Mouldy wooden hanging bridge, dangerous?

youjunc713 · 03-22-2018, 11:41 AM

Hi,

I recently ordered a new cage on zoo plus for my hamster Kendrick, and I bought some toys to entertain him.

Few hours ago, the package arrived (DHL live track is a life-saver) and one of the toys; "wood hanging bridge for small pets" (I think this item is pretty popular among some forum members from what I see) was partially mouldy and smelt like old, decaying wood.

Wood Hanging Bridge for Small Pets

Common sense tells me not to put this in for Kendrick's sake and ask for a refund, can someone please confirm that putting this won't be good for my hamster? Or am I being paranoid?

Merle · 03-22-2018, 11:50 AM

If you feel like the hanging bridge smells moldy then don't put it in your hamsters cage. You can't know for sure if it's safe.

You could try soaking the bridge in water and putting it in the oven on low heat for a few hours until it's dry to disinfect it. Maybe that can help and it won't smell anymore.
I know how frustrating it is to buy something and then realize that it's practically unusable.

Best of luck!

astrid · 03-22-2018, 03:53 PM

Hi, I would just get a refund. Zooplus is really good and dealing with these kinds of things.

cypher · 03-22-2018, 10:45 PM

I would get a refund, those aren't safe anyway so just tell them it's mouldy & get your money back to spend on something that's safe for your ham to play on.

souffle · 03-23-2018, 12:20 AM

I'd agree - ask for a refund. That type of hanging bridge is dangerous as the hammy can 'hang themselves ' if it jams in those gaps or get the thin strings tangled round their limbs. A lot of members use the wooden log bridges bent in to a sort of hut but these do not have strings or gaps and you do need to check them for sharp edges.

Pebbles82 · 03-23-2018, 04:28 AM

That is really annoying - I've had mouldy or damaged things arrive before (not just from Zooplus). Agree with the others. If you email Zooplus and tell them it is partially mouldy and smells like and you'd like to return it for a refund, they will probably reply saying don't bother to send it back and they will give you a refund (although they may ask you for a photograph to make sure you're not trying it on so it might be an idea to get a good photo of the mouldy bit ready).

As Souffle says, those toys unfortunately aren't safe. Anything with hanging chains, or rungs in ladders can cause injuries (plenty of stories of hamsters hanging with a foot caught in a chain and a broken leg).

A lot of toys sold for hamsters are either unsuitable or a bit unsafe with nails, or only suitable for dwarf hamsters. If it's for a Syrian, rat sized toys are good or the entrance holes and tubes can be a bit small and they can get stuck, or just old pringles tubes as a tunnel eg.

Might be an idea, before you contact Zooplus, if you link the other toys you've bought and we can let you know if any are an issue.