Mites and cage cleaning

[StarHam]

Star has been itching and losing hair around his scent glands and on his back. He went to the vet today who suspects mites so he will be treated with drops and monitored. Has anybody got any recommendations on how to deep clean enclosures to prevent mites. Should I avoid anything wooden until he’s recovered? What about wooden hides etc? He currently has a biodegradable hide which I don’t think will be possible to clean. Any recommendations for large hides that can be easily disinfected. Thank you!

 

[Maz]

Hello. I believe the current thought is that the demodex mites can only survive on the hamster, and not survive in the cage otherwise. At one time it was recommended to do a full cage clean and then again between treatments. Which is a lot of stress for a hamster.

There is no exact guidance on this really but I would suggest waiting until the treatment is finished, and then doing a cage clean.

The mites live on the hamster naturally and certain things can cause them to proliferate. Either low immune system or stress. So it's a bit of a vicious circle as a full cage clean is also stressful!

What bedding do you use for him as sometimes an allergy can cause itching and fur loss as well and they can be allergic to certain types of beddings.

If you want to be sure and do a cage clean before the treatment, then just using any petsafe disinfectant is fine - I use the beaphar one as my vet uses it - I'll link it. The Johnsons one is ok as well (I'll link that too). They both have a light scent so important to rinse well afterwards to remove any scent.

I think a clean and substrate change is all that's needed really though, and not really essential. But you could bake any wood items.

Beaphar small pet disinfectant

Johnsons small pet disinfectant

 

[StarHam]

Thank you so much for your reply. I’ve always used Carefresh bedding (natural not coloured). I’ve been worried about stressing him out by doing a full clean then panicking I won’t get all the mites (if there are any). It’s good to know they don’t survive in the cage so I won’t panic too much about cleaning. Thank you for the recommendations.

 

[Maz]

There are some hamsters who are allergic to Carefresh, anecdotally. You could maybe try Kaytee Clean and Cozy instead. Carefresh is actually cellulose from wood pulp rather than paper. Its not understood why a hamster might get a reaction to Carefresh, I can only assume it goes through more chemical processes to make it into cellulose, or its some type of fine dust. Kaytee doesn't specifically say it's paper, but there have been no reported issues with it. Are you in the Uk? As you can also get fitch pet bedding in bulk (not too much bulk!) which is just recycled food grade paper.

Its sometimes hard to know if its mites or allergy but continuing with the mite treatment should help rule that out. Rather than a full cage clean at the moment, maybe you could just try a substrate change, and not clean anything else in the cage (so everything else smells familiar), which would be less stressful. Then maybe clean some other items after the course of treatment has finished.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Welcome to the forum Socks my make Syrian has thinning fur on his back. Last year the vet prescribed Ivermectine which we have continued to use at intervals. It seems to have helped but his fur is still a bit thin in places and has changed from black to a lighter colour. Not that I mind, he is still the same precious hammy to me. Yes, demodex mites are generally found on all hamsters to some extent. I prefer Fitch as it is less dusty and also a bit more airy. You can get soft paper nesting material sold in small quantities for the nest if you think he needs it. I only remove nest material if it has been peed on.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Welcome to the forum Socks my make Syrian has thinning fur on his back. Last year the vet prescribed Ivermectine which we have continued to use at intervals. It seems to have helped but his fur is still a bit thin in places and has changed from black to a lighter colour. Not that I mind, he is still the same precious hammy to me. Yes, demodex mites are generally found on all hamsters to some extent. I prefer Fitch as it is less dusty and also a bit more airy. You can get soft paper nesting material sold in small quantities for the nest if you think he needs it. I only remove nest material if it has been peed on.

The other thing I did was to increase Socks' protein intake by going back to Tiny Friends hamster food as it has more protein than the brands I was using. He doesn't eat meal worms, so needed protein from a different source. I gave him some oats and nuts, small amounts of cheese, some egg (scrambled egg is popular) and some fresh salad, also cooked sweet potato which he enjoys. I hope your hammy improves. They are such lovely pets

 

[StarHam]

There are some hamsters who are allergic to Carefresh, anecdotally. You could maybe try Kaytee Clean and Cozy instead. Carefresh is actually cellulose from wood pulp rather than paper. Its not understood why a hamster might get a reaction to Carefresh, I can only assume it goes through more chemical processes to make it into cellulose, or its some type of fine dust. Kaytee doesn't specifically say it's paper, but there have been no reported issues with it. Are you in the Uk? As you can also get fitch pet bedding in bulk (not too much bulk!) which is just recycled food grade paper.

Its sometimes hard to know if its mites or allergy but continuing with the mite treatment should help rule that out. Rather than a full cage clean at the moment, maybe you could just try a substrate change, and not clean anything else in the cage (so everything else smells familiar), which would be less stressful. Then maybe clean some other items after the course of treatment has finished.

