# POOP.



## Humboldt Hog (Dec 30, 2010)

The poop is driving me crazy! I've had humbolt for a few weeks now and boy can she poop! She's currently eating Blue Buffalo Longevity and I was wondering if that has anything to go with it. Could it be too rich a food? She's on fleece, she has a little box, and it seems that the only place she poops is in her wheel. Not just a little but a HUGE poop mess all over her wheel and it seems like she even pees on it too some nights. I'm down to washing her wheel every day now and its a CSW so that's a problem. I also live in an apartment and don't have a hose to clean it out so if I wash it it has to be in the tub (gross!) and bleaching out the tub after every wash is giving me a head ache. I know you're not supposed to wet those but I'm willing to take my chances it smells so bad. She's currently in the spare bedroom along with my roommate's bearded dragon and if you open the door to that room the smell just knocks you over no matter where you are. I mean I've had dogs, cats, horses, cows, chickens, pigs, hamsters, guinea pigs, all sorts of reptiles and NOTHING smells as bad as her poop. My friend suggested trying to rehome her with an experienced hedgie owner and starting "fresh" with a baby who might be easier to potty train, but I'm really attached to her now and if I don't keep her I don't want one at all. I need help because this is driving me crazy!


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## Olympia (Aug 4, 2010)

I'm sorry you're having a hard time with your hedgie. Unfortunately, hedgehogs are little poop machines and having to clean their wheel every day is pretty common. A lot of hedgies like to do their business while wheeling and won't use a litter pan, even if you get them as a baby. Why do you think you can't wet your CSW? I wash mine with unscented dish soap and water and never had a problem. I keep my 2 hedgies in my home office and the way I found of not having any smell is to clean their cages every morning. Every day I wash the wheel (you can use unscented baby wipes if it's not very dirty), wash the bottom of the cage with unscented baby wipes and change the fleece. I don't use the same food as you but you could try adding (very gradually) a second kind to the Blue Buffalo and see if it makes a difference in the smell.


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## firephoenixla (Sep 13, 2010)

Paprika has overpowering poop too.. most nights it smells somewhat like a mix of dog poop and baby diarrhea so its kinda sickening.. I had her on Natural Balance Ultra Light and someone mentioned it was making their hedgehog stink.. so I pulled it out of her diet, and her poop smell did improve slightly but it's still very strong... her new diet is Chicken Soup, Professional, and Blue Buffalo Indoor Cat food.. I don't have any other animals living in my home and I was used to it smelling 'clean' so getting a hedgehog has changed my lifestyle slightly, especially since she lives in my room next to my bed.. I keep the smell down by washing the wheel every morning with a folded paper towel and some strong scented dish soap rinsed off several times, I keep the wheel in the cage while I clean and just scrub the sides because it's too much work to take out of the cage to clean and I don't want to get the center bolt wet since its a CSW.. after I clean the wheel I pick up any poops on the fleece liner and then use a febreeze scented lint roller to pick up any flakes.. cleaning it in the morning makes the cage scentless during the day, it just stinks all night while she's awake working on destroying her cage with poop... just part of the joy of owning a hog I guess! ;P


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

Here's what I do:

She wakes up and wheels and of course poops. I go in about 45 minutes after I hear her and tell her I'm just going to clean up her poopies. I just wipe up as much as I can with baby wipes and then let her run some more. 

Seems like it's not so messy if you can get to it before they run thru, on and over the poo.

Nara now just sits on her wheel, waiting patiently for me to clean. She has ME so well trained.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Deboned Whitefish, Salmon Meal (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Whole Ground Brown Rice, Menhaden Fish Meal (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Peas, Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Oatmeal, Whole Ground Barley, Eggs, Potatoes, Natural Fish Flavor, Oat Bran, Carrots, Spinach, Broccoli, Tomatoes (natural source of Lycopene), Apples, Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Barley Grass, Turmeric, Rice Bran, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Alfalfa, Parsley, Salt, Sunflower Oil (natural source of Omega 6 Fatty Acids), Salmon Oil (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), L-Lysine, Taurine, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Iron), Zinc Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Zinc), Manganese Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Manganese), Copper Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Copper), Cobalt Proteinate (source of Chelated Cobalt), Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Black Malted Barley, Choline Chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium, Rosemary Extract.

This is the ingredient list of the Blue Buffalo Longevity. The first ingredients are fish and fish can make their poop REALLY stinky. You can try to switch her to a different food with a different source of protein. I found fish is ok if it's not in the first ingredients.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

As Susana said so eloquently: Fish = Smelly Poop.

