How To Clean Hamster Poop

Whether you live in Texas, Nebraska, California, or Washington, you’ll surely come across pet stores that cater to hamster needs—hamsters are also popular in the States! While these rodents are small, adorable, lovable, and make great pets, they can be messy at times, especially when they poop! Fortunately, you can easily clean hamster poop from the cage with the right methods.

Here are some ways how to clean hamster poop:

Perform daily spot cleaning.
Use non-chemical cleaning products.
Use a shovel to remove the poop.
Remove poop from the cage corners.
Wash hamster toys once a week.
Do thorough cleaning once a month.
Train your hamster to maintain better hygiene.
Clean your hamster regularly.

Table of Contents

This article will take you through the methods to ensure that your hamster’s cage is always clean and hygienic. It will also discuss the dos and don’ts of cleaning hamster poop and toilet training your hamster. So, let’s get started!

1. Perform Daily Spot Cleaning

Daily spot cleaning is essential to keep your hamster cage clean. While it can be challenging to clean the cage every day, spot cleaning is usually quick and won’t take more than a few minutes.

Some people may get away with spot cleaning and only focus on weekly cleaning, but it’s unhygienic and not recommended.

To spot clean your hamster’s cage, wear gloves and pick up any visible pieces of poop. You don’t have to remove the hamster from the cage in spot cleaning, and you don’t need to clean in tight corners either.

Spot cleaning helps keep your hamster’s cage visibly clean. Even though it may contain dirt and poop in places, the cage will have a respectable level of hygiene to it.

You’ll cover the rest of the poop cleaning in your weekly cleaning sessions, so there’s no need to stress over traces of poop here and there.

Read Why Is My Hamster Cold?

2. Use Non-Chemical Cleaning Products

Always avoid using strong chemicals and disinfectants when cleaning poop from your hamster’s cage. Despite their reputation, hamsters are clean animals and don’t like to live in filthy cages.

However, their poop can smell, especially if they have bowel problems. It may be tempting to use chemical products to remove the smell. However, doing this can negatively impact your hamster.

Hamsters may be sensitive to many common cleaning agents used in homes. They may develop health problems as a result. However, this isn’t the primary reason you shouldn’t use chemicals in the hamster cage. The real issue is that hamsters are sensitive to smell and often mark their territory with scents.

Imagine how confused a hamster will be if they’re put in a new cage every day! Using chemical cleaning products is equivalent to this from the hamster’s perspective; it could affect their mood and energy levels.

Instead of using cleaning chemicals, clean with water and brushes. If you’re only cleaning poop, picking up the poop should be enough.

3. Use a Shovel To Remove the Poop

Some people feel that picking up poop with their hands is disgusting—yes, it is, if you’re not wearing gloves! However, you can always use a shovel if you don’t want to pick up the pieces when cleaning hamster poop.

There are even specialized shovels for cleaning hamster poop. Use these shovels to gather the poop in a corner and scoop it up easily. It’s perfect for spot cleaning, and you can easily clean the daily poop in less than 5 minutes with a shovel.

If you’re looking for a reliable hamster poop shovel, try out this Loviver Hamster Poop Scooper (available on Amazon.com). It’s perfectly designed for scooping the poop out of a hamster’s sandbox and can help you clean daily poop in a few minutes.

4. Remove Poop From the Cage Corners

Spot cleaning is fine, but simply picking up poop from the front areas of the cage isn’t going to make the cage clean. Most hamster pet owners will testify that most decent hamsters poop in the cage corner or hard-to-reach places. So, unless you’ve cleaned the cage’s corners and other hard-to-reach places, the cage isn’t properly clean.

Cleaning the cage corners may be difficult and time-consuming. However, you don’t have to clean these areas daily. To clean poop from difficult areas, you’ll have to remove some of the cage items, and you can only do this in your weekly cleaning sessions.

Some pet experts recommend placing your hamster in a cage that’s easier to clean. We’ll discuss this later in this article.

Read Why Is My Hamster Staying in One Corner?

5. Wash Hamster Toys Once a Week

Simply cleaning hamster poop isn’t enough to properly disinfect the cage. Hamsters are masters of peeing wherever they want (unless they’re trained)! So, while the cage may look visibly clean, it’s probably a breeding ground for germs.

So, as part of your weekly cleaning schedule, remove all the hamster toys from the cage and wash them thoroughly. If the smell doesn’t go with water, you can always leave them in the sun to remove the heavy odors without using a chemical disinfectant.

If you really want to clean the cage thoroughly, you can wash it with soap. Just make sure to rinse it thoroughly afterward, as hamsters may be sensitive to the soap smell.

6. Do Thorough Cleaning Once a Month

Even though you may clean your hamster’s cage properly once a week, you should do a thorough cleaning and disinfecting session at least once a month. It will make your hamster’s cage as good as new and help remove any dirt, rotten food, or poop that you may have missed during your weekly cleaning sessions.

