9 replies to this topic

[adotham]

Hi,

 

I don't have a hamster yet, still planning the enclosure. I wanted to make some cardboard toys and was wondering:

 

(1) Is cardboard from shipping boxes usable? Is there a special way I would need to clean it? I'd avoid the areas with tape or ink.

 

(2) Where else do you get cardboard from cheaply? I live in new york city, USA so a lot of supplies are disturbingly expensive.

Edited by adotham, 22 January 2022 - 11:52 AM.

[borkborkham]

I use cardboard from amazon shipping boxes. I usually just rip off the tape and surfaces with ink.

To kill bacteria and bugs, you can try to put it in the freezer for 2 days +, or bake it in an oven at a low temperature. People have done the same to paper based beddings and wooden supplies, so it should be fine.

 

I live in a pretty crowded place, so I can easily source cardboard from near the local recycling bin. idk if its the same with new york

Edited by borkborkham, 22 January 2022 - 12:40 PM.

[lil BIG dwarf]

For cardboard, a lot of shopping places will give you some if you ask or let you buy some cheaply. Personally I don’t use shipping boxes as they’ve come in contact with who knows what.

[daisy~]

I don't use external cardboard such as shipping boxes as I don't know where it's been or what's on it. I use cardboard from food packaging (cereal boxes, the cardboard tubes that packet sauce mixes come in etc), toilet paper tubes, kitchen roll tubes and so on.

 

Freezing doesn't kill bacteria. Baking does but it won't remove any other contaminants that may be on the cardboard.

[MochiTheHammy]

Just like daisy i use cardboard from inside bigger packages, my mom also has about a million new prioity mail boxes she bought from the post office which is what i mainly use for Pip since its new and not used.

[adotham]

Thanks for the replies everyone and useful tips. Have a few follow-up questions.

 

I don't use external cardboard such as shipping boxes as I don't know where it's been or what's on it. I use cardboard from food packaging (cereal boxes, the cardboard tubes that packet sauce mixes come in etc), toilet paper tubes, kitchen roll tubes and so on.

 

Freezing doesn't kill bacteria. Baking does but it won't remove any other contaminants that may be on the cardboard.

 

@daisy~

1. For cereal boxes, is the ink/coloring safe?

2. Do you by chance know or have a link on the difference between freezing versus baking for decontaminating items? I saw some posts here on freeze bedding or putting sand in the oven and curious on why it's one or the other.

.

 

Just like daisy i use cardboard from inside bigger packages, my mom also has about a million new prioity mail boxes she bought from the post office which is what i mainly use for Pip since its new and not used.

@MochiTheHammy

1. Is taking the free boxes and not using them for shipping legal? I couldn't find anything online about it. If it's fair game, this would be easy for me to do...just not sure on specifics.

 

 

I use cardboard from amazon shipping boxes. I usually just rip off the tape and surfaces with ink.

To kill bacteria and bugs, you can try to put it in the freezer for 2 days +, or bake it in an oven at a low temperature. People have done the same to paper based beddings and wooden supplies, so it should be fine.

 

I live in a pretty crowded place, so I can easily source cardboard from near the local recycling bin. idk if its the same with new york

@borkborkham

1. What temperature do you set the oven to?

2. My gut instinct feels that putting cardboard in an oven is a fire hazard...but it looks like it's commonly listed on this forum. Is it really safe to put cardboard in the oven? Do you have to monitor it closely?

 

 

Again, thank you all for spending your time helping me with this.

[daisy~]

The ink on cereal boxes should be fine. They're used for rodents all the time without any reported issues and it's unlikely toxic inks would be used on food packaging.

