# Hay and Mites?



## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

I would like to give my mice hay as part of their diet but I have often wondered if the hay I was feeding(bought from pet shops in bags) was responsible for giving my mice mites as I routinely treated for mite when I brought new mice in but they always seemed to end up scratching a lot again.
Having read previous posting on beddings I see people have suggested freezing or baking to kill any possible mite. What would the best treatment for hay and would it damage the nutritional content much?
Thanks.


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## Norman's Mom (Feb 12, 2010)

Hay is the number one carrier of external parasites like mites. Depending on the kind of hay you are giving them, the nutritional content may or may not be great to begin with....alfalfa, for one isn't very nutritious for mice. However, freezing will preserve content, and keep it fresh longer than baking will, as well as killing any buggies that come in on it.

Do keep in mind that you can't just use your freezer on your 'fridge...for this to work, the hay/bedding must be frozen in a sub-zero freezer for at least 24 hours.


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## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

Thank you very much for the info, I like to feed hay to my mice as i've found that it suits the digestive systems of some (trying to find a nicer way of saying it makes their droppings less mushy :shock: sorry !) They also seem to enjoy it so it will be good to know I can now treat and feed hay without the worry of mite.


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