Finding bugs in hamster food can be a major cause of concern. We desire to give our pocket rodents the best of everything, especially food and water. Thus, beetle or weevil infestations in packaged hamster pellets can be extremely worrying.
A lot of questions can pop up in the mind including whether to throw the food away or feed it to your pet rodent anyway. It can be even more confusing when the discovery occurs at night or dawn when the little guy is hungry yet no pet store is open.
You could decide to throw the infested food into the dustbin but what’s your hamster going to eat until the stores reopen in the morning? This can be a huge dilemma for anyone in that situation.
What should I do after finding bugs in hamster food? Hamster food should be frozen immediately after finding a few beetles or weevils. The cold should kill off any live bugs and larvae so your hamster can consume without health repercussions. However, discard packaged hamster pellets with a full-blown bug infestation.
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What Bugs Infests Hamster Food?
Hamster pellets contain lots of seeds and nuts which can make them extremely attractive to various insects. Here are the common bugs you could find in commercial-grade food for hamsters and other rodents:
- Grain weevils
- Flour beetles
Shall we take a look at the characteristics of each insect for easy identification when spotted in packaged hamster pellets?
Grain Weevils
Grain weevils are often blackish or reddish-brown and measure 3-5 mm in length with long snouts and chewing mouthparts. These bugs often feign death when threatened and are known for nesting in grains and food storage situations.
They can infest hamster pellets and other pet foods any chance they get.
Flour Beetles
Flour beetles measure 3/16 inches long and often appear in red, dark cherry, or dark brown colors with ultra-flat bodies that enable easy maneuvering through the smallest cracks and crevices.
Flour beetles have sharp mouthparts for chewing through cereals, grains, and pet food.
What to do After Finding Bugs in Hamster Food
Hamster food can be easily infested with grain weevils when the right storage precautions are not taken.
Feeding weevil-infested food to hamsters is not ok and may result in significant blowback for the little rodent’s health and well-being. Throwing bug-infested food into the bin in favor of fresh pellets can alleviate any concerns about compromising your hamster’s health.
However, if you notice only a few weevils or flour beetles in the packaged hamster food, just put it in the freezer for a few days to kill off the bugs and feed it to your hammy without problems. After all, insects such as dead crickets and mealworms are a good source of animal protein for hamsters.
Why Hamster Food Should Be Protected From Bugs
Beetles, weevils, and other insects should be kept away from hamster pellets at all costs because they can be destructive in a lot of ways. Here are a few reasons why hamster food should be protected from these bugs.
They Consume The Best Part
Insects like weevils and beetles consume the juiciest and most nutritious parts of grains when they latch onto them. This can result in commercial hamster feed losing its original taste and aroma.
Your hamster may lose appetite when fed with tasteless food and this can lead to stunted growth and hair loss over the long run. Feeding bug-infested food can also lead to accumulated stress resulting in the little guy lashing out at the least provocation.
Biting, fighting, and restlessness are common ways hamsters exhibit their displeasure at certain situations in their lives including the quality of their feed.
Infest The Whole House
Unrestrained access to hamster food can lead to a full-blown bug infestation of your house over time. A single weevil may produce up to 6,000 offspring per year resulting in exponential growth within a short period.
All insects should be kept at bay at all times to prevent the whole house from being run over by these troublesome creatures.
How to Prevent Bugs From Infesting Hamster Food
A few grain weevils and other bugs may not cause problems for your hamster when ingested. But allowing these insects to infest your hammy’s food can be a careless move by an irresponsible hamster parent.
Here are the best ways to keep your hammy’s chow out of reach to beetles and weevils.
Airtight Storage Containers
If you’re unable or dislike the idea of freezing hamster food to deter bugs, airtight containers may come in handy. These containers often keep bugs and insects away, guaranteeing that your pet hamster’s food remains in pristine condition.
Airtight containers come in many forms and can be a suitable option for off-grid living with hamsters. If this route sounds attractive, non-plastic airtight containers are the way to go to eliminate the risk of accidental contamination of your hamster’s food.
These containers are often affordable in spite of the tons of benefits they provide.
Buy Hamster Food in Small Quantities
Hamsters are small cute pets that only eat limited amounts of chow compared to dogs and cats. Buying their food in smaller quantities can minimize the risk of bug infestations.
Always buy enough hamster food to last your pet for about a week or two and be ready to pick up new food just before the old supplies get depleted. Also, keep fresh commercial food unopened and frozen to keep bugs away.
Even if there’s an infestation, you won’t have to throw so much food into the dumpster.
Freeze Hamster Food
Putting your hamster’s food in the freezer is probably the most effective tactic to keep bugs away. It is impossible for beetles and weevils to go near freezers so using it as a storage medium for your pet rodent’s food can be smart.
What if your hamster’s food already has a few bugs? Freezing hamster food with a negligible bug population can also prove effective. Not only will the extremely low temperatures kill the adult beetles and weevils present but any eggs and larvae will suffer the same fate.
This can eradicate the whole weevil population or at least a sizable percentage, minimizing the risk of future infestations.
Inspect Grains After Purchase
There’s always a chance of hamster pellets getting infested with bugs while on the pet store’s shelves. The only way to know is to inspect grains and other types of pet food immediately after purchase.
Look out for signs of beetles, weevils, and other bugs even before taking the food home. Any infested packages can be returned for a replacement or refund on the spot.
While many stores will offer a refund even if you realize the presence of these bugs later, on-the-spot pet food inspections can be time-saving for everyone.
Clean Cage and Whole House Regularly
Bugs in hamster food are often a sign of a much bigger sanitation problem in the pocket rodent’s cage and surrounding areas. Dirty cages can be fertile breeding grounds for various bugs and insects.
This is why keeping the cage clean and disinfected regularly can come in so handy. Apart from the cage, thorough cleaning of the whole house is recommended to keep insects at bay. Make sure any food particles that fall off the hamster’s food bowl are removed to eliminate insects.
Conclusion
A couple of bugs in hamster pellets may not be a big deal consumption-wise. All you have to do is to freeze the pet food to kill off the bugs as well as their eggs and larvae. However, hamster food with full-blown infestations may not be fit for your beloved pet and should be thrown in a dumpster.
Freeze fresh food before feeding it to your hamster to ward off the possibility of bugs. Also, buying hamster food in small quantities and storing leftovers in airtight containers can keep these pesky little pests away.