No more treats!

pinkneon · 06-10-2016, 05:34 PM

I am not happy - and Sweep isn't either!! I went to give him a treat, and noticed it was mouldy! It was covered in furry stuff. It wasn't out of date and was in an air tight container! So, not knowing how this happened (it was fine last week when he had that treat!) I have thrown away every single treat Sweep had - including his beloved walnuts! All the pots are downstairs soaking in hot soapy water, except the one with the furry food which is in the bin! I have also thrown away all his mix - have a spare, unopened bag which will go in the pot once it's dry (he's already been fed!). Is this likely to happen again? None of the other treats looked mouldy, but I threw them away anyway, as they were in the same place. I have washed my hands countless times in the past few minutes but am worried I am going to get sick - even though I didn't touch the food! Poor Sweep. Now I have to buy him more treats!

Lala Noma · 06-10-2016, 10:20 PM

Oh, what a shame! Unfortunately, these things do happen. Last week I had to throw out all Pizca's mix because it has insects! A lot of them, coming from nowhere. It was disgusting...

pinkneon · 06-10-2016, 11:55 PM

He watched me as I threw them all away and he looked very sad! He probably thought I was mad!

ClumsyPianist · 06-11-2016, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lala Noma

Oh, what a shame! Unfortunately, these things do happen. Last week I had to throw out all Pizca's mix because it has insects! A lot of them, coming from nowhere. It was disgusting...

I can very much relate to this! I had to toss out all of Milo's food, hay and bedding because there were small itty bitty black brownish beetle-like critters everywhere in the box I store my stuff in. I had no idea where they came from (I do keep everything together, and they were in everything), so I tossed everything out and bought all new stuff the next day. They. Were. Everywhere. I had to vacuum half the house twice because they were in all corners and ew and eugh. *shivers*

My Dad and I were curious as to what exactly they were and did some research, and they were most likely wheat weevils. They were in the food because Momma Weevil buries her eggs inside the wheat grain thingies and closes up the hole she's made with a similar coloured...goo, I think it was? As soon as it gets warmer out, the eggs hatch and mini weevils eat themselves out of the wheat and go in search of food (and reproduction too probably). Sometimes wheat gets harvested with the eggs still inside them and it goes in hamster food. When the weather gets warmer, they hatch inside the bag and could appear in your hamster food. I'm pretty sure we've had the same thing happen to us lol.

You can prevent this from happening by putting the bag of food in the freezer for twenty-four hours. It certainly did the trick for me. Haven't seen any black bugs, dead or alive, around ever since the massive outbreak I've had, so I think that's all you have to do!

-

Fortunately, I haven't had many experiences with mouldy treats or food in general, so all I can say is that it's gotta be pretty nasty if it happens. ;w; And your poor hamster thinking you're mad at him! D: Maybe give him some fresh veggies in the meantime? c:

pinkneon · 06-11-2016, 12:10 AM

I think he is most sad ahout his precious walnuts! I will get him some more if I can today otherwise he will have to wait!

Thin Lizzy · 06-11-2016, 12:44 AM

Oh poor you! Thank god it happened now and not when he goes to the sitter. I can just imagine the look on his face while you binned all his treats.
Could it have something to do with this hot weather recently?

pinkneon · 06-11-2016, 12:48 AM

At first I thought it was the hot weather, but it inly affectd ONE box of treats! I just threw all of them away as they were kept in the same place! I am wondering if I should put the new bag of food in the freezer, but if so how long for as I threw out all his other food last night!

Lala Noma · 06-11-2016, 12:51 AM

Ohhh poor Sweep! I can imagine his thoughts... "NononoNOOOOO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!?NOOOOO!!!"

pinkneon · 06-11-2016, 01:02 AM

Yep, he certainly looked a bit angry with me! He ignored me after that! He sulked!

Pebbles82 · 06-11-2016, 01:26 AM

Oh poor Sweep - don't let him see next time

Don't worry, it won't do you any harm - stuff goes mouldy all the time - if you had giant mushrooms growing on the walls it might be bad for you but a little bit like that on your hands won't do you any harm at all. Some moulds are used to make antibiotics from

But definitely not good for Sweep to eat something mouldy (he probably wouldn't touch it if it was anyway).

I think it's probably the warm, damp humid weather we've been having. If they're in airtight boxes they could get condensation. With the new bag of food maybe keep some of it out ( a few days worth) and put the rest in the freezer for 2 or 3 days. It defrosts quite quickly - a couple of hours at most.

Ocasionally you do get the odd nut in a pack that's a bit off. I find that with Brazil nuts, there's always one or two that taste bad. So I cut them in half and eat one half

If it tastes ok I give the other half to Charlie.

If you've got any apples, bananas, or cheese in you could give him a small bit of one of those instead tonight. Then he'll forget about the trauma of seeing the walnuts thrown away