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Old 10-07-2022, 04:17 AM   #1
kattsy
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Unhappy Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

Hello, everyone!
I've recently discovered small bugs in my hamster's cage. They're mostly around dried flowers/leaves, the water bowl, but they can be found all around the cage. From reading online, I think they're book lice.
My cage is quite big - 160x60x80 cm
Most solutions I've read online say to throw the bedding out, freeze items in the cage or bake them. Because my cage is so massive, it's very hard for me to actually freeze or bake all the items because there's so many of them. Plus, I'm worried that if I do go through the hassle of throwing out the bedding, cleaning everything, etc, the bugs will still come back because I've also noticed them outside the cage - on the couch, bookshelf etc. I don't think I can clean everything to the point where there would be no bugs left because they're incredibly small.
Our local petshop recommended we get "predatory bugs" and set them in the cage, they supposedly eat other bugs and would get rid of the book lice. We got them and waited two weeks, but nothing changed.
I'm wondering if anyone has experienced a similar issue and what helped you. I would be ready to clean everything out, I'm just worried that the bugs will find their way back from a random crease where I can't see them and start living in the cage again.
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Old 10-07-2022, 05:34 AM   #2
cloudy
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Default Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

What a nightmare! I am so sorry you have this problem. I hope somebody will be along soon to give you some advice.
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Old 10-07-2022, 05:54 AM   #3
Ria P
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Default Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

Booklice aren't harmful to your hamster as far as i know. There's a thread on here from a member who had booklice in her hamster cage but i can't remember how she got rid of them and haven't got time to read up right now.

If you type "booklice" in the search engine on the front page the thread will come up. The booklice are first indentfied on page 3.
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Old 10-07-2022, 06:03 AM   #4
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

Hi, With you saying they are around the flowers/leaves and water it makes me think they could be weevils. Whilst not harmful to hamsters or us, they multiply quick and can be an utter pain to get rid of them. I know a lot of people last year got them, around September after the hot periods in the summer as any eggs on the food source can hatch, especially when it gets hot.

What worked for me in the end was
1.) freeze everything i could for 1 week
and/or
2.) cook everything I could for 2 hrs at 95 degrees
3.) box the items up for 2 weeks in small plastic bin boxes (break it down so not all in 1)
after 2 weeks check the items again, if still present, repeat the cycle. I had to do this about 3- 4 times in some cases. it's all about breaking up the life cycle and trying to kill the eggs, as they can survive in extreme temperatures and I believe delay in hatching.

i also got rid of all the used bedding, food, forage items, sprays etc in the cage, cleaned the cage thoroughly, including hoovering then clean the hoover out. Make sure you wipe everything down, e.g. back of the lid and under the cage if you can

I then only used a couple of inches of new clean bedding, apart from the wooden mutli chamber hide I used only ceramic or plastic items which could be easily cleaned again, or boxes/cardboard which could be thrown and replaced easily. I then checked the cage once a week, i only had to deep clean 2 of my hamsters cages this way the 3rd i had to redo once. It was quite easy to get rid of them in the actual cages what was harder was to get rid of them in all the natural items like cork logs, branches, wicker tunnels etc, hence the process above.The bugs really love the natural items.

I also put a little tub of diatamaceous earth in little tubs near the cage and elsewhere in my home so I could see if any bugs were elsewhere. I know some people use this in the cage and actually on animals but i read research where it can be harmful to them if they breathe it in, so use it cautiously if you do use it.

I also used Indorex spray in my rooms, if doing this you need to make sure your hamster is in a safe place where they can not breathe it in. Off the top of my head they say to keep cats and dogs out of the room for 1 hour, so i kept my hamsters in temporary cages in my bedroom and covered their main cages with blankets and towels for a day. The spray is aimed downwards and on the carpet so theoretically shouldn't be going into the hamster cages if covered but i wanted to be safe. I then washed the blankets/towels on a hot wash.

I hope this helps and goodluck. It can be a tedious/tiring process but if you want to get rid of them it is best to get rid of and clean absolutely everything you can.

* also, if they are weevils i highly recommend freezing all food for a min of 1 week (24-48 hours does nothing) it is debatable whether freezing for a week is enough, and then store in airtight containers. i did freeze my items but still got them, so i either didn't freeze long enough or i forgot in one instance*
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Last edited by LunaTheHamster1; 10-07-2022 at 06:10 AM.
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Old 10-07-2022, 06:09 AM   #5
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

I unfortunately too had cross contaminated areas in my bedroom and living room, and just fostered a new hamster so tidied up all my hamster supplies, so cross contaminated every single storage box I had full of supplies. so ihad to deep clean all that too. Luckily they never got into the kitchen.
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Old 10-07-2022, 06:26 AM   #6
kattsy
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Default Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

Hi, thank you for the reply!
I thought they were weevils too but by the pictures on google, they don't look anything like weevils, but look exactly like book lice
Also, they're on my bookshelf, on the books, around my couch (which is next to the cage)etc. They are mostly in the cage though, in the places I described before so maybe they're on the furniture just because it's next to the cage? I'm not sure.
This is what they look like, and I included my finger for size comparison
Album — Postimages
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Old 10-07-2022, 06:29 AM   #7
kattsy
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Default Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

Also, what I found weird is, I can clearly see them in the cage next to the dried flowers/leaves, running around on the wood, etc, but I checked all of the food items I have outside the cage (most of which are kept in glass jars), and non of them have any bugs inside. So I don't think they're coming from the food?
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Old 10-07-2022, 06:30 AM   #8
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

Can't really tell from the photos - i can't seem to zoom in on my laptop
either way, all that i described above should be applicable.
yes, my book case was about a metre away from one of my cages. it did't have many on it, but still had a few,
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Old 10-07-2022, 06:33 AM   #9
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

Quote:
Originally Posted by kattsy View Post
Also, what I found weird is, I can clearly see them in the cage next to the dried flowers/leaves, running around on the wood, etc, but I checked all of the food items I have outside the cage (most of which are kept in glass jars), and non of them have any bugs inside. So I don't think they're coming from the food?
you could be right, but i do know that the eggs can hatch in the heat so they may not have hatched until they were in the cage? it's just a possibility.
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Old 10-07-2022, 06:43 AM   #10
kattsy
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Default Re: Book lice problem in hamsters cage. Any help?

Thank you, I just read though the post.
I'm really interested in how she got rid of them, currently sending a private message.
My biggest fear is cleaning everything out but them still coming back because they're on the furniture etc, and I don't know how I can completely get rid of them as they're so small.
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