Hedgehog World - A community for African Pygmy Hedgehog Owners and Breeders - Re:Yuisa made it!!!!! But still scratching - Hedgehog World Forum

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Health, Hygiene, and Anatomy

Bathing and Grooming

Yuisa
Visitor

Posts: 14

How to give a bath? - 2005/07/27 04:02 How do I give my hedgie a bath? Any input?

Bests, W

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HansBoy
User

Posts: 54

Re:How to give a bath? - 2005/07/27 06:32 My Hans *hates* baths. This is the process for giving him a bath:

1) Hopefully get him to poo first in his litter (otherwise he delights in going in the bath)
2) Put him on the couch and go fill one side of the sink with lukewarm water.
3) Have at the ready: clean towel, a mild soap (something with oatmeal for dry skin)
4) Pick Hans off the couch, gently informing him that it's Bath Time and humming the Rubber Ducky song
5) Lower Hans into the water...
6) Quicky try to manipulate soap into a lather and then into his quills while he tries to frantically scramble up my arm or up the side of the sink (he employs other escape techniques, such as pooping in the water)
7) Rinse the soap off my hands
8) Catch Hans just as he is about to scramble out of the sink
9) Run some lukewarm rinse water
10) Gently but firmly rinse Hans under the water like a little saucer, being careful to avoid nose and ear holes
11) Wrap in towel while repeating the mantra: "It's ok, baby, it's over, the evil bath is over"
12) Return Hans to couch to recouperate/dry
13) Clean sink area and prepare for the Evil Nail Clipping session...

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Vangardt
Visitor

Posts: 27

Re:How to give a bath? - 2005/07/27 11:03 I pretty much do the same process with Morrow, who also HATES bathes. (I have heard some hedgies love them...though I have yet to see or hear of one)
I tend to say water a little warmer then the hedgies usual body temperature is good. I always have a bar of soap dedicated just to hedgie bathes. Morrow tends to need one every day because she uses her wheel as a bathroom and nowhere else. This gets her feet nice and caked, as you might imagine. I always have a toothbrush dedicated to hedgie cleaning. This works well to clean the feet after she has soaked a bit. It isn't easy to get her to stay still when on her back, but it tends to work out.
After cleaning her feet, genitals, and belly, I then put her down to let her rinse. After she is rinsed I then use the now cleaned brush to clean her quills. I then get handfuls of warm water to cover her in and get all the soap off. Then I drain the water and wrap her up tight in a towel and towel her off a bit. I would recommend making sure to keep them close to you until they are dry so they do not get chilled. The only real issue with this, is that Morrow occasionally uses the towel for a bathroom. This merely means getting a new towel and sending that one to get washed.

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dzmeadows

Admin

Posts: 976

Re:How to give a bath? - 2005/07/27 16:59 One thing you forgot.... after 5, 7, and 9, you probably need to clean the poop out of the sink again. *grin*
Becca

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Yuisa
Visitor

Posts: 14

Thanks to all - 2005/07/28 23:00 Probably tomorrow I will engage on the labor of giving Yuisa a bath, I purchased a soft brush and some natural soaps (camomile, aloe ver plus olive and oatmeal to see which works better or probably use a little of all, plus a bit of Nolvasan as an antiseptic shampoo. I hope she stays clean for a while. http://www.hedgehogworld.com/components/com_simpleboard/emoticons/ smile.png

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Yuisa
Visitor

Posts: 14

Yuisa made it!!!!! But still scratching - 2005/08/01 02:20 Yep Yuisa made it through her first bath, I used oatmeal, olive oil and aloe vera soap and a little Nolvasan shampoo.
One thing that still catches my sight is that she still scratches herself from time to time, is this normal?

Ohhhh and boy did she poop a lot, thank God I was expecting it.!!!!!!!

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Vangardt
Visitor

Posts: 27

Re:Yuisa made it!!!!! But still scratching - 2005/08/02 03:35 My hedgie scratches herself pretty often and I am not seeing any signs of dry skin. I think it is normal, but this is my one and only hedgehog, so I may not be the best source for info.

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