Newbie needing major help with guidelines for freezing, baking, and overall safety before adding to habitat

[clerbird321]

Hello hello! Beginner hammy owner here!

To preface, I am an incredibly cautious (almost TOO cautious) pet owner. I have been deep in the throes of syrian hamster research for the past month and ordered just about everything I need this past weekend, so it is all trickling in over this week. I know that it is highly recommended to freeze/bake/disinfect new items, but I am SO conflicted about how to do this, especially regarding the freezing!!! These options are what I have seen the most regarding freezing...

1) Freeze (in original unopened packaging or in a sealed up freezer ziploc bag) for 48hrs straight, then let thaw at room temp until no longer cold, and finally transfer to either a sealed up ziploc or a glass or plastic container for storage
2) Freeze (in original unopened packaging or in a sealed up freezer ziploc bag) for 48hrs straight, then let thaw at room temp for 48hrs straight, then freeze for another 48hrs straight, then let thaw at room temp until no longer cold, and finally transfer to either a sealed up ziploc or a glass or plastic container for storage
3) Freeze (in original unopened packaging or in a sealed up freezer ziploc bag) for a week (168hrs) straight, then let thaw at room temp until no longer cold, and finally transfer to either a sealed up ziploc or a glass or plastic container for storage

What the heck do I do?? I've seen so many different opinions and all I want to know is which is best to prevent a bug problem because that is the last thing I want to deal with. Help!!

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome Yes there are various theories out there now - this is what I have always done (and I think it was some of us that started the freezing solution!) after researching the lifespan of moth eggs and freezing many years ago. I just freeze for a week. No special packaging. If it's a bag of hamster food it just goes in the freezer as it is. If it's an item of wood for example (eg a bendy bridge) I just put it in a plastic freezer bag (or even just one of those plastic carrier bags from supermarkets) in the freezer.

I freeze all hamster stuff unless it's something that can be baked or washed (eg cork logs and some wood items can be baked - ceramic and plastic items can just be washed with dishwashing liquid soap). Some wood items can't be baked if they have metal in (bendy bridges) or glue (houses eg) which can melt.

After sanitising the initial items for a set up, after that I just freeze any food items or sprays or treats or hay. The idea is it is supposed to take a week to kill moth eggs and hay mites. This has worked fine for me for 10 years (with one exception but I probably forgot to freeze something).

The theory behind freezing for 48 hours, warming up and then freezing again for 48 hours - is that after the first 48 hours, warming up encourages any insect eggs to start coming alive and the second freezing kills them. Whether it works or not I don't know.

Personally, I just freeze everything for 7 days Because it's too much faff to do anything else and it's just a theory.

The freezing for a week idea came from research into how to kill pantry moth eggs

Unfortunately all pet foods seem to contain moth eggs - they are invisible to the human eye as so tiny, and cause no issues unless things become particularly warm (eg in very hot weather or with a very warm room in winter - warmer than usual and 24/7). In those warm temperatures, the eggs can start to hatch into little grubs and then into moths.

So I'd say you'd be fine to freeze for a week - in any kind of packaging (original plastic packaging or if something doesn't have any packaging just pop it in a plastic bag). Including all hamster treats and sprays. The only things I don't freeze are human grade hamster treats (eg human grade pumpkin seeds or walnuts). With hay it's more about mites or mite eggs (also too small to see).

It's a bit pointless to freeze twice for 48 hours unless you really warm things up in between to a very warm temperature - which would be a huge faff!

If you want to be really cautious - if you've frozen food items for a week, and then taken them out and they've been sitting around for some weeks before being used, you could take the precaution of freezing them again for 48 hours before using. Otherwise I just leave the food in the freezer and only take the bag out when it's needed (if you have the space for that).

 

[clerbird321]

@Maz

You are an angel, thank you for this detailed response! I appreciate you! Also I am so excited to be a part of this community

If it’s okay, I have about ten million other questions regarding all of this item prepping stuff If you can’t tell…I overthink everything but truly just want the best for my hammy and I get confused with all the conflicting opinions and info out there.

