Poopy Feet - 2006/03/15 03:25How does one wash a hedgie's poopy feet when he rolls up into a ball if you try to touch them too much? I would like to wash Oliver's and he doesn't seem quite ready for me to mess with his feet.
I can pet his head and rub noses with him, and he will cuddle up in his hedgie pouch for a long time, but trying to clean off the feet is another story.
Hints, anyone?
Thanks- Linda
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robosonic
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/15 04:18I put my hedgehog in the sink after running warm water, and after a bit the poop comes off. Then you just let them wander around on a towelPets: Timmy (M, neutered) and Smokey (F, spayed) the maine coon and something else rescue cats. Aureus (Unknown, called He) the goldfish. Pepper (F) and Briar (M) the hissing cockroaches. 4 Minnows, rescued from being live bait. My Pokemon forum: http://pokepatch.proboards81.com/index.cgi
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HamorHollow
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/15 06:04Yup, what he said. you can use the sink or tub and just let them wonder around in warm water (supervised).Kelly Sosik-Hamor Hamor Hollow Hedgehogs - a New Hampshire breeder, serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and any where else hedgehogs are legal. | Do you want to buy a baby Hedgehog? Please fill out out questionnaire. | Hedgehog World - A Community for African Pygmy Hedgehog Owners and Breeders
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Kiwisoo
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/15 14:32Soap in the water or no?
Thanks---Still new at this. Linda
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HamorHollow
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/15 16:48I would start without it. You don't want to make bubbles because then the soap can get in his eyes. Let him walk around in the plain water for awhile and then use soap if the poop doesn't come off.Kelly Sosik-Hamor Hamor Hollow Hedgehogs - a New Hampshire breeder, serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and any where else hedgehogs are legal. | Do you want to buy a baby Hedgehog? Please fill out out questionnaire. | Hedgehog World - A Community for African Pygmy Hedgehog Owners and Breeders
After he walked around in the warm water for awhile, he tried to climb out of the plastic tub....stood wayyyyy up on his tippy toes--so funny! Then he went to my hand, climbed up the front of my sweatshirt, and hid in my hair on the back of my neck.
This is the most active he has been since he has been with us Maybe he should bathe more often! That.... or he was running away from the water!
Linda
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Quilted_Lamb
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/16 20:02It sounds like Oliver has the normal hedgie dislike over getting a bath. Footie baths are usually tolerated, unless a way of escape is provided.
After a bath you'll want to wrap him in a warm towel and make sure he stays away from drafts or cool temperatures. It takes about an hour for a hedgehog to dry. Most hedgehogs will snuggle during this time, though not all of them. Mine acts like she's on some kind of caffeine high, rushing around and racing all over her room like she's training for a marathon. Oliver sounds like a snuggler. Hedgie hugs...Tiffany
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Kiwisoo
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/16 21:47I was really excited that he came to me to escape his footie bath. He could have taken off, had he wanted to, but he ran up to my shoulder and that made me feel like he trusts me enough to keep him safe from the tortuous tub. He was soooooooooooo cute! Linda
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sabrina
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/16 22:06Hi Funny I didnt know hedgies didnt like water my first hedgie was very unsociable and the only time I could touch him to cut his nails was at bath time and my hedgie now is the same when she hears water she goes crazy and then swimms around in it until she gets tired. And I also find them easier to hanle after a bath they are more calm and tend to not roll up in a ball. My first hedgie which was not social I managed to cuddle him only once in a year and that was when he came out of his bath. Any ways thats it for me. Sabrina
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Kiwisoo
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/16 23:43Oliver has not had an "official" bath yet. He wandered around in the tub and actually didn't seem to mind it. I kept checking his feet to see if the poop had washed off and after about 8-10 minutes, he'd had enough and his feet were clean.
He's still a bit timid so I'm taking this whole "grooming" thing bit by bit.So I really cannot say if he likes baths or not. I just know that when he was ready to get out of the tub, he made it clear. I got some good pictures with the digital camera!!
Linda
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kumquat37
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/17 06:54Kumquat did the exact same thing the first time I tried to give him a bath. I was wearing a scarf because my apartment was freezing at the time, and my scarf dangled a bit into the bathtub.... he scampered right up the scarf, up my arm, and under the back of my hair just like you said Oliver did. Hedgehogs are so crazy sometimes.
Sabrina, that's really cute that your hedgie likes to swim! I wish I could see Kumquat try, but there's no way in heck he's staying in that water for more time than he needs to figure out an escape route.
~Gina
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Quilted_Lamb
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Re:Poopy Feet - 2006/03/17 21:40I have heard of a few hedgehogs who enjoy swimming but the majority would rather avoid all water unless it is from their water bottle or dish. I sure hope one of my future hedgies enjoys swimming. Jasira is fine with a footie bath but she'd rather not endure a full bath. If she continues to stay as clean as she is, she probably won't need a bath for a very long time. I think she's figured out the system, lol. Hedgie hugs...Tiffany
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you can use the sink or tub and just let them wonder around in warm water (supervised).
Hedgie hugs...Tiffany
