What ate DD's paintbrushes? (lighthearted)

[wherearemypaintbrushes]

Hi all. Want advice as I think I am not being unusual but DD says I am. Just joined after a while of lurking I think the great detective skills of Mumsnet will be able to help me out!
I recently purchased a set of expensive paintbrushes for my DD's art GCSE. They work wonderfully and appeared to be very stable.
Yesterday, I asked my daughter about how her art is going, and if the brushes are any good. She seemed nervous of something and tried to avoid talking about it. So, I went to check her pencil case.
And, to my horror, I saw that the brushes were chewed down and covered in a substance that looked like saliva
I am very upset. We own a dog, who I at first thought was the culprit, but upon some quick thinking I realised that he would not be able to reach the pencil case. Asking my daughter, she denied it all and said they were like that before!!
Well, if they had came like that, I would not have given them to her!
Mumsnet, please help me to solve the mystery of...
Who ate my daughter's paintbrushes?

Your dog is clearly a lot cleverer and more dexterous than you're giving him credit for. He's probably plotting to take over the world. Acknowledge him as your canine overlord and provide extra treats immediately.

Clearly bedbugs. Hungry little critters. You're going to have to have her room fumigated and she'll have to sleep on the sofa for a week, at least.

ahaha

They'd have to be big bedbugs!!

OMG you have an attack of pencil case weevils. They are known for sudden tempers, ability to detect sweets and cakes at 200m and are practically nocturnal.

Laughed at pencil case weevils

Probably your daughter. When you sent her with half a Golden Arches happy meal instead of a proper lunch of home grown hummus (houmous?) and organic bread sticks

home grown hummus and organic breadsticks made me laugh

Sounds like your daughter may have been chewing tbh

I'll be upset if it was DD! Those weren't cheap

either

1. she left th epencil case on the floor and dog got them
2. she chews as she paints and was embarrassed that you found out.

or possibly

1. she shares with a friend who is a chewer.

When I was teaching I was always amazed at how chewed the pencils got, especially as I rarely saw one in anyone's mouth!

I'm disgusted at the thought alone of chewing paintbrushes

Well I have a cat who likes to get on my dressing table and chew make up brushes.....it might have been him Second guess...your DD.

Do you often see clothes moths? I had all my lovely paint brushes scoffed by them.m among other precious things. It's the mites that eat and they leave behind silky cases if that's what you found?

No silky cases - 100% saliva and could not be produced by small insects.

I assumed you meant the handles were eaten, but I realise you meant the bristles.

More likely to be dog or similar then.
and moths could definitely be the culprits, but only if she wasn't using tem, otherwise they would have been washed off. Did she leave them for a few months before using?

If brushes are left wet the bristles break off.

Sorry, I meant the handles! She did leave them for a week or so before using (Not wanting to ruin them with paint ) So I don't think that's long enough. Surely if it was moths other items would have been chewed up too?

well chewing the handle is the same as chewing a pencil!

@steppermum They were very expensive and I will now have to throw them away. I have wasted my money.

I understand someone might chew on a paintbrush , as they would a pencil but I don't understand how they would be wet , covered in saliva.
That's pretty disgusting .
I know it's supposed to be lighthearted but I'd be quite cross about that I'm afraid and she would need to replace them from her pocket money .

She doesn't get pocket money as that's not something we believe in however I pay her to do jobs around the house - she will be paying for them definitely

Mate, you're doing it wrong. I'm an artist but I only buy cheap as chips brushes because I'm LITERALLY shit at looking after them, so I just use new ones all the time.
Sources of perfectly decent cheap brushes - Amazon but take ages to get themselves here from China etc. Aldi/Lidl specials - I got some brilliant brushes from there last time they had them, they were about £3 a pack of 8 or might have been 10 or 12 - phenomenal value and definitely not rubbish. The Works do cheap brushes all the time so start there to solve the immediate brush crisis.
Decent expensive brushes only go to people who can either look after them or have cash to splash.
The dog ate them, obvs!

Why will you have to throw them away if it's just the handles? The brush is the bit that matters!

There's a works nearby - I'll have a look Thank you