1. In regards to the cycle freezing (if I were to end up doing that) would it be okay to only thaw at room temp for about 12hrs in between freezes? I’m just wondering about facilitating bacteria growth with the freezing, thawing, refreezing, and re-thawing process. But I do like the idea of cycle freezing to be EXTRA cautious lol.
2. I have a Zoo Med cork flat (https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-natur...qhhXkYG6ZgPn3PJ-EucbDGRZxaTaPiXBoCkKwQAvD_BwE) and I’ve seen multiple different ways to deal with cleaning this for first-time setup. Someone said to rinse it with hot soapy water then bake for about 10mins at 200°F, but I’m wondering about how porous the wood is and if it would soak up the water and dish soap after washing? Is freezing rather than baking effective for this item?
3. I have some wooden items (platforms, hides, stilts, etc) from Niteangel, how should I clean those for first-time setup? Can they just be wiped down with a 50/50 water/distilled white vinegar solution, rinsed, then treated with PlastiKote?
4. Do you freeze your bedding? I bought Small Pet Select white paper bedding and also their aspen bedding. About 16hrs ago I put the bag of paper bedding in the freezer. Not sure what I should do after that though lol, or how long to leave it, or if I should cycle it.
5. I have a bag of Oxbow Orchard Grass Hay, should I follow freezing instructions for that as well?
6. After freezing/baking/cleaning, is it correct to store everything in either a ziploc or plastic or glass container? I saw these plastic or glass (couldn’t tell hahaha) mason jar-like things at the dollar store, would those work? Or Tupperware-like plastic containers?
7. For things like the acrylic plastic sand bath, wheel, ceramic items, etc. is it acceptable to either wash those with water/dish soap or 50/50 water/distilled white vinegar then rinse well?

 

[clerbird321]

Hello and welcome Yes there are various theories out there now - this is what I have always done (and I think it was some of us that started the freezing solution!) after researching the lifespan of moth eggs and freezing many years ago. I just freeze for a week. No special packaging. If it's a bag of hamster food it just goes in the freezer as it is. If it's an item of wood for example (eg a bendy bridge) I just put it in a plastic freezer bag (or even just one of those plastic carrier bags from supermarkets) in the freezer.

I freeze all hamster stuff unless it's something that can be baked or washed (eg cork logs and some wood items can be baked - ceramic and plastic items can just be washed with dishwashing liquid soap). Some wood items can't be baked if they have metal in (bendy bridges) or glue (houses eg) which can melt.

After sanitising the initial items for a set up, after that I just freeze any food items or sprays or treats or hay. The idea is it is supposed to take a week to kill moth eggs and hay mites. This has worked fine for me for 10 years (with one exception but I probably forgot to freeze something).

The theory behind freezing for 48 hours, warming up and then freezing again for 48 hours - is that after the first 48 hours, warming up encourages any insect eggs to start coming alive and the second freezing kills them. Whether it works or not I don't know.

Personally, I just freeze everything for 7 days Because it's too much faff to do anything else and it's just a theory.

The freezing for a week idea came from research into how to kill pantry moth eggs

Unfortunately all pet foods seem to contain moth eggs - they are invisible to the human eye as so tiny, and cause no issues unless things become particularly warm (eg in very hot weather or with a very warm room in winter - warmer than usual and 24/7). In those warm temperatures, the eggs can start to hatch into little grubs and then into moths.

So I'd say you'd be fine to freeze for a week - in any kind of packaging (original plastic packaging or if something doesn't have any packaging just pop it in a plastic bag). Including all hamster treats and sprays. The only things I don't freeze are human grade hamster treats (eg human grade pumpkin seeds or walnuts). With hay it's more about mites or mite eggs (also too small to see).

It's a bit pointless to freeze twice for 48 hours unless you really warm things up in between to a very warm temperature - which would be a huge faff!

If you want to be really cautious - if you've frozen food items for a week, and then taken them out and they've been sitting around for some weeks before being used, you could take the precaution of freezing them again for 48 hours before using. Otherwise I just leave the food in the freezer and only take the bag out when it's needed (if you have the space for that).

Sorry just realized I tagged you instead of replying on my message above lol

 

[Maz]

@Maz

You are an angel, thank you for this detailed response! I appreciate you! Also I am so excited to be a part of this community

If it’s okay, I have about ten million other questions regarding all of this item prepping stuff If you can’t tell…I overthink everything but truly just want the best for my hammy and I get confused with all the conflicting opinions and info out there.

