Flummoxed by the pantry moth

[Ria P]

I STILL come across the odd pantry moth!

Usually on the wall or ceiling of the upstairs landing.
I've adopted this weird habit of walking around the house with my face pointing upwards and don't seem to be able to shake this habit.
I annoy the hamsters regularly by rummaging around sections of their substrate but haven't found anything crawling around.

I'm not just worried about mouths getting into the hamsters habitats but now i'm worried about my own sanity. At least i don't worry about the kitchen.

[Pebbles82]

I know that feeling. I found myself looking at walls and seeing things that looked like moths but were just marks on the wallpaper etc Just keep squishing them.

[Imogen]

Oh, totally aware we're not talking about your usual moth - but insects creep me out massively. Some of them don't like non-flying preying mantis or ladybugs but anything else is a big no from me!

I've found an earwig once inside of Remys cage - like the first 3 weeks in. Was totally shocked! I was so creeped out.

I've heard of the "pantry" moth, but I've never actually had an incident with one in my house nor think I've ever seen one. Besides your usual moth I've only seen a moth species that were bigger than my palm - I saw them outside down the side 'ally' of my house that leads into my garden in a group of like 3 or 4 and I kid you not I was completely mortified but amazed to see such large moths. That was just once but never saw them again phaha.

But now I can totally see why people recommend to put your hamster food into a mason jar or something - which I've done not because of this problem but just because it looked nicer and more organized. Guess there was an extra pro to that!

[cloudy]

How annoying! I hope it is just one pantry moth and there are not any more. I wonder where they are coming from. It is good you know it is not from the hamster food.

[Pebbles82]

I can see the reasoning there. If you can see some in the house. Although one moth can lay 200 eggs a day. So if there's one in the cage there may well be larvae and moths hatching out fairly soon. Difficult if Rodney was so upset last time.

I think I'd be tempted to wash everything and change the substrate though. If you can do it in a few hours/same day, he'd be ok in a pet carrier or temporary cage possibly. I think the main thing is being back in their own cage at night. With lots of treats etc hidden to distract them. And nip it in the bud.

Then squish anything else you see fluttering about. If it's in the cage it's almost certainly hatched out in there. They just crawl at first.

As you know I had this with Pickle about 18 months ago. I can only think I missed freezing some treat sticks or something (although I suspected the hemp mat too which hadn't been in the freezer).

A full cage clean isn't that bad unless you have to remove some things for longer.

The time I had the big outbreak was when I found the cage crawling with moths under the substrate - they do crawl before they fly. And under the cupboard where the food was. Once I did the full cage clean I didn't get any back in the cage at all - they were just all over the house and in the food cupboards! Laying eggs on walls, curtains and food cupboard etc. New ones hatching out every day. I ended up washing walls, curtains and using umpteen types of moth traps. Some of them were actually carpet moths as well (had two varieties hatch out).

Sorry!

With Pickle it caught it in time after seeing a couple of moths near the cage and nothing got into Moo's cage below (because they clearly started hatching in Pickle's cage).

I'd still be tempted to do a full cage clean to try and nip it in the bud.

[Ria P]

I don't think that Rodney's cage is the source or hamster food. I work in different houses and have seen pantry moth in pet free homes.

A few weeks ago i found a dead pantry moth on a window sill upstairs and two live ones on walls within a couple of days but nothing since, until today.

Had they layed 200 eggs each, the house would be swirring with moths.

At least they are not harmful and don't bite or sting.

I could get wood shavings and use them for a while with Kaytee only inside the house. That way i could see any hatched pantry moth easier.

I would have thought that eggs or larvea would be inside the house near the hoard. I completely emptied the cage and wiped it out so the old hoard has gone together with the nest and bedding. Poor Rodney but he went straight into his house to sleep when i put him back.

[Pebbles82]

Maybe they were normal moths? I've had the odd one of those fluttering about and worry whenever I see one ha ha. And squish them.

The eggs aren't visible to the naked eye really. It's only if they hatch out that you can find some kind of webbing stuff and occasionally a larvae (which can look like a bit of food or seed). Telling signs are the webbing (although I didnt't have any webbing the first time - maybe because they were already hatched).

Total pain though. Washing things removes any eggs from items. Hope all is ok - fingers crossed.

I think they show up just as well, if not better on white bedding actually. The eggs you won't see whatever the bedding.

[Ria P]

I didn't have my glasses on and saw something move so grabbed a handful of substrate with it in it but annoyingly, didn't see it in the bucket. I'm just wondering why it didn't fly. It crawled very fast and was the size of an adult moth. Hmm.
I'll keep a very close eye on Rodney's cage. I just rummaged around Gertie's but she gave me one of her looks. Had to back off or she would have nipped me.

[cloudy]

Reading that about Gertie made me think of this:

[Ria P]

Lol!! Yes, that should have Gertie's photo on it.