Hi,
Two of my hamsters had a lice infection. I've received medicine from the vet but had questions around sanitising the cage and preventing another infection:
Sanitising
The first time I brought my hamster to the vet, she said to clean/wipe plastic and ceramic items and throw out any cardboards used as hides. I'll do that, along with throwing out any substrates and flowers etc. But where I got confused was the wooden items
- she said I can bake them (I assume at 100 degrees Celsius, for 30 mins?) and then leave them alone for a month to ensure all the bloody lice die.
The following week when I visited the same vet, to bring my other hamster who had an infection, for a check-up, she advised me to throw everything out (for all my hammies), including wooden items. I understand where she is coming from and to be safe, I should throw everything. However, I have five hamsters and I am reluctant to throw ALL of their wooden stuff out (paid quite a bit for them as good quality wooden accessories in the UK aren't cheap).
I wanted to ask if anyone has had to sanitise their hamsters' items after an infection and how you approached it?
Prevention
If lice like to lay eggs in wooden items, should I steer clear from wooden accessories then? Do I go for plastic/ceramic?? When I started rearing hamsters, I did a lot of researched and a lot of people said plastic isn't the best as it's not porous so ventilation isn't great. And plastic isn't great for chewing either. I could get some ceramic hides, but I don't think there are any ceramic multichamber hides?
Anything I can do to prevent lice infection, like cleaning their cages more?? I don't have any other pets and I live in a newly built flat (top floor) which is warm and has no holes (that I know of o.o) so I can't figure out how my hamsters got the lice