# Bathing the hog.



## cookieboots (Aug 8, 2011)

Would Eucerin baby wash be ok to use on a Hedgie? Or generic baby wash in general?


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## Beloved Doll (Nov 21, 2013)

I usually use shampoos that are for cats. Unfortunately no one's invented Hedgehog shampoo yet.

Hedgehog skin is different from a human baby so I go with a critter that is as close as possible, which is a cat. Dog skin is different, they're more oily whereas cats and hedgehogs have drier skin.

I learned a long time ago how dry vs oily skin will have very different needs. I learned this from an ex-coworker used something (for the life of me I can't remember what it was) on a bird that had dry skin, mistaking the bird for another species that had more oily skin. As a result, the bird died. Because of that, I pay extra attention to the type of skin critters have. Dry skin will soak things up like a dry sponge, which makes them more vulnerable.


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## cookieboots (Aug 8, 2011)

Fair nuff what brand of shampoo do you use?


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## Beloved Doll (Nov 21, 2013)

I tend to change brands, going for whichever one smells good to me or is on sale or happens to grab my attention first. Just make sure it says it's for cats. I don't know if Hartz makes cat shampoo or not, but if they do, skip them. I do not trust that brand knowing they make flea products that leave pets looking like burn victims (in fact, just this morning, my cousin's cat was killed by this stuff).

Make sure you rinse the shampoo completely out. Which is easier with hedgehogs; quills don't hold shampoo as well as fur does. =P


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## LittleWontonPoo (Aug 31, 2013)

In this forum, most hedgie owners recommend the Aveeno oatmeal baby shampoo. I personally use that as well, because oatmeal helps soothe dry skin. You can definitely opt for cat shampoo, which I considered in the first place too. 

Additionally, Wonton smells like a goddess after a bath, haha. In fact, I should wash her today since she's starting to be a little bit stinky. :')


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

Home-made oatmeal baths are good too. Simmer about 1/4 cup of oats in warm to slightly hot 1 cup water for about 2-3 minutes. Strain and drain, saving the now slippery white liquid and mix it with their bathing water. For quilling babies do half a cup of oats


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## Beloved Doll (Nov 21, 2013)

Sounds like a great idea - I wanna try that!


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

And oh do not be tempted to use flavored oats. I know i did. Hard to resist the strawberry scent lol


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## Dtmcewen (Nov 27, 2013)

My breeder told me they dont need to be washed more than once a year... maybe a bit more with foot baths because they run in their own poo while running and stuff. Not sure how off that is... considering everyone in here seems they do it frequently


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## LittleWontonPoo (Aug 31, 2013)

Well, it's really up to you! I don't see the harm in bathing Wonton twice a month MAX. You may encounter a fairly stinky hedgie if you bathe him once a year. Sometimes, you are just forced to give those little sassy devils a bath because they get themselves in all sorts of trouble...And filth. Especially if they have some poop remnants on their belly. -smh-


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

Baths are also crucial if ever you encounter a case like mine before (the reason i registered! ) where in my baby girl had both of her eyes wide shut caused by dried tears/lacrimal fluid or what not accompanied by her quilling which made things look worse for her. A solid warm bath was all it took to see her beautiful ruby red eyes again


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

...I'd be a bit terrified of a hedgehog who received annual baths. Although we only see the poop-boots, when they're running in their wheels, all that pee is showering down on them... The most frequent form of irritation for their humans is not hedgehog quills, but all the crap on the quills getting shoved into our poor hands! And considering that a hedgehog whose wheel isn't cleaned and feet aren't bathed can get urine burns (never seen, only read about), I wonder if that can also happen to the rest of their skin if they keep getting more and more urine raining on them over months without it getting washed off.

Aside from that, anointing is pretty much, "I'm going to coat myself in something stinky and probably gross now..." I'm ok with my small friend getting to smell like a carrot for a night after he worked so hard at spreading that spit around, but I'm not letting it become his new permanent scent.

Bathing too often with soaps can dry out skin, a condition that hedgehogs are prone to getting, but never bathing them is pretty icky. Washing with water-only reduces the odds of drying out.

Bathing frequency is going to change with different situations, owners, and hedgehogs. For my little guy, we do foot-baths every night or every few nights, with water-only wet-toothbrush-scrubs of his quills probably once or twice a week, and a full-on bath with soap and careful scrubbing once every two weeks. I rarely use oil anymore since I live in the land of perpetual rain with high humidity, but when the humidity is low, I was adding oil about once a month. He never seems to get too smelly, his skin looks lovely, and when he goes burrowing into his favourite pair of black pants, he leaves behind mild dandruff.


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## Dtmcewen (Nov 27, 2013)

That makes sense. haha


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