As for the amount...well...I mean this in the kindest way...you gotta get used to it. :roll: 

I have a CSW and here's my little routine: Take both litterpan and wheel into bathroom; spray wheel with 50/50 vinegar/water solution; while waiting for vinegar to do its thing, pick out tiny pieces of poop from litterpan and toss in toilet (yes, I use my fingers...I used to use toilet paper but what a pain in the a** that was!); spray piece of TP with vin/wat and wipe sides of pee-ridden litterpan; set aside. Spray paper towel with vin/wat and wipe rim and outside of CSW, then wipe inside of wheel (by now the poop just slides off like magic) toss paper towel in trash. Repeat as necessary. I don't usually rinse anything and Snarf has never seemed to mind...and I use TP as much as I can, cuz I hate the idea of trashing so many paper towels but not so much I want to use a cloth that has to be laundered. :lol: I'm semi-environmentally conscious.

On lazy days, I leave the wheel in Snarf's cage and do a quick wipe with a babywipe. But I always regret this the next day. :roll: Snarf doesn't start his wheeling until after midnight and I'm old so I need to be in bed by 10.

BTW, I use Yesterday's News and replace it once a week and I also wipe down all of the PVC once a week cuz he somehow manages to get poop under the frame every now and then. How he does it is beyond me... :shock:


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## Dutchy (Jan 8, 2011)

I call my little guy the poopy monster!!! Ugh! The wheel must be cleaned DAILY along with a quick pick up of where ever else he has pooped. Once a week the liners get washed, replaced, along with a quick wipe down of the coroplast. Now once a month the coroplast gets pulled out and disinfected. Now I must say, I do sometimes smell a little (& I mean A LITTLE) odor, but idk if it's because of cage maintenance or because I feed him mainly Exotic Nutrition Hedgehog Complete food. ???????


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## Dutchy (Jan 8, 2011)

I call my little guy the poopy monster!!! Ugh! The wheel must be cleaned DAILY along with a quick pick up of where ever else he has pooped. Once a week the liners get washed, replaced, along with a quick wipe down of the coroplast. Now once a month the coroplast gets pulled out and disinfected. Now I must say, I do sometimes smell a little (& I mean A LITTLE) odor, but idk if it's because of cage maintenance or because I feed him mainly Exotic Nutrition Hedgehog Complete food. ???????


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## Humboldt Hog (Dec 30, 2010)

I guess I was just having a bad day when I posted this because I dont REALLY want to get rid of Humboldt I was just super stressed out. II think I'll go to Joann's tomorrow and buy some more fleece so it's not so bad cleaning her cage out. Right now I only have one liner and one snuggle blanket so it gets pretty gross pretty quick. I'll also start cleaning the wheel into the toilet (don't know why that didnt occur to me at first) instead of washing it in the tub and then having to completely disinfect the tub afterwards. I'm running low on food anyway so I guess its a good time to start switching her over to something less stinky. What does everyone recommend that I can get at Petsmart?


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## PJsMom (Nov 20, 2010)

PJ is the saaaaaaaaaaaaame way. he leaves his wheel so nasty! lol i wash my CSW every day with unscented dish soap. I change his fleece liners once a week. his poop smell is HORRENDOUS but we've managed. unfortunately, he stinks too lol he has poopie and pee smell on him almost everyday..i dont want to bathe him as much..but i dont want him being smelly. footbaths are a must..his poopie boots are terrible lol. as i write this, he's about to get a footie bath...let the games begin!


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## infamousrenie (Dec 18, 2010)

PJsMom said:


> PJ is the saaaaaaaaaaaaame way. he leaves his wheel so nasty! lol i wash my CSW every day with unscented dish soap. I change his fleece liners once a week. his poop smell is HORRENDOUS but we've managed. unfortunately, he stinks too lol he has poopie and pee smell on him almost everyday..i dont want to bathe him as much..but i dont want him being smelly. footbaths are a must..his poopie boots are terrible lol. as i write this, he's about to get a footie bath...let the games begin!


How do you go about a footie bath, PJsMom? Brillo is the same way with getting poopie boots, and the rest of him is clean but not his feet! Do you just let PJ run around in some warm, soapy water?


