# Help with dirty feet please



## FluffysMom (Oct 19, 2011)

So we (Fluffy or Mr.Hedgie is my boyfriends pet but I help take care of him and decide food/toys because I have more experience with animals) have had Fluffy for around 6 months, making him a year and six months, we have recently changed his food from Mazuri Insectivore to Wellness Indoor Adult Cat Formula. We typically give him very few treats, maybe every other week (because he wont take them from our hand) We keep his cage clean (fleece bedding on one side and paper towels on the other with all his toys food and wheel) he does not go potty on the side with fleece and his bed, we kinda have him corner trained with a ziplock container.Daily I change the paper towels and wipe out the side he goes potty on. In two days he got a bunch of poop on her paws under his nails mostly (which had been recently cut) He was bathed two days before this and it is as if he was in litter. I sanitized his feet to avoid possible infection. Other then what we have already been doing is there anything else we could do? Note: we clean everything in his cage every other week but check daily and clean if needed. 

I cant imagine needing to change his potty side's bedding anymore than daily (in the morning) let me know if you have possible causes or cures please, thankyou for your time if you even just read this


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

From how you describe it I'm assuming (I know shoot me for assuming  really though correct me if I'm wrong) He's probably just walking thru it and not getting it caked on from running through it on a wheel, not a big deal or much you can do about it really. Unfortunately poopy feet are just a part of hedgie ownership. You can give warm (not hot) foot baths in an inch or two of water only and gently use a soft toothbrush if needed to brush the poop off the feet or can just let him walk around in the water will sometimes take care of it. Also a warm wash cloth works the same way either letting him walk on it or gently washing his feet with one.


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## FluffysMom (Oct 19, 2011)

Well I would have thought that if this wasn't the first time. It is as if he had been walking in dirty litter for at least a week. And this is a sudden thing. I am very careful about his feet. We even make sure his wheel is tilted down so all poop and pee fall off of it. I think you reason is great, but since this is new it doesnt really fit; in my eyes. His feet were always my focus since we got him because of what I read online. He is great in temparment and as far as I can tell; health, we bought him as an adult and it is within the last week that this has been happening

Should I just keep up on his baths and take this as a hit for having him as part as my family or maybe could there be a problem with health or how I am upkeeping him?


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

Maybe I'm just misunderstanding, but to me it doesn't sound like a health problem. It could be something as simple as something is startling him while he is doing his business and he runs through it or maybe he is in such a hurry to play he forgets which way to run (happens to my boys all the time lol). Has anything changed lately? New toys, smells, treats, new food, etc? Could also be that you just have the wheel tilted a little different way and you thought it was the same (way easy to do). Idk just throwing out suggestions only you know him best.


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

Sorry just reread your first post. Could very well be that the change in food has upset his stomach and made his stools softer thus being why it is caking to his nails. What color is his stools? Any blood in stools or urine?


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## FluffysMom (Oct 19, 2011)

It is very possible that I am startling him and making him run through his poop, I check on him and my gliders (which are in the same room) very often, many times in one night. There is NO blood in his poop. All of our animals are clean (animals are checked by vet before or equal to before entering common room) EX: I just got two male sugar gliders, before they left quarentine their sisters (kept in same room/had every access to them) had a fecal and were clean ((real example)) and are kept from things that could make them sick (( we take our dogs to a park that we only go to: most people dont know its there and we havent once run into someone there in the years we've lived here, I let my dogs run in the tennis place (which is overrun with blackberries)) Our cats do not go outside. The one possible way he could get sick was us cleaning his cage in the front yard every other week. I saw a single bug yesterday that was brownish, it was not a flea and not a mite, I dont know if this could be cause so I am including it. We clean lightly clean his toys daily, I clean with tap water and not very well because I assume he is like my sugar gliders and likes his place smelling like him. Note: I havent fully washed his sleeping place in 3 weeks, but I do brush it out to make sure he doesnt get it super dirty ((when I clean my gliders cage I do the same thing; I leave their favorite pouch uncleaned so they wont mark the whole cage. The only animals I do not do this with is my birds.

Thankyou all for your responses!!! It is helping me think of new ideas


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

you sound very detailed  no i just asked about the stools NOT to alarm or make you defensive, but really for two reasons. one...just as a general health check question and two...i know wellness had some recalls and issues with their food before (don't know about now as i do not personally deal with any of their products anymore) that's great there's nothing like that going on


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

The main thing with Wellness and hedgehogs has been that it's been a bit too rich for some hedgehogs and caused consistent loose stools that didn't go away even after the food wasn't really new anymore. Softer poop would stick to his wheel long enough for him to possibly step on it a couple times and get some stuck in his nails.


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## FluffysMom (Oct 19, 2011)

so should we switch his food again? ((haha, all my lasts posts were huge now this one liner))


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I know you said recently, but about how long ago did you start introducing Wellness? If it was only in the past week or two, he might get used to it and be okay with it. But if it's been a few weeks on the Wellness and he still has soft poops, it might be best to try something else and see if his poop goes back to normal. Or if you'd rather, you could just go ahead and switch anyway, but it's up to you! If you're looking for other food ideas, a few other popular ones are Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, Natural Balance, Innova, and Solid Gold. (I'm sure I'm missing some too) I know that Solid Gold is Lily's favorite food by far, I can't tell if she likes the lamb or the brand. I just introduced a puppy food made by Solid Gold that uses bison for the main meat and she really likes that one too.


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## FluffysMom (Oct 19, 2011)

It was around 4 days ago if I remember correctly


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It could still be "new food" soft poops then. You could wait and see if they go away in a week or two, so you could keep the food, or just change if you'd rather do that.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I just wanted to say - it's great that you are keeping such a close eye on your little one's feet.  My hedgehog's vet told me that the two biggest issues he has seen in the hogs that go to his office are obesity and foot issues (infections, ripped out toe nails, etc). He told me that regular foot baths (every other day or so, if not a quick one every day) is one of the best things you can do for a hog since they are so active and have such dainty feet. Props to you for doing your research!


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## FluffysMom (Oct 19, 2011)

I was all worried over nothing, I just now checked his cage and feet. he has normal poop again and his feet are all good  

Thankyou everyone for your input I get spastic when I think my pet is in danger, kinda silly (everyone in the house is tired of my constant worry of my pets when one little thing is out of place)

Yeah I read something about a hedgehog loosing a leg to a foot infection so I keep a close eye on him.


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