Worms in treat mix !?!? (pics)

[TweedBunny]

I'm a little disgusted here, but I wrote a nice letter to the company HOPING that they'd explain or give me some reason to continue buying this treat. Anyone else ever run into this problem? Should I just NOT buy the treat again?

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Hello!

I'm writing you concerning the Mixed Berry & Nut Treat for small animals.

First of all, my rabbits love this treat, especiallly the little pieces of fruit.
However the last several times I've purchased the treat for them, the inside of the bag, and the treat, has been infested with worms. I've had to throw it out because Im worried it will make them sick. I purchased the first infested box from Walmart and it was not expired. I thought I'd just gotten a bad bag, so I threw it out. About a month later, I purchased another bag from ANOTHER Walmart across town. Upon opening the box and seeing through the clear plastic, it was also infested. I took this bag back to Walmart and they let me trade it for another box of treat, which I opened before I left the store and made sure it wasn't infested. The next time I purchased a box, several months later, I bought a box from Petco in Washington Utah and it was again, infested with worms.

I'm a little concerned that MOST of the boxes of the treat I've bought have been infested with worms. I've checked the date on all the boxes and none have been expired or close to being expired. The last box I bought had a date of Aug 17, 2009 as an expiration. I don't store the boxes of treat, I open and use them as soon as I bring them home.

I'd like to continue using this treat because my rabbits really like it but Im worried about the quality because of all the worms I've found. Im worried that Im feeding my rabbits worms or worm eggs without knowing it, and I'm also concerned about losing my money everytime I buy a bag and have to throw it away.

Heres a couple of pictures in case you need to identify the type of worm, and a picture with the expiration date- I hope it'll be helpful.
If you have any information, please let me know. I'll wait to hear from you before I buy anymore treats of this kind until I understand the problem.

Thanks for your time.

(My name and address)

attatched pictures:

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[Butterfinger]

That...is disgusting :? If I were you, I wouldn't buy any more such bags from that company....(Would you still buy your favourite cereal if you found that many bags with worms in them?) And maybe avoid the brand-name altogether. It would be too much of a risk if a rabbit were to get sick and have to go to the vet because of that treat...
Looks dangerous :shock: It's good that you wrote that letter, though. Let them know~

 

[Maureen Las]

You know I wouldn't buy that treat or anything from that company again either..because what if there is something that is in it that is not visible to the human eye...not worth the risk. Those pics are truly disgusting.:shock:

 

[undergunfire]

That is BEYOND discusting. That type of treat isn't great for your rabbit in the first place...add worms and it is really NOT great.

I would stop buying that company's products. You can use papaya tablets, fruit loops, cheerios, or peices of fresh/dried fruit (with low sugar).

:?

 

[pamnock]

Moth larvae commonly invade grains and household kitchen goods such as cereals. This is especially seen when packages have been on the shelf for a long period of time. It's also possible the packages are getting infested at the warehouse.

The Indian meal moth is one of the more common moths that infest stored foods.

More info here:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05598.html

http://www.ipmofalaska.com/files/indian_meal_moth.html

I'd write to the company and let them know of the problem.

Pam

 

[JadeIcing]

undergunfire wrote:

That is BEYOND discusting. That type of treat isn't great for your rabbit in the first place...add worms and it is really NOT great.

I would stop buying that company's products. You can use papaya tablets, fruit loops, cheerios, or peices of fresh/dried fruit (with low sugar).

:?

Ditto.

That made me want to vomit.

 

[juicyjuicee]

undergunfire wrote:

That is BEYOND discusting. That type of treat isn't great for your rabbit in the first place...add worms and it is really NOT great.

I would stop buying that company's products. You can use papaya tablets, fruit loops, cheerios, or peices of fresh/dried fruit (with low sugar).

:?

Agreed.

 

[missyscove]

While I wouldn't reccomend that type of thing in the first place, to allow worms to get in it just makes it worse. I don't know if you still have it, but you should send the package to them to prove it. Preferably unopened.

 

[bluebird]

moth eggs,i got rice at walmart several times that had moth eggs in it.bluebird

 

[rabb1tmad]

I've had this once before in some Locust bean treats although they weren't pre-packed like those. It's pretty yukky but as it only happened to me once I didn't worry about it. If I were you I wouldn't buy those anymore as it seems the manufacturer is bad and I would certainly write to them to tell them there is a problem - they need to fix it.

 

[petkeeper]

I know it is gross...but you would be surprised how many foods have worms that turn into moths in them. Generally they get into them in the packaging process. I talked to a guy who works at a feed store and he said they come in the bags from the feed mill. They are harmless and won't hurt the animals if they ingest them...but they are gross to look at!

 

[Aina]

We had an infestation of this type of moth a while back. And you thought fleas were hard to get rid of? Anyways, I'd make sure the company knows that they have this problem so they can get it fixed. It looks like it has already become a huge mess.

 

[~BunBuns~]

Ewww.. thats disgusting. Did you send them the picture?

EDIT: Sorry i missed the part where you said you sent the pics.

 

[polly]

that is really minging, i wouldn't buy it again i am sure there is other nice fruity treats that your bunnies would like just as much

 

[~BunBuns~]

If i were you i woulnt buy the treat anymore since your wasting your money on something you throw out and since the majority have been infested, you shouldnt risk it.

 

[jcottonl02]

Omg they aren't even worms- they look like maggots- eugh!!!

That is beyond disgusting and it revolts me! How the.....what the.....how the hell did they get in there?????

If I were you I would never buy those again- if they package up maggots (big ones!!!!) what on earth else has been on those treats that people havn't found out about?

 

[KimandCocoa]

I don't think I would have continued to buy the treats after finding worms in there once. That is so gross!

I really wonder what the company will have to say about this.

 

[jedichef222]

I would probably wait to see how good their response is and what they send you for your trouble if I got one bad box. However, if most of the treats I got were contaminated, I wouldn't keep buying them no matter how good their customer service is. :shock:

 

[Maureen Las]

I actually think thatyou could make a formal complaint of some kind.
Those pics say it all..although I am sure that when it was packaged that their were probably eggs in there but not the larvae thing which probably hatched in the bag.

I 'm actually nauseating myself talking about it.

 

[TweedBunny]

Well I think you're all right. I don't think I will buy from that company anymore. There are LOTS of other treats. I don't want to feed my rabbits WORMS or WORM EGGS without knowing it!And obviously its not just an accident if I got THREE infested bags. The reason I bought the second time is because I thought it might be WALMART'S fault for keeping the stuff for too long. But you saw that picture with the expiration date! Aug 17 2009!

I haven't gotten a response from the company yet, by the way. I sent the letter 2 days ago. Yikes! If anyone knows of an animal food regulation organization (similar to the FDA but for animal food?), let me know. I would feel better reporting it rather than other rabbits getting sick from the food.


PS: Also thanks Pam for the links! I learned that the moth larvae in my treat bag is PROBABLY the Indian Meal Moth. Yuuuucky!