their bathroom.  As there are air holes in the base of the tube, and it's quite tricky to dismantle every day to clean, this isn't an ideal situation.  If I was to buy a hamster potty and place it inside the main cage would they use this or would they still use the tube?  As there is no bedding in the tube I can't place any soiled bedding into anything to be a bathroom so how will they know to use one?  I could move the poo into a potty but since it's dry and odourless then I doubt there's much point in that?

Any help wil be much appreciated!

Answer
Hi there,

I know just where you're coming from.  I had a Syrian hamster who used the bathroom in his tubes as well.  This was before the whole "potty-training" idea, so all I could do was put a paper towel under the tube, and clean it everyday!  But, that was a long time ago.  Now, you can buy hamster litter (or *unscented* cat litter) and a potty.  Put the potty in a corner of the cage (unless it's the type that attaches directly to the cage), and put a generous amount of litter in it.  To encourage the hamster to use the bathroom in the potty, scoop up some of his droppings with a plastic spoon (or something like that) and put them in the potty.  Also, put some bedding in the tube where your hamster potties (with some sort of container underneath the tube, in case of leaks).  When your hamster urinates in the bedding, get the bedding out with the plastic spoon, and put it in the potty as well.  You may have to do this a few times until your hamster gets the idea, but he should soon be "potty-trained."  Don't forget to change the litter at least every other day.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Kelly