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Old 11-12-2016, 02:26 AM   #1
Lalsa87
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Exclamation Mite advice

Hi all

Bought some new toys for Oreo and when I got one out of the cage to hide some food in it I noticed small white/transparent bugs running over the table. Oreo is absolutely fine in herself - I haven't noticed her scratching and she has no fur loss. I don't think it's the toys, I think it must be the bedding. I don't clean her cage out often - usually spot clean as she otherwise becomes very distressed.

Firstly is this likely to be mites if she is fine and secondly what should I do?!
I'm seriously worried about clearing everything out. She gets so upset when I spot clean her I think she will have a heart attack if I do anything more and have to throw away her nest etc.

Her cage has a wooden base and sides (it's one of the big eco living ones) and I use Hugro bedding. Thanks.

Last edited by Lalsa87; 11-12-2016 at 02:38 AM.
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Old 11-12-2016, 02:43 AM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Mite advice

I can't remember what those little bugs are called but they aren't hamster mites, you can't see those.
They shouldn't cause any problems to Oreo health wise but you will need to clean the whole cage out to get rid of them, you may need to put wooden toys in the freezer for at least 48 hrs to kill any bugs/eggs that might remain.
It may be stressful but I don't really think you have any other options, hopefully she should get over it soon enough though.
Parasite type things don't normally like hemp & won't live in it so I doubt they came from there, what kind of new toys did you buy? It's very easy for tiny bugs or eggs to be hidden in wood or cork for example.
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Old 11-12-2016, 02:56 AM   #3
Lalsa87
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Default Re: Mite advice

Ok thanks - I'm worried because her cage is wooden and I made her levels out of wooden Ikea file dividers. The toys were these ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Otherwise I make her toys out of cardboard boxes so that's easy enough to get rid of.

Out of interest how often should you clean out their nest? Should I be removing a bit of it every time I do a deeper clean?

thanks
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Old 11-12-2016, 03:11 AM   #4
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Default Re: Mite advice

Those toys should be safe enough but I'm a bit paranoid about bugs so I generally freeze anything made out of natural materials before use just to be on the safe side.
The actual cage should be ok, I doubt anything would get in there but you will need to clean out everything & check shelves & anywhere anything could hide.

I clean out nests & do partial cleans, maybe a half or third of the cage at a time every few weeks, always leaving some nesting material & some of the hoard (or replace it if it looks a bit old), it depends on the ham really, if they pee in the nest at all or have a tendency to take fresh foods in there then you need to at least check & maybe clean some of it out more often.
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Old 11-12-2016, 03:24 AM   #5
Lalsa87
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Default Re: Mite advice

Thanks - will do!
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Old 11-12-2016, 03:43 AM   #6
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Default Re: Mite advice

Spot cleaning is very easy with white substrate,by the way Just a little tip worth sharing!
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Old 11-12-2016, 04:25 AM   #7
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Default Re: Mite advice

Not too sure about that Amity! Even with fitch I have to sniff to be sure
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Old 11-12-2016, 04:27 AM   #8
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Default Re: Mite advice

Not sure if Fitch does the same,but anything that gets peed on with the white Kaytee Clean and Cozy turns yellow.However,it won't be easy to tell without decent lighting.
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Old 11-12-2016, 06:48 AM   #9
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Default Re: Mite advice

Anything that gets directly peed on will go yellow but surrounding substrate needs cleaning too, pee, odour & bacteria will spread out from the pee spot so you do need to spot clean a little more than the obvious.
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Old 11-12-2016, 07:18 AM   #10
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Default Re: Mite advice

Oh I hope it's nothing serious Like the above posts have stated it's probably not mites as mites are microscopic but I'm entirely sure on that. I would definitely do a complete cage clean and monitor your hammy for any excessive scratching. Then go from there so as not to worry. I'm sure wooden cages are not cheap.
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clean, noticed, fine, spot, cage, oreo, clearing, hugro, bedding, worried, upset, attack, wooden, base, sides, mites, heart, living, eco, big, small, food, white/transparent, bugs, table

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