To clean a hamster cage thoroughly, follow these steps:

Place your hamster in a different cage for the time being.
Use a shovel to pick up any pieces of poop or food that may be lying around.
Remove the cage’s toys, wheel, and other objects.
Sift the sand to remove dirt or replace leaves and sticks with fresh ones.
Wash the cage and toys thoroughly with a light disinfectant.
Dry the cage thoroughly using a cloth and leave it in the sun.
Add twigs, sand, toys, and other items back to the cage once the cage is dry.

While this process may take you around 30 to 60 minutes, it’s essential to do it correctly. That way, you’ll never have to worry about germs, rotten food, or leftover poop in your hamster’s cage.

7. Train Your Hamster To Maintain Better Hygiene

Suppose you’re tired of your hamster pooping indiscriminately over the cage. Then train your hamster to use a litter box.

Hamsters are quick learners and can be toilet trained for both peeing and pooping. That doesn’t mean your cleaning duties are over; it’ll only make it easier to clean their cages.

So, how can you train your hamster to poop in a litter box?

You can toilet train your hamster the same way you would for other pets. Use simple reinforcement tools to reward positive behavior. Since most hamsters will already have their areas where they handle their business, it isn’t difficult to train them to use a litter box. Use sound training with food rewards to teach them, and they’ll start using the “toilet” regularly within a few weeks of training.

However, always remove the poop from the litter box regularly. Leaving poop in the box will cause them to detest going there, and they’ll soon find a different place to poop. Hamsters are cleaner than most people think, so make it a habit to clean their litter box daily.

If you’re looking for the best litter boxes for hamster cages, try out the Kaytee Hamster Potty (available on Amazon.com). It comes with sample potty litter and a shovel to clean the potty.

8. Clean Your Hamster Regularly

Sometimes, your hamster may have stomach problems resulting in loose poop. It means more cage cleaning for you, but you’ll also have to clean the poop off your hamster. Never bathe your hamster with water as it may damage their hairs and make them ill (unless it’s a Houston summer!).

Instead, clean the poop off your hamster using tissue wipes or with a towel. Simply wipe off any pieces of poop that may be stuck in their fur and clean them with a towel. However, you’ll only need to do this in rare cases when your hamster has stomach problems.

The best way to keep your hamster clean is to give them a sand bath on regular days. A sand bath will help remove any dirt or food pieces from their fur. It’s also a great way to keep them disease-free, and most hamsters love their sandbaths.

How Do I Remove Bad Odor From a Hamster Cage?

Sometimes, the bad odor stays behind even after removing the hamster poop from the cage. This is usually from the hamster’s pee and not potty, but it can be intense.

Remove bad odor from a hamster cage by giving it a thorough clean. Alternatively, you can sprinkle baking soda at the bottom of your hamster’s cage to neutralize the smell. Some people prefer to use absorbent tissues, but this will only work in the hamster toilet.

Get a Hamster Cage That’s Easy To Clean

Some hamster cages are easier to clean than others, making them more popular. Choosing the correct hamster cage is crucial since your hamster will live there for a long time.

When choosing a hamster cage, you should look at whether it has enough space, whether it’s well ventilated (think of hot Phoenix summers), and whether it’s comfortable enough.

However, also consider how easy it is to clean. Some cages have the best toys, great space, and a wonderful design, but you’ll struggle to clean them. You’ll have to waste more time cleaning these cages or miss out on pieces of poop, resulting in an unclean environment.

But what makes a hamster cage easy to clean? Here are some things to keep in mind when buying a new hamster cage:

Consider Opting for a Solid Structure Over a Cage-Type Setting

A solid structure such as an aquarium is easier to clean than a cage-type setting. With an open cage, you’ll have to clean around the cage as well, and it could get quite messy. Solid structures are also more difficult to escape and perfect for smaller hamsters.

Get a Water-Resistant Cage Only

Always buy a cage that you can wash. While some people claim that wooden cages look better (they do), they aren’t as practical as a plastic or glass cage. It’s also much easier to clean a glass cage than a wooden one.

Choose a Cage That’s Easier To Access

Finally, always look at the cage’s accessibility since it will affect how easy it is to clean it. The best hamster cages are more accessible, and they should allow you to remove the toys easily during a thorough cleaning.

Consider these top choices for hamster cages from Amazon.com that are easy to clean:

Ferplast Favola Hamster Cage: This large hamster cage has a food dish, hideaway, and built-in wheel. It’s an open cage with a solid base, making it easy to clean.
Midwest Critterville Arcade Hamster Cage: Perfectly suited for large and small hamsters alike, this cage is a hamster’s dream. It also has a plastic base, and the design makes cleaning quite simple.
Ferplast Gerbil & Hamster Cage: This is a perfect double floored hamster cage and comes with an exercise wheel and unique burrowing tunnel.

Conclusion

No matter where you live in the States, be it in New York or Houston, you’ll find hamsters in households across the country. Hamsters are popular pets, generally because they’re low maintenance. But they can get messy sometimes, especially when they poop!

Fortunately, cleaning hamster poop is easy. However, it requires consistency and the right approach.

Do daily spot cleaning and thorough weekly cleaning followed by a complete wash of the habitat once a month to maintain proper hygiene. Also, toilet train your hamster and get them an easy-to-clean cage so they (and you!) can live in a hygienic environment.