Thank you, I will certainly look into an alternative bedding. I guess it’s a process of elimination working out if it’s mites or an allergy to something. I was concerned about stressing Star when the vet said a cage clean with every treatment especially if stress causes mites to proliferate. I was worried the vet trip would stress him too but he coped ok and was rewarded with treats later bless him. Thank you for your support. (Ps I am UK based)

 

[StarHam]

The other thing I did was to increase Socks' protein intake by going back to Tiny Friends hamster food as it has more protein than the brands I was using. He doesn't eat meal worms, so needed protein from a different source. I gave him some oats and nuts, small amounts of cheese, some egg (scrambled egg is popular) and some fresh salad, also cooked sweet potato which he enjoys. I hope your hammy improves. They are such lovely pets

The other thing I did was to increase Socks' protein intake by going back to Tiny Friends hamster food as it has more protein than the brands I was using. He doesn't eat meal worms, so needed protein from a different source. I gave him some oats and nuts, small amounts of cheese, some egg (scrambled egg is popular) and some fresh salad, also cooked sweet potato which he enjoys. I hope your hammy improves. They are such lovely pets

Thank you for your reply. I am picking up the Ivermectin from the vet today so will start Star’s treatment tonight and hope that does the trick. Thank you for the bedding suggestions - I will certainly look into a change. Interestingly I was reading about protein so gave him a little piece of chicken last night. He loves cheese too. I’ve not tried scrambled egg but will add to his menu . Did you do a cage clean when Socks had his treatment or wait until the treatment was finished?

 

[Socks' Mum]

I changed Socks' bedding to Fitch, so I cleared out most of the old bedding except for the clean part of his inner nest

 

[Maz]

That's interesting the vet said to do a full cage clean with every treatment. That is what the advice used to be. But then some vets probably think we do full cage cleans every week as in the old days It is quite recent info (but not definitive) that demodex mites can't survive off their host (the hamster). So maybe just changing the bedding for now and any other cleaning bits later. Or you could just wait a bit.

AI is also non committal! While it says that demodex mites can't survive for very long off the hamster (and can't breed or feed off the hamster), it still says it's a good idea to clean the cage! Without giving a good reason So I would maybe do a "midway" type thing as suggested above.

Maybe change the bedding midway through the treatment (or now) and clean some other items a week later (eg wood items) and clean anything else the week after that (eg things that can be washed like ceramic or plastic).

While the right level of protein is important, it is all the nutrients and vitamins in the right balance that are needed as well. Which hamster mix are you using? Some of the newer ones are a bit low in protein. I bet he really enjoyed his bit of chicken!

 

[StarHam]

I was surprised as I’d also read the recent update about the mites not surviving if they come off of the host. She didn’t mention cleaning until I asked so wonder if she would have if I’d not mentioned it. The receptionist did say they rarely see the small furries come in. I’ve had to order the Xeno 50 from pets at home as it’s out of stock everywhere near me. It’s being delivered tomorrow so I will apply when he’s up tomorrow night and see how we go. I’m reluctant to do a full change and stress him especially in the warm weather so will do what you suggest. I use pets at home Muesli, harry hamster tasty mix and Beaphar care + food. I also give fresh fruit and veg, cheese and pasta.

 

[Maz]

I bet he loves the fresh food and extras For the mixes, the Harry Hamster one is better, and more nutritionally complete, than the other two, and I wouldn't use the Pets at Home one. There are a lot of mixes with more variety now, although some can be quite expensive.

I use Harry hamster mixed 50/50 with the Bunny Dream Syrian hamster food - which adds more variety - although still needs a bit of protein supplementation as the Bunny Dream has less than Harry Hamster. But if you just use Harry Hamster for now, that will provide all the nutrients needed and the correct level of protein. Then if you want to look at alternative mixes there are a few "home made" ones available on Etsy and elsewhere

The trouble with bunny dream, and some other mixes, is you can only get them online usually. I can only get Bunny Dream from vetsend or ebay now. I don't give it on its own as some of the pieces are a bit small. But it does contain mealworms

Bunny Dream

A couple of people have mentioned Hammykins (formerly Chubby Cheeks) hamster food - I haven't tried it myself. Some people also give 2 or 3 science selective pellets daily when using one of the "home made" type mixes, to ensure the hamster gets all the nutrients needed. Science selective is an all in one pellet food with the right protein levels.

Hammykins Syrian Hamster Food | Hammykins Shop

Hammykins® Syrian Hamster Food is a nutritionally balanced homemade seed mix. It contains over 30 high quality ingredients, almost all of which are human food grade and organic, and is designed to fulfil all your hamster's nutritional needs. Available as 250g or 500g bags. Suitable for syrian...

www.chubbycheekshamsterfood.co.uk

 

[StarHam]

Thanks so much for all this information, it’s very helpful. I will stick exclusively to the Harry Hamster and look at the others you suggest. I love giving him fresh treats as he clearly enjoys them - especially a Blueberry!

 

[Maz]

Mine love blueberries too If they're lucky, at this time of year, they sometimes get a bit of strawberry as well. They love any fresh food