Hamster Central - View Single Post - Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

AmityvilleHams · 10-09-2022, 02:57 PM

Safe for animals doesn't always mean safe for every animal unfortunately, since species specific safety varies quite a bit. I wouldn't risk it in this situation. If you haven't checked health food stores and such for the diatomaceous earth that might be a good idea.

The cage clean should fix the issue within the cage. A temporary bin cage is a good idea though. If you don't have any unopened substrate(since you'd ideally be freezing that for 48 hours at least in this situation just in case along with food, herbs, etc) then you can also make a temporary substrate with torn up plain brown paper bags or you could use plain unscented toilet paper(the kind easily dissolved in water - same type that'd be safe for nesting use) if that's easier for you.

ETA diatomaceous earth(food grade) is completely safe if eaten. The inhalation issue would be a valid concern more if they were to inhale larger amounts, but any sort of dust is harmful if inhaled for very similar reasons. The same risk can also happen with food actually since foods can also carry a lot of fine particles at times - especially towards the bottom of the bag where lots of pieces get crushed easier.

10-09-2022, 02:57 PM
AmityvilleHams PM Fluffy for custom title Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 4,545	Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help? Safe for animals doesn't always mean safe for every animal unfortunately, since species specific safety varies quite a bit. I wouldn't risk it in this situation. If you haven't checked health food stores and such for the diatomaceous earth that might be a good idea. The cage clean should fix the issue within the cage. A temporary bin cage is a good idea though. If you don't have any unopened substrate(since you'd ideally be freezing that for 48 hours at least in this situation just in case along with food, herbs, etc) then you can also make a temporary substrate with torn up plain brown paper bags or you could use plain unscented toilet paper(the kind easily dissolved in water - same type that'd be safe for nesting use) if that's easier for you. ETA diatomaceous earth(food grade) is completely safe if eaten. The inhalation issue would be a valid concern more if they were to inhale larger amounts, but any sort of dust is harmful if inhaled for very similar reasons. The same risk can also happen with food actually since foods can also carry a lot of fine particles at times - especially towards the bottom of the bag where lots of pieces get crushed easier.