# Bathing question



## Hannah4 (Nov 30, 2015)

My hedgie seems to gave a bit of dry skin. I am wondering if the shampoo I have for my dog is okay to use. It is Burt's bees oatmeal shampoo for dogs. I will try to attach a photo of it as well..


----------



## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

This has both coco betaine and tea tree extract. Tea tree is toxic to hedgehogs. Coco betaine, or Cocamidopropyl betaine as it's actually called, is a frothing agent and serves no other purpose. It is highly refined and may be hazardous to humans, let alone hedgehogs or dogs. I wouldn't even use that on my dog. Sorry!


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Most dog shampoos are also scented to cover up the "dog" smell. You would be better off using something like Aveeno baby wash. It's made for human babies and is hypoallergenic and unscented. It will also help prevent dry skin.


----------



## teddythehedgie (Nov 22, 2015)

Baby shampoo! And, if you are feeling like some moisture is in order, a drop or two of olive oil into it. My hedgie came to me suffering from what I can describe as dusty (?!) gross white flecky skin. A nice bath with baby shampoo (the no-tears version, super gentle, no sulphates) and rinse off with lukewarm water and his dry skin has gone away!


----------



## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I don't know if this is correct...........perhaps Nikki or Lillysmommy can help here..............I have heard more than once on this forum that baby shampoo is actually quite irritating to the skin.


----------



## Hannah4 (Nov 30, 2015)

FinnickHog said:


> This has both coco betaine and tea tree extract. Tea tree is toxic to hedgehogs. Coco betaine, or Cocamidopropyl betaine as it's actually called, is a frothing agent and serves no other purpose. It is highly refined and may be hazardous to humans, let alone hedgehogs or dogs. I wouldn't even use that on my dog. Sorry!


Thank you!! I had no idea! We have never used this on our dog as we take him to a groomer, but I will definitely be getting rid of this stuff!! Thanks again! I have read about just using oatmeal strained in panty hose or cheese cloth I think I will try that!


----------



## teddythehedgie (Nov 22, 2015)

I wasn't aware baby shampoo could be bad! I use it on my own eyes frequently to remove my eye makeup and it never leaves me feeling dry. Perhaps it is the type of baby shampoo. Also it may have something to do with the fact teddy was clearly coated in something like dust and urine. It cleared up his scratching. But I may switch to a milder wash


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Baby Wash is safe, but shampoos are very drying especially the "no more tears" type


----------



## teddythehedgie (Nov 22, 2015)

Good to know!


----------



## Hannah4 (Nov 30, 2015)

Okay everyone I got rid of the dog shampoo and went in search of the aveeno baby stuff. I couldn't find baby, I did find this though.








Is it okay to use this one even though it isn't baby stuff?


----------



## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

This one has coco betaine in it as well. It also looks like it has a bunch of weird plant extracts that are completely unnecessary. I'd say it's much safer than the Burt's Bees stuff but it's still not as good as it could be. It's _probably_ okay but I'm not completely sure about some of this stuff.

My typical rule of thumb is if a refined ingredient is more than 6 syllables it doesn't go on my pets :lol:

Ingredients list for the people on here more knowledgeable about coriander and myrrh on hedgehogs (emphasis added on potential problems):

Water (eau), glycerin, *cocamidopropyl betaine*, sodium laureth sulfate, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, *coriandrum sativum (coriander) fruit/leaf extract*, *elettaria cardamomum seed extract*, *commiphora myrrha leaf cell extract*, hydroxypropyltrimonium hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydroxypropyltrimonium hydrolyzed wheat starch, PEG-20 almond glycerides, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, tetrasodium EDTA, glycol distearate, polyquaternium-10, quaternium-15, myristyl alcohol, citric acid.

And here's the ingredients list on the stuff we suggest just as a reference:
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Peg80 Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Acrylates Copolymer, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Sodium Benzoate, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Mineral Oil, Polyquaternium7, Tetrasodium Edta, Peg45m, Benzaldehyde.

Note that it's a much shorter list. It also has coco betaine, as that seems to be the ingredient of the year, and older versions of this wash didn't contain it. But it's the best we have and I do use this on my hedgehog.

Also, I used Aveeno Soothing Bath Treatment when Finnick was quilling. The ingredients in that? "Colloidal Oatmeal 100%".

(All ingredients lists referenced from amazon)


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Actually the Aveeno body wash is safe to use on your hedgehog.


----------

