# Mochi's first foot bath.



## MochiAndMe (Jul 13, 2013)

Tonight I gave my baby girl her first foot bath. Of course, my girl put up a fight and made the whole thing a struggle. First, I get the perfect temperature, shallow enough for her feet, and I put her in. The first thing she does is dirty the water and poop in it. So, I drain the water, throw out her poop, then refill. I realize I forgot my hedgie brush to lightly scrub her feet, so I leave her in the sink and go get it. I return, and again, she greets me by pooping in the water. 

Yes, I know that it would get dirty anyways, once her poopy feet starting to clean off, but I didn't want her stepping in more poop just as she got clean. Again, I drain and refill. Finally, she stops going to the bathroom and I'm able to start cleaning her. I hold her and try to help her clean her feet, but she squirms and it takes a little while.

I'm SO excited for tomorrow's foot bath. -_-


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Hah! I've heard some hedgies make a habit of bathtime-pooping. Annoying as it is, I think my friend has an even more helpful habit. He waits until the bath is all done, and he's shiny-clean, and cuddled up in a towel, then poops IN THE TOWEL. Little punk almost always backs into it before I catch a wiff & transfer him. So our foot-baths are followed by a game of trying to dry him off before he poops, or else we get to have another bath!


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## MochiAndMe (Jul 13, 2013)

How do you even manage to dry your hedgie!? Mochi does not sit still enough to dry her. Even that's a big battle.


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## Kizzynicole (Mar 5, 2013)

I just burrito mine up in a fleece and he eventually calms down. If not then I set him down on a hard surface because it generally means he has to potty and he won't do that in the tub, just poop. Once he potties he will go to sleep in the fleece and I rotate the fleece under him after awhile to a dry spot until he is sufficiently dry. I cannot rub dry him or he will get mad and squirm.


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## MochiAndMe (Jul 13, 2013)

I tried to wrap my girl up to dry her after her first bath, but she crawled out to go explore. The best I can do is hold her on her back and rub her stomach dry as much as possible before she thrashes too much.


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## Alllex (Aug 9, 2013)

My hedgies got their first foot baths today too! Potato pooped in the water once and he was kinda easy to give a foot bath. Hayden was a little difficult. I think he was testing me cause he pooped in the water and I drained the water and put more. He then pooped again and then I drained it and this went on like 5 more times before I took him out. I guess he learned that pooping in the water will make the water go away. They weren't startled for their first foot bath which looks like a great sign 
Hayden also didn't huff at me once while he was in the water and he let me, kind of, wash his feet. I still need to learn how to get them to stop squirming so I could cut their nails. 
My first hedgie also explored my room after I took him out. I tried something that might also work for you. I put a towel in a shoe box and then placed my hedgie inside. I was able to dry some of his quills and some fir without him being able to get away. Then you could just close the shoe box and he'll/she'll most likely fall asleep in the towel. That's what mine did.

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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

The very first time, my wriggling ball of spikes was a judo-kicking escape artist, despite trying to bundle him up. Over time, he's calmed down a lot, but the biggest, best difference is when I sewed him a snuggle-sack out of microfibre (those super-absorbent lightweight camping towels); now he tries to borrow into it, then falls asleep. Then poops.


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## bugster (Aug 18, 2012)

My little girl always has to poop in the bath. She did it at least 5 times per bath when I first got her. Now it is down to about 2. :? (sigh) At least drying her off is easier (knock on wood).


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## MochiAndMe (Jul 13, 2013)

Her second foot bath today went well. No pooping in the bath since I waited and had her poop outside of it. Of course, she just HAD to pee in it tonight.


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