Hamster Central - View Single Post

halloumi · 03-14-2019, 05:29 PM

I have discovered in recent years, the internet is suggesting to freeze hamster food for up to 4 days in the freezer when you get a new bag, in order to stop any bugs from hatching. This is a great discovery for me, even though I never had any issues previously when I owned hamsters about a decade ago.

However, I have also seen some horror stories about carefresh, and other types of bedding/cage flooring containing mites/bugs.

For starters, I am confused by mites and their lifespan: can they survive in a sealed bag of bedding for weeks with no source of food/blood? If not, then if I were to purchase bedding months prior to intending to use it, would any mites that are difficult to see be dead? I have seen suggestions that mites live on hamsters all the time, and during times of stress, etc., they overgrow. So does anyone here believe bedding is a source of mites, or just a correlation?

Furthermore, many owners suggest freezing new bedding too. I am fortunate to have large space in my freezer, so this would be possible. However, for those of you which cannot spare room for bedding, have you ever encountered any mites or bugs in bedding? And where do you live? I am trying to figure out how rare this is, if it is merely a conspiracy when the bugs/mites came from elsewhere, and whether me living in the UK makes it more/less likely than other areas of the world.

We are, of course, getting much warmer summers, and this definitely makes me more aware of the food bugs hatching, for one thing.

I may take a chance and not freeze bedding, depending on responses. My OCD (actually diagnosed, I don't use it as a punchline) means that when I am going to freeze hamster food, it will need to be a new, unopened bag, placed in its own tupperwear container in my freezer to avoid contamination with my own food!

I am aware that sometimes freezing doesn't do the job in some examples I've read online. This may be to do with the freezer not getting cold enough, or it not being in there long enough at that essential temperature? Factoring in opening and closing the door, I would probably like to leave the food in there for about 5 days just to be sure. Then, transferring it to an airtight container (can I do this immediately? Provided the bag is fully sealed in the freezer, there is no moisture on the food that needs it to be aired out before kept in an airtight container, right?)

Also in regards to bugs being attracted to a hamster's cage, how often do you clean out their food stash in their house? Is it stressful to them to do it every 2 days or so?

Sorry for the long ramble, I am just very curious and want to do anything possible to prevent food bugs/mites!

03-14-2019, 05:29 PM
halloumi Newborn Pup Join Date: Mar 2019 Posts: 25	Do you freeze your hamster food? I have discovered in recent years, the internet is suggesting to freeze hamster food for up to 4 days in the freezer when you get a new bag, in order to stop any bugs from hatching. This is a great discovery for me, even though I never had any issues previously when I owned hamsters about a decade ago. However, I have also seen some horror stories about carefresh, and other types of bedding/cage flooring containing mites/bugs. For starters, I am confused by mites and their lifespan: can they survive in a sealed bag of bedding for weeks with no source of food/blood? If not, then if I were to purchase bedding months prior to intending to use it, would any mites that are difficult to see be dead? I have seen suggestions that mites live on hamsters all the time, and during times of stress, etc., they overgrow. So does anyone here believe bedding is a source of mites, or just a correlation? Furthermore, many owners suggest freezing new bedding too. I am fortunate to have large space in my freezer, so this would be possible. However, for those of you which cannot spare room for bedding, have you ever encountered any mites or bugs in bedding? And where do you live? I am trying to figure out how rare this is, if it is merely a conspiracy when the bugs/mites came from elsewhere, and whether me living in the UK makes it more/less likely than other areas of the world. We are, of course, getting much warmer summers, and this definitely makes me more aware of the food bugs hatching, for one thing. I may take a chance and not freeze bedding, depending on responses. My OCD (actually diagnosed, I don't use it as a punchline) means that when I am going to freeze hamster food, it will need to be a new, unopened bag, placed in its own tupperwear container in my freezer to avoid contamination with my own food! I am aware that sometimes freezing doesn't do the job in some examples I've read online. This may be to do with the freezer not getting cold enough, or it not being in there long enough at that essential temperature? Factoring in opening and closing the door, I would probably like to leave the food in there for about 5 days just to be sure. Then, transferring it to an airtight container (can I do this immediately? Provided the bag is fully sealed in the freezer, there is no moisture on the food that needs it to be aired out before kept in an airtight container, right?) Also in regards to bugs being attracted to a hamster's cage, how often do you clean out their food stash in their house? Is it stressful to them to do it every 2 days or so? Sorry for the long ramble, I am just very curious and want to do anything possible to prevent food bugs/mites!