仓鼠 Tsang Shu

Was the wood from a platform in the cage? She really has chewed that a lot! Have you tried having her out the cage in a playpen at all? That would be something nice for her to do. :)
 
Yes, the wood was under her house.
No, she never was outside except when she went to the vet.
 
Lol - my first Syrian did that and chewed right through one of the legs - but they were thinner than that. I think he just decided it was in the way of his burrowing!
 
Leo has been chewing one of the dowel supports of his house. It still stands up fine without it fortunately.

In the morning I often hear him working away underground, rearranging his tunnels and chewing things.
 
Robert said:
View attachment 3392
Here is her set up. Yesterday she ran in her wheel, then raced up the tube, then back to the wheel. Almost frantic.

The vase (top middle) has tissue and food morsels in it.

There is water in the blue bottle and in the round dish on top on her house.

Four cardboard hideouts are next to the fence, for safety. One at the other end of the tube. One in the middle bottom opposite the vase. Last one is leaning next to the house, giving her access to the yummies there.
Click to expand...
The tube goes from the wheel to the next station and then she is almost home again!
 
There are moth larvae ascending from the hamster cage. Is it the cotton bedding which attracts them?

Advice (short of getting rid of the hamster)?
 
Moth eggs usually come in with food that hasn’t been frozen.
The only thing you can do is a complete cage clean & try to get rid of any that may be in the house.
Don’t use any chemicals but you will need to disinfect the cage with a pet safe disinfectant.

Cotton bedding isn’t safe so I would get rid of that too.
 
Just to clarify that a bit when I say food that hasn’t been frozen I mean hamster mix, the sprays & any other dried food you give her, pantry moths are sometimes found in pet foods that haven’t been stored properly but can also be found in human food so anything other than things like fresh veg needs to be frozen for at least 48 hours but better for a week.
You can store the food in the freezer until you need it too. This also helps avoid mites.

Ideally you need a spare cage you can put her in with fresh substrate while you give the current cage a good clean, bag up & dispose of any food & substrate to get rid of anything that’s in there.
 
The cotton fibres are long and durable and can bind the hammies' internals up, leading to eventual death. Cotton and kapok are sold on the pet market, but they are risky products. Paper based is better as the fibres are much safer. The moths are harmless but a nuisance. Once the bedding is changed they should be gone.
 
Socks Mum said:
The cotton fibres are long and durable and can bind the hammies' internals up, leading to eventual death. Cotton and kapok are sold on the pet market, but they are risky products. Paper based is better as the fibres are much safer. The moths are harmless but a nuisance. Once the bedding is changed they should be gone.
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The cotton finds its way into the hamsters tummy when it is carried in his or her cheek pouches or licked off feet.
 
I've just had this Robert, although the moths had started hatching out before I knew. As mentioned above, you need to do a full cage clean, chuck away all the bedding and food - disinfect other items. Some can just be washed in washing up liquid and rinsed. Anything wood can be baked,

If you have enough spare bedding you can get it all done and set up again in a day and just need somewhere to pop the hamster safely while you're doing it.

White vinegar kills moth eggs - that's the main reason for disinfecting, to ensure there are no moth eggs left that can hatch out into larvae. They are virtually invisible to the naked eye. So I'd spray the tank with vinegar, rinse it then wash it out with soapy water and leave it to dry. Alternatively spray the cage with pet-safe disinfectant suitable for small animals (but not bleach).

As Elusive says - freeze all food first to kill any moth eggs in it. It's the warmth that makes them hatch out.
 
Mainly spray or clean in any crevices - they lay eggs in crevices as well as flat surfaces.

Sounds like you’ve caught it in time if there are just larvae and no moths.
 
Entire cage emptied and replaced.

That was paper bedding, not cloth.

She went into her travel cage.

I saw a few larvae and went ballistic.

Tsang Shu is back in her cage now making new tunnels.
 
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