 

It's a common misconception I see on hamster groups but freezing isn't a method of sanitisation. Bacteria are not killed by freezing but they go dormant which is why laboratories use freezers to preserve bacteria. It would actually be better (in terms of decontamination) to leave an object at room temperature for several days than to freeze it because most bacteria don't live long on surfaces, although some are quite hardy and can potentially live for weeks or months so don't rely on this in high risk situations such as known infectious disease. I think the misconception comes from the fact that food, hay and bedding is sometimes frozen to kill insects  such as mites. Mites are killed by freezing because they are animals that cannot withstand cold temperatures. Personally I think freezing bedding is a waste of time since I've never heard of bedding coming infested with parasites although it is a somewhat common issue with some brands of food.

 

Hamsters have an immune system just like us and not everything they come into contact with needs to be sterile. I never sanitise cardboard. I just put it straight in cages and I believe the risk of a hamster catching something from it is negligible. If I think some cardboard might not be clean I just don't use it.

 

Bacteria are reliably killed at temperatures above around 70C so baking can be a way to sanitise the surface of an object as long as it gets hot enough. Personally I rarely bake things. I wash most things in hot water if they will withstand it (some wooden things held together by glue may fall apart).

Edited by daisy~, 25 January 2022 - 06:10 AM.

[MochiTheHammy]

Thanks for the replies everyone and useful tips. Have a few follow-up questions.

 

 

@daisy~

1. For cereal boxes, is the ink/coloring safe?

2. Do you by chance know or have a link on the difference between freezing versus baking for decontaminating items? I saw some posts here on freeze bedding or putting sand in the oven and curious on why it's one or the other.

.

 

@MochiTheHammy

1. Is taking the free boxes and not using them for shipping legal? I couldn't find anything online about it. If it's fair game, this would be easy for me to do...just not sure on specifics.

 

 

@borkborkham

1. What temperature do you set the oven to?

2. My gut instinct feels that putting cardboard in an oven is a fire hazard...but it looks like it's commonly listed on this forum. Is it really safe to put cardboard in the oven? Do you have to monitor it closely?

 

 

Again, thank you all for spending your time helping me with this.

Hmm, im actually not quite sure about that, I dont belive its illegal but Im not entirly sure, I think it might be ok, but i dont really know 

[borkborkham]

Thanks for the replies everyone and useful tips. Have a few follow-up questions.

 

 

@daisy~

1. For cereal boxes, is the ink/coloring safe?

2. Do you by chance know or have a link on the difference between freezing versus baking for decontaminating items? I saw some posts here on freeze bedding or putting sand in the oven and curious on why it's one or the other.

.

 

@MochiTheHammy

1. Is taking the free boxes and not using them for shipping legal? I couldn't find anything online about it. If it's fair game, this would be easy for me to do...just not sure on specifics.

 

 

@borkborkham

1. What temperature do you set the oven to?

2. My gut instinct feels that putting cardboard in an oven is a fire hazard...but it looks like it's commonly listed on this forum. Is it really safe to put cardboard in the oven? Do you have to monitor it closely?

 

 

Again, thank you all for spending your time helping me with this.

 

Cardboard self ignites at 427 F, while all bacteria and viruses dies instantly at around 210F, so I think its okay to bake cardboard in an oven that heats evenly. I still recommend you to keep an eye on it.(just incase something goes wrong). Heating it at 180 F or something for around 15 minutes should be enough. 

 

If you're still worried, try spraying the cardboard with some water before baking it. Damp things are less likely to burn, but depending on how much you spray, it might need to be baked longer.

Also keep the cardboard away from oven's "hot zones". Just like how baked goods brown more quickly when they're closer to them, the closer you get to the hot zones, the more your cardboard will exceed the set temperature.

 

I don't usually bake my cardboards, but baking is something you can do if you really want to sanitize it.

Edited by borkborkham, 26 January 2022 - 03:59 PM.

[meh]

Personally I think freezing bedding is a waste of time since I've never heard of bedding coming infested with parasites although it is a somewhat common issue with some brands of food.

 

 

A few people (myself included) have found dust lice (Psocoptera) in hemp bedding. But as they are harmless, I still don't freeze bedding.