Maggots :(

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lucyjoanne

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Hi all,

I am panicing so much! A few weeks ago I thought while being at p@h I would stock up on guniea pig nuggets.... On my way home I realised that in my haste I picked up a bag that was half open. Thought to myself never mind, and put it all in airtight containers. I have been using nuggets from one of the containers over the past few days and didn't notice anything but went to use some nuggets today and there were baby maggots 8...

I checked all of the other airtight tubs which contained these nuggets (which had not been opened at all since I put the nuggets in there), and yep these all have maggots in too. I checked my cage and yep the maggots from these nuggets Ive been using has got into the pigs cage.

I have cleaned, disinfected, and thrown away everything I thought the maggots could of got onto. I'm not sure if the maggots themselves would be harmful to the pigs but they have been booked into the vets tomorrow for a check.

I know it was my fault that I bought a partly open bag, but I wish the girl at the till had noticed too :'(

Do you think I should take this to p@h? I have the receipt for the nuggets but obviously not wanting to keep hold maggots :)>>>

I'm also worried the maggots are now all over the room, eurgh! I love my pigs but this is making me feel so sick :(
 
:)>>> Euch maggots! :)>>> I definately take it to P@H and complain, Hope the piggies will be ok.
There always seems to be lots of problems with P@H but i've never been in.
If the maggots were in air tight containers and put into the piggy cage I don't imagine they'll have spread out of the cage.
 
i duno about yuk but id wash ** piggies, rnt thos the things that piggies can also get from plies liek rabbits do? me thingks * should givethem a wash jsut to be safe and gl with p@h they are gits id take a box with * jsut to prove incase the try to wiggle out of it.
 
4Pigs said:
:)>>> Euch maggots! :)>>> I definately take it to P@H and complain, Hope the piggies will be ok.
There always seems to be lots of problems with P@H but i've never been in.
If the maggots were in air tight containers and put into the piggy cage I don't imagine they'll have spread out of the cage.
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The nuggets were put into 3 air tight containers... but when I started to use these nuggets to feed my girls, thats when I noticed the maggots but it was too late as they had already had some of the nuggets at an earlier time, and I'm worried the maggots have climed out of the cage :)>>>
 
Any escaped maggots will turn into flies and should escape through any open windows. The process only takes a few days - they have a very short life cycle.

Keep the room and the cage super clean for a few days, to lessen opportunities for flies to feed and lay more eggs.

Use a flykilling spray - check directions to keep yourself and piggies safe, remember to ventilate really really well.

Flies start to die off at this time of year, as the tempature drops, any problems you have will only last a few days.

Your guinea pigs are very unlikely to have suffered any damage.
 
Buy from your local pet stores, not the big chains. Like 4Pigs said, there appears to be many problems with P@H. Support local stores!
I hope your piggies are fine, though. At least you spotted it early on.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies :)

Unfortunately the only small independent pet shop near me sells guinea muesli so sadly it must to get the nuggets from p@h.

I feel releived to know that maggots alone cannot do harm (I thought they could lay eggs mallethead)

Going to p@h tomorrow to tell them whats happened etc, hopefully will atleast get refund on these nuggets :...
 
They should give you a voucher or several bags of nuggets for free at least - push them! It's such a shame you can't go elsewhere. I bet that place don't even know how to store the nuggets properly, contributing to the problem, no doubt. Good luck and push them hard!!
 
Our cat is a dipstick and once ate wet food that a fly had laid eggs in, we didn't get to it in time and the silly thing ate it - normally he won't touch it if it's been out more than five seconds (fussy man he is)

He just threw up on the carpet (nice, a whole 80ft garden and he does it in the lounge, cheers Tigger) and was fine.

Something my OH always reminds me is, unlike us weak old humans, guineas, cats, rabbits etc all have working appendixes so can take a lot more rubbish in their tummies than us :)
 
Chshipley said:
They should give you a voucher or several bags of nuggets for free at least - push them! It's such a shame you can't go elsewhere. I bet that place don't even know how to store the nuggets properly, contributing to the problem, no doubt. Good luck and push them hard!!
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Please don't tar all with the same brush, some P@H stores are very efficient with decent staff - ok not many maybe, but some are.

As for how to store nuggets, I didn't know that myself other than in the bag!
 
