[JackJack]

SO ive only had my hedgie for about a week but his feet get really dirty from running in his wheel, despite the fact that i wash his wheel at least once a day.
hes still very touchy, and warms up to me but isn't much of a cuddler.
How can I clean his feet when all he does is curl up in a ball?

 

[Lilysmommy]

Most hedgehogs will unroll as soon as they're put in water. They aren't stupid enough to just drown to avoid unrolling, lol. So run about a half an inch or inch of water in a tub or sink and gently put your hedgie in, butt first. If you discover your hedgie really hates water, the other alternative for cleaning poopy feet is to thoroughly soak a towel, then just let the hedgie run over it. That usually cleans them up pretty good.

 

[JackJack]

could i put a towel in a storage container (its about 5 incehs high, 2 ft long, 1 ft wide) and soak it with warm water and just put him on it? maybe give him a mealie after?
Thanks for the tips!

 

[Lilysmommy]

Yeah, that'd be fine. Just make sure you only keep him on it long enough to get most of the poop off his feet. Even if he's not actually in water, he will still get wet on his belly and such, and can easily get a chill. After most of the poop is gone, if you find that his belly is damp, try holding him in a towel for a little bit to let him dry a bit before putting him back in his cage.

 

[JackJack]

i tried with a little water and a towel and he completely freaked out and tried to curl up and i think ended up inhaling a small amoutn of water, (there was maybe 1/4 of water in the bottom) and started panicking and now im scared hes just gonna be miserable.
so water is a no go.
all hes doing now, is i wrapped him in a towel and my fleece robe (he likes that one) and hes kinda just sitting there and wont come out. he also stopped eating mealies yesterday. he doesn't seem to like them anymore. but he still eats.

 

[hedgielover]

bath time is hard with a water hater. The first time I gave Quigley a bath I put him the tub with the shallow having no water and the deeper end having only an inch or so. He ran around in the wet and played with some of his toys that I put in there. I didn't try to give a bath until after about a week or more of having him. and I didn't give him a proper bath with scrubbing and soap until over two or three weeks (can't remember exactly) we just took it slow but he still hates water and bath time, now when he's decided he's done having a bath he tries to curl up and ends up snorting a bit of water. Also during bath time we go through multiple escape attempts. I bath him in the sink or in his tupperware bath bin which is fairly small (maybe 7/12 inches and five inches high) he's really good at climbing out of it.