Bathtime in the winter

[Brittany]

So its starting to get cold here in New York and Quilliam will need a bath soon. His boy time plus anointing warrants it very soon lol. I was going to do it now but its kind of cold in my house (its like 68-69 degrees). His enclosure is the proper temperatre and usually ranges 75-76 though.

Im just afraid to get him wet and be in the cold house. I do have a heater specifically for the bathroom, so I could put that on. Could I bathe him and put him in a blanket? Or bathe him and then put him back in his pen?

What is the best way to keep him warm after a bath now that its getting cold?

[Lilysmommy]

I would put the heater on in the bathroom. I used to take my small space heater into the bathroom when I bathed Lily in the winter, just to make sure she wouldn't get too chilled there. Personally, I'd keep him snuggled in a blanket after the bath until he's dry - snuggled in a blanket will help him stay warm, especially if he's on you. If you have a heating pad, you could always put that underneath him, on your lap, to make sure he's still staying warm, but I don't think it's necessary.

[abbys]

In the winter I keep my place around 68 and Pig still insists on zooming around the apartment after a bath before settling down. He usually runs on the cold stone tile by the front door where he like to poop. After he goes potty I bundle him up in a sweatshirt and hold him on my lap to warm him up. This is a daily occurrence and it's never bothered him.

[GoodandPlenty]

I have a cold bathroom also and warm it up a bit before Sophie's baths. She gets mini-baths three times a week. I wouldn't be too all worried about 68 - 69 degrees. More important is that the water be warmish (not hot, but not cool) (a 'warmer, warm water' makes it more likely that they will poop and pee in the bath - which can sometimes be a useful 'diagnostic tool').

After her baths, Sophie gets 'me time' in her hedgie sack in my office. I don't worry too much about drying her off. Her back and quills don't really hold water. However, her belly fur holds A LOT of water, so I 'squeegee' her belly fur with a fleece square before putting her in her hedgie sack. She won't be totally dry before going back to the cage, but she'll be close enough.

[LittleWontonPoo]

I like to blowdry Wonton now that it's getting colder. I don't like her smelling like a wet hedgie while snuggling in her blankie either, haha. You can opt for that option if you feel more comfortable and confident with the hair dryer. Her belly dries in literally 2 minutes! Her quills are not too big of a concern for me though, because most of the time, it seems like the water is stuck in between the quills, and not actually on her.

Some things to note if you choose to blow dry:
1. Be cautious of the temperature of the air that's being blown. I give a good distance of foot or two from Wonton.
2. The heat setting should be WARM. For my blow dryer, it would be the medium heat. It will be redundant to put it on a setting that cool air will be blown. That will maybe even cause your hedgie to catch a cold instead, and that is counter-productive, haha. Of course hot air will be bad for the hedgie. :P
3. The speed of the fan (I actually don't really know what to call that setting, haha) is put on low for me, because the noise level will not be too irritating, and you wouldn't want your hedgie to experience something similar to strong gusts of wind!

[Brittany]

I dont know if I can go with blow drying but MAYBE i'll give it a shot. For some reason Quilliam likes the actual bath, but turns into a Grump-a-saurus Rex afterwards, like 1 minute after putting him on the towel and becomes a huffy bundle of quills. The only way to un-grump him is to leave him alone in a towel for like 15 minutes or put him back in his enclosure. But dirty hedgies must be bathed. LOL!

[GoodandPlenty]

Sophie has learned to do really well in the bath, but she also likes to left alone for a little while after; 20 - 30 minutes in her hedgie sack (without me holding it or anything).