I found something running around in Zelda's stash!?!

Juliebrei · 03-25-2017, 05:00 PM

what could that possibly be?
a million horrible things running through my mind right now!
wasn't able to get a picture of it, just threw what i was holding out. will have to have a closer look in her cage tomorrow.

FluffyHamsterButts · 03-25-2017, 06:39 PM

It might of been a bug, I am unsure what you mean by stash, but if its food, then put her food in the fridge overnight. It should kill off most bugs. I would not continue to use the food personally, as bugs may carry diseases.With the new food if you getwant new food, carry on putting it in the fridge for a while.

Drago · 03-25-2017, 07:46 PM

Could you possibly recall what exactly this thing was? Was it an insect type creature or a rodent like a mouse? Pictures or video would help! Have you checked in again to see if the creature has returned? Hope it's nothing serious!

cypher · 03-25-2017, 10:10 PM

Has she stashed any fresh foods in with her hoard? Little bugs can come from almost anywhere but most likely are either a small bug (maybe from an egg) in some veg or worst case scenario is the the little moths that can be found in hamster food & grains sometimes, check all your food for any signs of bits that look like webs, maybe put it in the freezer for a week just to be on the safe side anyway.
It may just have been a one of bug that got in somehow but have a good check to see if there's anything else in the cage.

Juliebrei · 03-26-2017, 05:40 AM

It was a very very small bug. Almost just a black dot. It was her stash in her cage. I have seen one once before crawling on the floor while she was in the playpen.
I think it was a mite. She will get a thourough cage clean within the next week or so and i will keep a close eye on any food and substrate.
As i understand it a single mite is not a problem, several crawling her is, right?

Hamsterbelgium003 · 03-26-2017, 05:54 AM

I would check her skin and if you see more on her skin please go and see a vet. How old is she?

cypher · 03-26-2017, 06:03 AM

Mites aren't black, it sounds more like something that's crawled out of some food, dry or fresh so I'd check that.

Before I started freezing just about everything I feed my hams (dry food, seeds etc) I found small black bugs in the bottom of a storage box I kept various seeds in, I've also had black bugs (a whole swarm of them!) that seemed to have hatched from some broccoli so there are plenty of food sources where bugs might come from.