New hamster/cleaning secondhand wooden accessories

[Minac]

Hi everyone, my name is Sandy and I have had my 3 month old black Syrian for a week now. I have to work with a relatively small budget so I got his cage (100x50x50) and most things inside the cage so far used as well.

I bought a secondhand wooden wheel, the base is urine stained and after disinfectant and deodorizer, soap and hot water (wash, not soak), and some light filing, the smell is still clearly there.

I thought about trying vinegar next (how?), would anyone have any tips on how to clean used wooden items for new/different hamsters?
Are there any items I should not buy used?

[Ria P]

Hello and welcome to HC!

Black hamsters are so beautiful.
A wooden wheel is something i would not buy second hand for the very reason you've mentioned. Once urine has penetrated wood there's nothing that will remove it. I'd throw it out and put it down to experience. If you can find one you can inspect before buying and its in good condition that's ok of course. Best to apply a couple of coats of plastikote to waterproof it.
A new 28cm Trixie wheel may work out cheaper though.

Some wooden items can be washed in warm soapy water then rinsed, sprayed with pet friendly disinfectant then rinsed again. Leave them to dry out for a couple of days.

If you don't know where they came from you can bake them afterwards for an hour at 100C or freeze them for 48hrs to kill off any bacteria and mites eggs. People really should bin wooden items that were used by an ill hamster or one infested with mites but some people are unscrupulous enough to sell them on ebay etc.

Some wooden items may fall apart because they were glued together so it depends on the item how successfully they can be cleaned.

Always try to buy so you can view items beforehand otherwise you could end up wasting your money.

Which items in particular are you looking for?
There are many non hamster items available that are suitable from shops other than pet shops at a fraction of the price.

[Minac]

I purchased a wheel, two ladders, a house and a platform to create a second level inside the cage, all from the same seller. The wheel and house had urine stains and I thought I could clean them. The platform is nailed and stapled so I will not be using it either, from reading other posts.

I went back and asked the seller if I should be concerned about a potential illness given that I cannot fully clean the items and got a rather curt reply expressing no wish to further engage and that items were sold as is. I have written it off as a beginner mistake. On the upside I do like shopping for new accessories and I will not be scrimping on essentials if it creates a health risk.

A non-wooden wheel is looking better as he does pee in the wheel in his cage (the second was an emergency backup/ playpen from a seller in my neighbourhood so it was very convenient).

Thank you for the tips!

[Imogen]

I can understand why you went second-hand purchasing, I've been tempted to do this a few times to cut costs but with the same worries I don't want to purchase any second-hand wooden toys from ebay or gumtree in case of any such issue with illness etc.

However, I do trust the marketplace on here quite a bit more than I do eBay etc. since regulars know their stuff and seem quite trustworthy which I'm glad we have a place to feel that! So maybe you can put up posts in future to see if anyone has what you're looking for in the market place thread section of the forums.

I went back and asked the seller if I should be concerned about a potential illness given that I cannot fully clean the items and got a rather curt reply expressing no wish to further engage and that items were sold as is.

As with this, I don't really trust that seller from reading that section of your message. It seems a bit fishy and the fact that they don't wish to further engage and politely answer your question makes it seem off.

The only things I would ever consider buying off eBay, Gumtree, Shpock etc. are plastic items like tubing/wheels, some plastic hidey places for transport (so it's not heavy and is safe during any bumps if it does go flying), ceramic items for sand baths, water bowl/bottle and a food bowl (but I usually scatter feed, but for old hamsters, health issues etc.) that I can soak and disinfect in warm water and safe pet cleaning products.

[Minac]

Thank you for the info Imogen. I think you're right, I would only get plastic, ceramic, or glass items used, from recent experience.
I had a plastic sandbath for a few days. I liked that it had a domed cover and would prevent sand from flying out, but my hamster was very persistent at trying to climb on top of it and it was too smooth to grip on to. After that I decided to use mostly wooden items so he could climb if he wanted to.