# I want to see your Hedgie's potty area



## MrPinball (Feb 23, 2013)

Hi everyone, so I spend most of the evening looking at liners vs aspen and potty training and so forth.

We've had our Pinball for over a week now and I noticed he goes to the potty mostly under the wheel as well as way behind it in the corner. I'm now wondering how I could set up the 'bathroom' area, since he's pottying in the same spot anyway. To get a better idea of how to set it up I was wondering if you guys have any pictures? 
Should I just put some papertowels under the wheel or is some sort of a container necessary? What do you find the easiest?


----------



## SouthernSweet (Jul 25, 2012)

I just set paper towels down  Quinnlee does what your Pinball does. One towel under the wheel, and one in the corner where Quinnlee does her business when she's not wheeling. Replaced daily, it does well to keep the cage clean and keep the smell down 

Towels don't work for Clark, though. He shreds them. Probably just to annoy me.


----------



## Erizo (Jul 25, 2012)

Sophie does most of her pooping and peeing on the wheel while on the run. I made her a set of coroplast litter pans that fit under the wheel and extend out about 10". She uses only her litter pan area for pooping and peeing. I use fleece cage liners, but she never goes on them so her cage is super clean.

Litter pan liners get shaken clean every day and replaced with a fresh liner every other day (mostly). I have several for each pan, so I rotate the litter pan out every two or three weeks and give it a good soap and hot water washing.

Your liners don't have to be sewn. You can 'stack layers' easily enough.

(12:04)
fleece-litter-pan-liners-13-02-07.mp4





Custom litter pan and pad:
(13:31)
litter-pans-12-12-17.mp4





The first part of this video shows the litter pan and pad in action.
wheel-wash-12-12-17.mp4


----------



## alexvdl (Dec 19, 2012)

I've told my hedgehogs that if a stranger ever asks that question to immediately ball up and not come out until they go away.

But Reginald goes in either his tray (at night)










Or in his poop/footbath (during the day)


----------



## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

The world is their litter box.

But seriously, they usually just go on the wheel. I use the trays that come with Larry's wheels (carolinastormhedgehogs.com) and fill it with this: http://www.petco.com/product/106817/Pla ... ter-106817


----------



## SouthernSweet (Jul 25, 2012)

had a chuckle when I saw the planet :lol:


----------



## jholstein11 (Dec 13, 2012)

i watching this with interest. Right now, my guy has the pan with towels, but they're so gross and he shreds them.

I had been using some non-clumping litter, but he flung it everywhere and slept in it.

still trying to find that perfect thing for him to crap on. :lol:


----------



## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

Non clumping litter is actually really bad for them. 

Check out those pellets I listed. You get a LOT for the 10 pound bag.


----------



## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

He poops on his wheel and litter box. Occasionally I will find poop here and there on his liner, but it's not a big deal 

As for litter, I use Yesterday's News.

And just to clarify on Christemo's point, nonclumping GRANULE litter is no good for them. Things like Yesterday's News, which is also a type of litter, is fine for them. You don't want to get anything that has small granules, even if it's natural, especially for male hogs, as it can get caught on their penile sheath and cause an infection later on.


----------



## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

I think the litter as kitty litter.  First instinct as a crazy cat lady.


----------



## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

Christemo said:


> I think the litter as kitty litter.  First instinct as a crazy cat lady.


Kitty litter comes in many forms. Yesterday's News can be used for cats too  There's also a pine litter for cats, and other ones made of walnut, clay, etc. As long as the granules are non-clumping, and large, it's not usually a problem ^_^ But yes, most kitty litters are made of clay, and are made up of small granules, so that's a big no-no!


----------



## jholstein11 (Dec 13, 2012)

We stopped using it as soon as I realized it was no good. 

I might try the yesterday's news.


----------



## MrPinball (Feb 23, 2013)

Christemo said:


> The world is their litter box.


Bahahhaa!!! So true!!

Thank you ALL so much for your replies, suggestions and ideas. You are great <3 Pinball is pooping only under the wheel (and once outside his 'cage' everywhere haha), so that will make it easier. I started out with papertowels but will try all of your ideas to see which works best for us.



jholstein11 said:


> still trying to find that perfect thing for him to crap on. :lol:


Yes!!!! :lol:


----------



## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

I prefer trays that go completely under the wheel. Pretty much all of my hedgehogs will go directly behind the wheel, or right around the base of it, if they're not actually running on the wheel when the urge strikes. Having a tray that goes under the bucket part of the wheel, but not the base of it, ends up really only doing half the job.

This is what we use, and sell with our wheels:










12.5" x 10.5", about an inch high. And I use single pieces of fleece, cut to size - the same idea as using paper towel, but washable and reusable. Cheaper in the long run than using anything you need to constantly buy more of.


----------



## jholstein11 (Dec 13, 2012)

I use a tray too, but i find the stink stays way down if there's something in it. The litter really helped with that, but we stopped using it for a number of reasons.

The paper towels is okay, but not great. I need to find something that's more absorbent but he doesn't want to sleep in. Although, ever since I got him his snuggle sack, he only sleeps there. Silly little poopers.


----------



## Avarris (Dec 3, 2012)

For Pippin's enclosure I went to the Dollar store and bought like a 4-pack of disposable banking pans (12 1/4 x 8 1/4 x 1 3/32 inch). They slide pretty snugly under her wheel, and I line it with a paper towel(for all the good it does me!) When she leaves the towel in the tin , I change it out if need be. Pippin only wheels every 2-3 days. What gets flung from her wheel is caught in the tray. Somehow she always manages to pee in the tin. I pull it out and clean it. Pippin pulls her new paper towel liner out of the tin, hides in her poopy corner, does her thing under it, then drags said towel half into her cuddle sack. Unfortunately I am not awake when she does it so I just clean the litter tin, toss the towel and give her a new one.. Once they are beyond cleaning or warped so bad I can't get them under the wheel I replace it. They usually last between 3-4 weeks. At $1.27 per 4-pack, it's a budgeters dream solution. Spend a little over $5.00 and I have the year covered. 

As a side note I should mention Pippins wheel is mounted to her enclosure rather than free standing.


----------