1. In regards to the cycle freezing (if I were to end up doing that) would it be okay to only thaw at room temp for about 12hrs in between freezes? I’m just wondering about facilitating bacteria growth with the freezing, thawing, refreezing, and re-thawing process. But I do like the idea of cycle freezing to be EXTRA cautious lol.
2. I have a Zoo Med cork flat (https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-natur...qhhXkYG6ZgPn3PJ-EucbDGRZxaTaPiXBoCkKwQAvD_BwE) and I’ve seen multiple different ways to deal with cleaning this for first-time setup. Someone said to rinse it with hot soapy water then bake for about 10mins at 200°F, but I’m wondering about how porous the wood is and if it would soak up the water and dish soap after washing? Is freezing rather than baking effective for this item?
3. I have some wooden items (platforms, hides, stilts, etc) from Niteangel, how should I clean those for first-time setup? Can they just be wiped down with a 50/50 water/distilled white vinegar solution, rinsed, then treated with PlastiKote?
4. Do you freeze your bedding? I bought Small Pet Select white paper bedding and also their aspen bedding. About 16hrs ago I put the bag of paper bedding in the freezer. Not sure what I should do after that though lol, or how long to leave it, or if I should cycle it.
5. I have a bag of Oxbow Orchard Grass Hay, should I follow freezing instructions for that as well?
6. After freezing/baking/cleaning, is it correct to store everything in either a ziploc or plastic or glass container? I saw these plastic or glass (couldn’t tell hahaha) mason jar-like things at the dollar store, would those work? Or Tupperware-like plastic containers?
7. For things like the acrylic plastic sand bath, wheel, ceramic items, etc. is it acceptable to either wash those with water/dish soap or 50/50 water/distilled white vinegar then rinse well?

For things like the cork bark, baking is easiest - but not at that high a temperature. You just need 100 degrees centigrade, which kills anything - for 40 minutes. With cork, just rinse it in hot water first (no soap) and it then effectively steams in the oven . Rinsing with hot water is mainly to remove any dust or debris but also helps stop it drying out too much during baking. It won’t burn at that temperature and time.

Smooth wood items like stilts I literally just wash with a sponge and dishwashing soap and then rinse them. Any potential bug eggs would just get washed off, as with ceramic. Most smooth wood does fine with just a bit of soapy water, rinse and dry. For houses- they have corner joints possibly with glue so I spray on the corners with white vinegar first then just wash with soapy sponge and water. Just in case there are any bug eggs in those corner crevices.

After feeezing hamster food and treats I store it in lock and lock boxes which are airtight. It really doesn’t take long to defrost - maybe an hour or two.

I’m also not keen on the idea of deterioration with freezing twice hence I just freeze for a week. It’s a pain waiting sometimes.

 

[clerbird321]

For things like the cork bark, baking is easiest - but not at that high a temperature. You just need 100 degrees centigrade, which kills anything - for 40 minutes. With cork, just rinse it in hot water first (no soap) and it then effectively steams in the oven . Rinsing with hot water is mainly to remove any dust or debris but also helps stop it drying out too much during baking. It won’t burn at that temperature and time.

Smooth wood items like stilts I literally just wash with a sponge and dishwashing soap and then rinse them. Any potential bug eggs would just get washed off, as with ceramic. Most smooth wood dies fine with just a bit of soapy water, rinse and dry. For houses- they have corner joints possibly with glue so I spray on the corners with white vinegar first then just wash with soapy sponge and water. Just in case there are any bug eggs in those corner crevices.

After feeezing hamster food and treats I store it in lock and lock boxes which are airtight. It really doesn’t take long to defrost - maybe an hour or two.

I’m also not keen on the idea of deterioration with freezing twice hence I just freeze for a week. It’s a pain waiting sometimes.

Thanks so very much!! It is a pain waiting!

Do you let everything thaw in its bag or the ziploc it was frozen in at room temp and then store it away in a container once it’s thawed?

Also, would you mind showing me an example of what a lock and lock box is? I’m in the US so not familiar with that term haha

 

[Maz]

I just take the bag of hamster food out of the freezer and tip the contents into the empty lock and lock box and leave the lid off (or just partially sitting on) ie not sealed. Then wait a couple of hours before putting the sealed lid on / it defrosts quite quickly

 

[Maz]

If you feel more comfortable with the double feeezing, I think that only really works if you actually warm the food before feeezing the second time - hence it’s a big faff and not particularly good for the food perhaps. The chances are, with freezing for a week you will never have an issue.

 

[Maz]

If you feel more comfortable with the double feeezing, I think that only really works if you actually warm the food before feeezing the second time - hence it’s a big faff and not particularly good for the food perhaps. The chances are, with freezing for a week you will never have an issue.

It isn’t really necessary to freeze paper bedding . I don’t think any of us do that and most wouldn’t have freezer space for it! It’s mainly food, and wood items and hay that can have issues .

