# bathing a hedgehog who hasn't warmed up to you



## ellarjones (Nov 20, 2013)

I just got my 4 month old hedgehog Jody a week ago. Things are fine; I play with him every day but he isn't anything close to friendly yet, which I understand is normal and doesn't bother me. I give him foot baths fairly regularly and he is okay with them. Lately Jody has been making quite a mess, and I've gathered it's time for a real bath. My concern with this is that in videos, people can pet their hedgehogs quills with a toothbrush to get them clean. I can only pick up Jody with a blanket because he always balls up and pokes me and it takes him a while to unball. If I get anywhere close to him, his quills poke up and if I continue to advance, he balls up. I understand all this is totally normal and it'll change in time, but I need to give him a bath soon and i'm worried for a number of reasons. Jody will not let me touch his quills without getting angry. How will I be able to brush him with the toothbrush? I feel like he will get really scared and ball up and pop when I try. In regards to drying him off, I will have to only rely on him rubbing against a towel I probide (since I can't touch him unless he approaches me). What should I do? He is pretty dirty and I don't think I could wait much longer for him to get to know me better. Any advice?


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Put him gently in the water; if he's balled up at the time, give him plenty of time to unball as he realizes he's in water. Hedgehogs unball in water since otherwise they'd drown! That'll take care of the balling problem, then just scrub away.

Hopefully Erizo will come by with advice & links; the Sophie-bathtime videos are really helpful for learning how to deal with a more private hedgehog.

Some hedgehogs do fine in sinks, others are more calm when they have better traction (like a towel or non-slick mat on the floor) or in a bathtub. It'll probably take a few baths to learn what is least terrifying for him and for you.

For drying off, wrapping a hedgie-burrito with a towel is remarkably effective. If he's super-squirmy, every time he burrows out, wrap and fold the towel to make him keep drying off. If he's more resigned or cuddly, just hold onto him wrapped in the towel like you would when he's in a blanket. My guy gets so wet, I usually have to switch to a second towel to get him totally dry.


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## Axel1012 (Nov 25, 2013)

I put axel in a rectangular tupperware container with a wash cloth on the bottom. Its helpful because when he walks around the wash cloth helps in scrubbing his feet. I think axel really enjoyed the tub as well though, because he had room to roam around and explore.

At some point, you're just going to have to brush his quills. He's going to learn that its a normal routine and he's going to get a bath sometimes.


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## gamerkid08 (Jul 19, 2013)

Sonic has a habit of sticking his nose under the water when I go to pick him up causing a uri. I have learned to drain the water first to prevent a vet trip


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## Dread_Faerie (Nov 26, 2013)

I found that Hyde doesn't enjoy baths. However, we bonded when I had finished cleaning him and rescued him with a warm towel.


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## TikkiLink (Dec 4, 2013)

I've only had my girl for a week too and she relaxes as soon as she's in the water. And when I say relaxes, I mean she puts her quills completely flat and it takes a lot to get her to huff and if she does, it's only a little. It may end up being the same for you. For her full bath I made the mistake of trying to do it in a glass pan, and she tried to use my arms as a staircase to get out. I gave her foot baths in the whole tub after that though, and she was no longer frantic to escape.


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## ChelseaGrace (Dec 6, 2013)

I've had Ralphie for a week, too. 
He loves his baths! He's warmed up to me a lot since I've given him one even. Just pick him up gently, and wait for him to unball a little, then put him in the bath and scrub him with the toothbrush.  He will probably calm down and begin exploring while in the bathtub. 

I'm by NO means an expert, but I would recommend putting him in the tub instead of the sink. Ralphie likes the room in the bathtub to explore, and he really calms down a lot after a bath.  hope this helped some!


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