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## PJsMom (Nov 20, 2010)

just an inch or so of warm water..doesnt need to be soapy at all. just put him in and let him walk around a bit then i use a toothbrush and gently clean off his feet. waaaaalaa clean poopie free feet (until the next morning :roll: )


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## Humboldt Hog (Dec 30, 2010)

Picked up some blue buffalo for senior cats but not the longevity and that's a chicken food so hopefully that helps with the smell. I also took the time to actually sew her liner (got some new flannel) and got some velcro on the corners of the fabirc and cage so she cant get under it. Made some shreds of it for her igloo and she loves it! Although now I need a bigger igloo lol. I also moved her into my bedroom so I could keep a better eye on her and I must say I have been cleaning her wheel once or twice a day and there's no more smell! Ugh I think it also might be the air circulation int he spare room but boy was it awful in there. Luckily she smells a TON better now. As far as the little training, I got some ferret litter in place of the carefresh I was using and she seems to not care at all lol. Just my luck, she had TWO litter boxes and wont use one at all. Oh well!


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## Hodgeroo (Jan 20, 2011)

My hodgins also eats a Blue Buffalo food, and his Poop is awful (even though the main ingredients are chicken ones). I've noticed the poop really only smells bad when he runs it into a mash all over his wheel.
He has been very difficult to potty train, but I've found one thing that usually works. I clean his wheel by spraying it with water, and wiping off with paper towel (I have roommates who would object to his poop being cleaned in other parts of the house). I then reserve a little corner of paper towel with his wet poop on it, and place it behind (though if he has a spot where he has pooped not on his wheel on his own-I'd place it there instead) his wheel. Usually when I do this, he poops in a little pile on top of the paper towel instead of on his wheel. I make sure to clean the wheel of any poop that may have gotten on it from his paws to keep it smelling less like poop then the paper towel. I'm not sure if it'll work for you, but its probably worth a try!


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## amyyy (Jan 7, 2011)

I read a post that said they clean their cage with a mix of vinegar and water, it cuts down the smell. I haven't gotten a wheel yet and so far the hedgie seems litter trained. Now I'm beginning to wonder, when I get a wheel should I put it over the litter box? If I don't maybe she won't go on it? Not sure? 

I also read that fish in the cat food can make their pooey smell bad.

Lots of luck!

Amy


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## R3d foreman (Jan 1, 2011)

i'm glad my hedgehog poops in his wheel - i can gauge if he's using it or not that way...if it's whipped all around inside, he's using it!


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## Quilled1 (Dec 29, 2010)

I woke up yesterday morning to a clean wheel and got all disappointed before I saw SHE WAS USING THE LITTER PAN :mrgreen: !!! I danced with joy...


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## Dutchy (Jan 8, 2011)

Quilled1 said:


> I woke up yesterday morning to a clean wheel and got all disappointed before I saw SHE WAS USING THE LITTER PAN :mrgreen: !!! I danced with joy...


Yaaaaay   !!! How long did it take? My guy doesn't even bother getting up!! He just sleeps, poops and rolls right over! Sleeps some more, poops again and then rolls back over onto the first poop and does this all day, till he wakes up........COVERED!! Lololololol UGH!! 

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k184/ ... oto4-1.jpg


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## R3d foreman (Jan 1, 2011)

^lol that's priceless


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## Quilled1 (Dec 29, 2010)

Dutchy said:


> Quilled1 said:
> 
> 
> > I woke up yesterday morning to a clean wheel and got all disappointed before I saw SHE WAS USING THE LITTER PAN :mrgreen: !!! I danced with joy...
> ...


I recognize that cage  Still love it (and the tiger-print fleece).
Does she go up to the third level at all?
I'm sorry she poops where she sleeps. Maybe it's a baby thing (how old is she)???
Emma doesn't really use her pigloo anymore (she's sleeping under the large second piece of fleece I put in there so she can burrow under something that isn't the liner.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

amyyy said:


> I read a post that said they clean their cage with a mix of vinegar and water, it cuts down the smell. I haven't gotten a wheel yet and so far the hedgie seems litter trained. Now I'm beginning to wonder, when I get a wheel should I put it over the litter box? If I don't maybe she won't go on it? Not sure?
> 
> I also read that fish in the cat food can make their pooey smell bad.
> 
> ...


A lot of people, including myself, clean the wheels/cages with a 50/50 vinegar solution.

You should try to get a wheel asap, hedgies need one to get their exercise ans stay healthy. 

Most hedgies will poop when running, so yes, I would recommend you put the litter box under the wheel. When you get your wheel, I recommend the Carolina Storm Wheel. It comes with a litter box already. You can find it at the For Sale area of the forum.


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## karidaluv (Jul 26, 2010)

Lucky. My hedgie tends to use it while he's running, but for some reason he has a fascination with this one corner of his cage to pee in. Weird.


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