 

[Maz]

In terms of pantry moth eggs (which is the main issue with food) - freezing for two days will kill most of them but it needs longer to be fully effective. Ie a week. Even if you didn’t feeeze at all, they’re not likely to hatch out except in very warm/hot temperatures. It doesn’t appeal to me - the idea of encouraging things to hatch out to then kill them. Rather than just feeezing for a week to kill the eggs so they don’t hatch out

Freezing would kill any other bug eggs as well. I think the research originally came from the US where they get pantry moths from bags of flour apparentky.

 

[Maz]

There’s a place in Germany - mixerama - that sells hamster food that has already been pressure treated to kill any bug eggs etc - but it’s quite expensive (in shipping mainly). Also Hamster Helper food in the uk uses pre frozen ingredients .

 

[clerbird321]

In terms of pantry moth eggs (which is the main issue with food) - freezing for two days will kill most of them but it needs longer to be fully effective. Ie a week. Even if you didn’t feeeze at all, they’re not likely to hatch out except in very warm/hot temperatures. It doesn’t appeal to me - the idea of encouraging things to hatch out to then kill them. Rather than just feeezing for a week to kill the eggs so they don’t hatch out

Freezing would kill any other bug eggs as well. I think the research originally came from the US where they get pantry moths from bags of flour apparentky.

This is all super helpful, thanks a million! So…2 days freezing works for the majority or bugs, but a week freezing should definitely do the trick, got it.

I might still cycle freeze, just for the sake of trying it and seeing how it goes It seems best bet for that would be 48hr freeze -> 12hr thaw at room temp -> 48hr freeze -> thaw and store. I want to try that as long as you don’t think it’ll hurt anything or cause issues to try it?

I take it it is okay to store the items (after the freeze or bake or cleanse process) in ziplocs or glass or plastic containers? I think lock and lock boxes must be similar to the plastic food storage boxes we have in the US.

Also, since I had already stuck the paper bedding in the freezer last night, should I just leave it for a full 48hrs and call it done for the bedding?

 

[clerbird321]

There’s a place in Germany - mixerama - that sells hamster food that has already been pressure treated to kill any bug eggs etc - but it’s quite expensive (in shipping mainly). Also Hamster Helper food in the uk uses pre frozen ingredients .

Oh hey I forgot to ask!! I bought Zoo Med ReptiSand for the hammy’s sand bath, does that need to be frozen or anything before use or is it fine straight out of the bag?

 

[Maz]

It's fine straight out of the bag

 

[MissMaggie]

Jumping on here to ask: Should basically everything be frozen then?

I knew about the need to freeze sprays (and now food)

I’ve just got some new things arrived- lotus head, loofah slice, and a pressed floral disc. I hadn’t thought of freezing them but I’ve not introduced them yet so can do if that’s the best idea.

Do you (or can you) just keep things in the freezer until you need them or do you always take out after 7 days and store elsewhere?

 

[Maz]

You can leave them in the freezer until needed or take them out and store elsewhere . However if food or sprays are stored elsewhere for some time, I sometimes then give them another couple of days in the freezer before use. Especially if they've been sitting round for quite some time.

To be honest I freeze just about everything - some items for pets, you just don't know what kind of storage conditions they have been in before getting to you. It's a bit belt and braces but it helps. I don't freeze smooth wood houses - they are too big really. And you can't really bake those and the glue would melt. So with those (depending where it came from) I just wash them in water and a tiny bit of soap and rinse and let them dry, and then seal the inside with plastikote.

For thinks like cork bark or cork logs, or rough wood items or branches etc, you can just bake them at 100 degrees c for 40 minutes. It's a low temperature so they don't come to any harm, give off a smell or burn - but it's hot enough to kill anything. With cork it's good to rinse it in hot water before baking - just to clean it a bit and also it then steams rather than bakes, which is supposed to be more effective and helps ensure it doesn't dry out too much.

I once had a bad pantry moth outbreak (it was from hamster food) but ever since then I have taken no chances! The warehouse storage element seems specific to pet foods and items really. Human grade food and items must have more stringent regulations. Other people have had moth outbreaks from various items from pet stores, although to be fair it is usually from food or treats. But other items can be stored in the same warehouse and have moth eggs on the packaging or inside it (they're not visible). So it gives me peace of mind to freeze everything!

So the only things I don't freeze are human grade items! Eg pumpkin seeds if they are from the bakery counter in the supermarket eg. But these days I get the white ones in shells from hamsters we love - the hamsters love cracking them open! And I do freeze those.

If you ever get a whole pumpkin you can scrape out all the white seeds and dry them for the hamster

Bedding doesn't need freezing. And anything washable (eg plastic, ceramic) can just be washed.