# Freezing Bedding



## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

I once read somewhere that you should freeze bedding before you use it to kill off any mites etc and with me going to be using finacard thought I'd ask if its worth doing?

Or will finacard be ok?


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## RattyCake (May 18, 2012)

I haven't frozen my finacard because the bale is too big for the freezer XD I haven't had mites yet, but that could just be dumb luck.


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

i think thats only for carefresh bedding or sawdust/wood chips


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I've never done that with my bales of finacard.
I have done it with hay though.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Yeah, I've only ever frozen with hay.


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

I've never bothered freezing bedding as I've been told healthy rats have a small population of mites all the time and they're only a problem when the rat is under the weather. For this reason, I see it as an extra hassle to bag up bedding and freeze it. I just treat mite outbreaks as and when they happen.


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## Guest (Jul 28, 2012)

Never frozen hay or bedding in my life, and never had a case of mites


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## elmthesofties (Aug 8, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> Never frozen hay or bedding in my life, and never had a case of mites


Same, and the only times the animals have had mice is when they already had them when I got them.

Sorry to sound n00by, but... if mites were on the bedding, how would they survive? What would they eat? Again, sorry if this is a stupid comment to make, but I would have thought it would take at least a couple of weeks to get the bedding into your home. During that time, I would have thought that any mites living on the bedding would be long dead.  idk. I'm not an expert in caring for mites.


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## Guest (Jul 28, 2012)

elmthesofties said:


> Same, and the only times the animals have had mice is when they already had them when I got them.
> 
> Sorry to sound n00by, but... if mites were on the bedding, how would they survive? What would they eat? Again, sorry if this is a stupid comment to make, but I would have thought it would take at least a couple of weeks to get the bedding into your home. During that time, I would have thought that any mites living on the bedding would be long dead.  idk. I'm not an expert in caring for mites.


Mites can survive in hay or straw (even some grain feeds), it is lice that need a live host to survive 

This is why I hate bagged hay/straw it is perfect conditions for mites to breed and survive :mellow:
If hay/straw is stored properly then mites don't tend to stay around


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