Hamster Central - View Single Post - New hamster/cleaning secondhand wooden accessories

Ria P · 06-11-2021, 02:35 AM

Hello and welcome to HC!

Black hamsters are so beautiful.
A wooden wheel is something i would not buy second hand for the very reason you've mentioned. Once urine has penetrated wood there's nothing that will remove it. I'd throw it out and put it down to experience. If you can find one you can inspect before buying and its in good condition that's ok of course. Best to apply a couple of coats of plastikote to waterproof it.
A new 28cm Trixie wheel may work out cheaper though.

Some wooden items can be washed in warm soapy water then rinsed, sprayed with pet friendly disinfectant then rinsed again. Leave them to dry out for a couple of days.

If you don't know where they came from you can bake them afterwards for an hour at 100C or freeze them for 48hrs to kill off any bacteria and mites eggs. People really should bin wooden items that were used by an ill hamster or one infested with mites but some people are unscrupulous enough to sell them on ebay etc.

Some wooden items may fall apart because they were glued together so it depends on the item how successfully they can be cleaned.

Always try to buy so you can view items beforehand otherwise you could end up wasting your money.

Which items in particular are you looking for?
There are many non hamster items available that are suitable from shops other than pet shops at a fraction of the price.

06-11-2021, 02:35 AM
Ria P House of Hamsters Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 7,103	Re: New hamster/cleaning secondhand wooden accessories Hello and welcome to HC! Black hamsters are so beautiful. A wooden wheel is something i would not buy second hand for the very reason you've mentioned. Once urine has penetrated wood there's nothing that will remove it. I'd throw it out and put it down to experience. If you can find one you can inspect before buying and its in good condition that's ok of course. Best to apply a couple of coats of plastikote to waterproof it. A new 28cm Trixie wheel may work out cheaper though. Some wooden items can be washed in warm soapy water then rinsed, sprayed with pet friendly disinfectant then rinsed again. Leave them to dry out for a couple of days. If you don't know where they came from you can bake them afterwards for an hour at 100C or freeze them for 48hrs to kill off any bacteria and mites eggs. People really should bin wooden items that were used by an ill hamster or one infested with mites but some people are unscrupulous enough to sell them on ebay etc. Some wooden items may fall apart because they were glued together so it depends on the item how successfully they can be cleaned. Always try to buy so you can view items beforehand otherwise you could end up wasting your money. Which items in particular are you looking for? There are many non hamster items available that are suitable from shops other than pet shops at a fraction of the price.