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Cracked Feet/Toes

919 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Rosa the cutest, 
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I’ve had my hedgehog Hallux for over a month now and recently his feet seem to be bloody every time I take him out of his bed. I’m assuming it is from his wheel since he has never had one before, but I’m not sure how to fix it. I’ve been keeping his feet clean and it looks like they are cracking on both the bottoms and between his toes. He has a Carolina storm bucket wheel so it’s not unsafe. Any suggestions on what I should put on his feet to help him heal?

Also while I’m here, I’ve been looking into using litter. He is currently trained to go on a paper towel but I was hoping to use Care Fresh litter. Are they a safe brand?
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shinydistraction
What bedding is he on? That might be playing into it.

Are you seeing any actual cuts? If he is, you can use neosporin (just plain neosporin, do not use the kind with painkillers in it). If he's just suffering from dry skin, vitamin e oil can be very helpful, but i'd be very cautious putting it on the bottom of his feet. Don't want him slipping on his wheel. Also, you'll want to see his reaction to anything you put on him before putting it on his feet. Don't want him chewing on his feet because of how the thing smelled.
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shinydistraction
Ok, so the bedding probably isn't an issue then.

I don't think you'll need to take his wheel, just make sure his feet aren't slick when you put him away. If he's a very avid runner, he might get into other trouble without his wheel. I had a girl once that after needing to be spayed I took her wheel out while she healed. She turned to self mutilation and ended up with nasty infections. Not saying that will happen with your boy, but I never like removing a wheel if it isn't 100% necessary.

Yeah, I've gotten the vitamin e oil capsules and punctured them for the oil inside before. Should be fine. For most issues, just a couple of drops on his back between the shoulder blades is good. For this, I might get a tiny bit on like a paper towel or something and see if you can get just a bit on his feet. I've never had a hog that liked having their feet handled, but hopefully your will let you rub it in a bit. Once the skin has a chance to really absorb it and his feet aren't slippery or oily feeling, should be safe to let him go about his normal business.
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