Harlan & Bug Problem

[MumsyRat]

I bought 70 bags in the June run and this is the first I've heard of any bugs!
The buckets I use have a lid but they are not airtight. It's been over 4 months since I dropped it off. How was it stored?
I did have one report of mold but it was in a bag that was stored in a damp closet.

 

[Bronwyn]

I've seen the bugs around the cage in the past couple of weeks, I just never knew where they were coming from. The rats are completely bug free and I was baffled (and freaking out thinking I had lice in my room, lol). After shedding more light on the food I've pitched the lot - it was absolutely crawling with them. Though as Mumsy said it's been four months so not much was left. It was stored in a Tupperware container kept beneath the FN.

I'm assuming it's like weevils in Cheerios...it sucks but it happens. I'd imagine people would run through the food faster than I did (or freeze it) before the larvae or eggs hatched as I still had at least a week left. It's a new apartment that was professionally cleaned and unoccupied since April (we moved in in September) so I can only assume they came from the blocks. I'll just freeze half next time.

They're kind of hard to see (same colour as the blocks and tiny and fast). I only noticed them because I was lying on the carpet beside the cage, playing with the rats, and when I stood up my housemates freaked out seeing little dots moving all over my black shirt, lol. FUN. I likely would never have noticed had I not gone through the container looking for them.

 

[jorats]

Wow... that's so weird and pretty gross. I would have freaked having those things all over my back. lol
I freeze all mine so no buggies ever.

 

[SQ]

Never had a problem with bugs getting into my rat food .... but perhaps I need to purchase a freezer ...

 

[Godmother]

Insects are everywhere, so it's not surprising that they get into food supplies occasionally.

I've never had problems with the Harlan, but we once had problems with some oatmeal I'd bought in a bulk store (not Bulk Barn). I had foolishly stored the jar (not airtight) of oatmeal on top of the microwave, which provided occasional warmth. Some grain beetles hatched and started to come out into the rest of the kitchen.

At first I noticed only a couple of them, then suddenly they were everywhere! We had to do a total clean and disinfect of the kitchen.

I once had some kind of moths hatching out in a large bag of sunflower seeds for the birds.

 

[Bronwyn]

The weird thing is my cat food is really poorly sealed in a bag right next to it and there isn't a trace of bugs in there. But yeah those grain beetles just love Harlan I guess! My father thinks they hatched from the blocks, the food will just have to be frozen from now on to avoid the hatching and general disgust of having what I thought was lice all over the carpet around the rat cage! Now if only we had room... Can't wait to get my boy rat, I'm sure he eats more than my three puny girls, lol.

 

[Sorraia]

I've been feeding Harlan for years and have NEVER had a problem with bugs. I buy the 33 pound bags too, usually 5 or so at a time. When I bring it home, I rebag it in gallon size ziplocks (about 5 pounds to a bag), and then stick all but one or two bags in the freezer. Never have I seen bugs in my new food or newly rebagged food, and of course have never seen it in the freezer bags.

I suspect the bugs are probably getting in after the food leaves the factory. It might be coming from the distributor, or somewhere in between you and there, hard to say. Sounds like it's probably weavils. They are great about getting into food. Years ago I kept zebra finches and had all kinds of trouble keeping the weavils out of their food, and I stored it in a pretty airtight tin container. Never saw bugs in the newly bought bags, only after I brought the bags home and opened did I have any issues.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Just going to bump this thread as a good reminder to freeze your food. I had some HT dust from a bag that was never frozen in a sealed ziploc bag and upon going through my rats stuff today I noticed it had little bugs in it. After reading this thread and doing some research I'm pretty sure they are grain beetles. Needless to say I'm glad I have been freezing my food since then.

 

[Dazzle87]

I freeze my food but this still has me weirded out about touching the harlan now...lol.