AH! This happened to me but with Burgess Excel nuggets! Stupid thing was, was when I was taking the bag to the car I noticed that the bag had a rip in it. So I took it back to the shop and exchanged it for another bag, which turned out to have maggots in a few weeks later! There's usually an address on the side of the packet which you can write to to explain why you are not satisfied with your product. They normally ask you to send a sample demonstrating why you are not satisfied. You could send them the maggots! Bet they'd love that, and you'd probably get some complementary goodies.
Have you still got the packet? You could find out the batch number and hunt for a bag that was not in that batch. Maybe around this time of year flys are laying eggs everywhere and might contaminate the nuggets before they're packed. Funnily enough it was this time last year I found maggots! http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=37663
 
Doeylicious said:
HAHAHA love that idea!
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When I found them in mine I was on the verge of! But I didn't have a container that I could send them in. Then I realised that if I got a container, then it probably wouldn't fit through the letter box slit thing at the post office that you use to see if you can get away with buying one stamp. So I would have had to stand in line for hours at the post office to get it weighed and stamped and what ever. And I would have had to walk across town to get to the post office.
so I decided I would silently protest and not by Burgess products any more, but that didn't last more than a few months. So yeh, I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to complaining about a product! lol
 
A cool and dry place is the best way to store them, as opposed to a damp or warm area.

I've just had some shocking suggestions from that place, with few of the staff understanding animals' needs, in various branches. They are great for pet supplies, though, but it's still best to support the local ones...
 
Hehe I wish I had kept some maggots to send them! But I was so horrified as the maggots were everywhere, I just bagged it all up, including the origional bag :(

I have just been to p@h and asked to see the manager.... I explained the situation, plus mentioning that I had just seen the vet who said that there were eggs present on one of my pigs.... And had to have treatment. And in a very sarcastic way told me that there is NO way maggots can live/survive in a bag or tub of nuggets! I had the original receipt and said I would like a refund but he said no, but I can have a bag of nuggets. I said to him my brother kindly got me some extra nuggets yesterday after the maggot drama and he said that is the nuggets or nothing! And then he marched me out of the shop!

Is this something I should take to head office? :{
 
I'm afraid the morale of the story is, if you see a open feed bag, don't buy it.. it leaves it open to contamination.. it's just not worth putting your pride and joys at risk.. I would personally write them a letter of complaint, you might get some vouchers ;)
 
Oh, and send it to head office, not the store in question ;) I once bought a burgess timothy hay bag, and there was a cigarette but in it, I wrote to Burgess and got £10 worth of vouchers and an apology..
 
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Doeylicious said:
Please don't tar all with the same brush, some P@H stores are very efficient with decent staff - ok not many maybe, but some are.

As for how to store nuggets, I didn't know that myself other than in the bag!
Click to expand...

I agree, my P@H store in Gravesend is FANTASTIC. They have actively talked me out of buying certain items because they felt it better for the animal, that's talked me OUT of a sale guys. I have to say, this is not a P@H problem, flies have been a huge neusance this year, the bag could have been knocked and popped. It can easily get over looked, in ANY shop.

My small local pet shop keeps their animals in a FAR more unacceptable condition that Pet at Home do. And I am very relucant to support that trade. So I will continue to support Pets at Home.

-Carma
 
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lucyjoanne said:
Hehe I wish I had kept some maggots to send them! But I was so horrified as the maggots were everywhere, I just bagged it all up, including the origional bag :(

I have just been to p@h and asked to see the manager.... I explained the situation, plus mentioning that I had just seen the vet who said that there were eggs present on one of my pigs.... And had to have treatment. And in a very sarcastic way told me that there is NO way maggots can live/survive in a bag or tub of nuggets! I had the original receipt and said I would like a refund but he said no, but I can have a bag of nuggets. I said to him my brother kindly got me some extra nuggets yesterday after the maggot drama and he said that is the nuggets or nothing! And then he marched me out of the shop!

Is this something I should take to head office? :{
Click to expand...

That is a dreadful way to be treated. I am sorry to hear that your P@H store is so neglagent. :(

-Carma
 
poor piggie i was worried about them as i said id have batherd them :( i hopt piggie gets better , it not a nice thing. *carrots for sick piggie*
 
You should definitely report it to P@H head office, if only about the way you were treated by the manager!
And also a letter to the manufacturers of the product.
 
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