# O.M.G - Dried Blood!!!



## allears.fan (Mar 20, 2010)

Okay! 
I gave Wilbur a much needed foot bath today and when i got him out of the sink i noticed a little black stuff on his pinky toe wouldn't go away. I looked closer when i got his cage cleaned out and found out it is dried blood. OMG.  
Wilbur won't stay put and is very squirmy to let me look for a good amount of time for some reason today. (probably cause it's cleaning day and he doesn't have his normal snuggle sack). 
I will definiately try to look later on tonight when he calms down a bit. What should i do for him? I did manage to look at his foot a tiny bit and believe there is a small cut between his pinky toe and his other toe (i think from his nail). Not 100% sure. 
There is not any blood in the cage so i can probably say it's not big but there is definiately something. 
what do i do?

P.S I cut his nails 1.5 weeks ago. (Does the front nails need cutting too?)


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

> I gave Wilbur a much needed foot bath today


His feet probably had sores on them. Try to keep his feet cleaner. Yes, front nails need trimmed also.


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## allears.fan (Mar 20, 2010)

Thanks.
how do i get rid of the dried blood w/o hurting him?


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

You could try putting a little dab of Neosporin on the cut and watch him closely for any signs of irritation. Hope he gets better soon.


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## Keltrey (May 31, 2010)

Don't use maximum strength neosporin. It has been stated in a previous thread about it being toxic. Regular neosporin is supposed to be okay though.


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## Beanie (Jun 9, 2010)

Have you noticed any dried blood on his wheel? What type of wheel are you using?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

why do you want to get the dried blood off? if it didn't come off in the foot bath its probaby either a scab or its just protecting the sore underneath. Taking it off could make things worse.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

nikki said:


> why do you want to get the dried blood off? if it didn't come off in the foot bath its probaby either a scab or its just protecting the sore underneath. Taking it off could make things worse.


I was going to say they same thing. The injury, whatever it was caused by is obviously not fresh so don't worry about it. Make sure there is nothing in the cage that could have caused it and beyond that all you can do is keep an eye out. Was it only the bit of dried blood on his foot that you found? or was there more in the cage?


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Yes his front nails need clipping. If you don't clip them they will grow and curl into the pads of his feet causing him a lot of problems. 

If he has a foot wound do not constantly mess with it. Trying to get the dried blood off will only open any cut/wound he has on his foot and lead to further bleeding. A little dried blood isn't going to hurt him. It may actually be a scab.

I'm going to guess that his wound is very tiny and you will not find it based on the fact you didn't find blood in his cage. Foot wounds typically bleed a lot and can cause quite a panic but owners who have never experienced a foot wound before. They also tend to heal very quickly, making it very hard to find a tiny cut.

Here is what I do for foot wounds... Clean the wound site to remove any feces from the foot. Be gentle, but do not be surprised if you see more blood as you will likely reopen the wound. Then add a small dab of regular strength neosporin to the wound site. I often also take away their wheel for a night or two to help the foot heal if it starts to bleed again. Of course if the wound is very large, a veterinarian should be sought.

Foot wounds typically heal quickly. However, if it reoccurs fairly soon, then you need to find what he is cutting his foot on.


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## allears.fan (Mar 20, 2010)

Oh i didn't know whether or not i should try to clean it. Thanks for your advise everyone. 
I did get to look at his foot later on in the evening in good light (also trimmed them). However i did not notice any cuts where i thought one might be so i am not sure what the blackish stuff is under his toe nail. 

He runs on a comfort wheel... the one w/o the holes.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

allears.fan said:


> Oh i didn't know whether or not i should try to clean it. Thanks for your advise everyone.
> I did get to look at his foot later on in the evening in good light (also trimmed them). However i did not notice any cuts where i thought one might be so i am not sure what the blackish stuff is under his toe nail.
> 
> He runs on a comfort wheel... the one w/o the holes.


Could be from the ridges on the comfort wheel.


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