# Messy Hedgehog!



## tommyd (Sep 22, 2013)

i've had my brutus for a week now, and i've noticed that he is really messy! he chews with his mouth open and gets crumbs everywhere, and poops all over his cage (even in his water bowl once). i was wondering if there was away to train him to poop in one spot, and to teach him how to eat tidy. it would be so much easier to clean up!


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## lilythehedgie (Sep 20, 2012)

You can litter-train a hedgehog, although it may be difficult. Does he have a litterbox? If not, get one. Pick up the poop and put it in the box. Hopefully he will learn to poop in there. Does Brutus have a wheel? Put the box under the wheel so when he's pooping on the wheel it will just roll off into the box, making clean up easier. For litter, you can use a small piece of fleece, paper towels, or paper litter like Yesterday's News. What bedding is he on? Fleece liners are the best bedding to use, one reason being you can spot clean them easily. Also, how old is he? If he is a baby, he may just be pooping and eating a lot because that's what baby hedgies do. Unfortunately, you can't really train them to eat neater, but he might get neater over time. Hopefully he will learn how to use the litter box. Good luck!


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## tommyd (Sep 22, 2013)

i think i'm gonna try the litter box and put it under his wheel. thanks for the suggestion
but what should i get to put under his wheel as the litter box?


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## sarahspins (Jun 25, 2013)

What kind of wheel do you have? That will make a difference. I use a gladware pan as a litter box, since it's what came with my carolina storm wheel 

I simply put a layer of paper towels in it which I change daily when I clean the wheel.


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## lilythehedgie (Sep 20, 2012)

I have a Carolina Storm Bucket Wheel, and I ended up using disposable tin baking pans for my litter pan. I get them in packs of four at the grocery store, and they are really cheap.  I use this recycled paper litter in my pan (it's like Yesterday's News) and change it out every day. After a few weeks, I throw away the pan and put in a new one. You can use a tupperware container or pretty much anything like that, but make sure it's hedgie safe. Also, make sure it's not too tall, as your hedgie might not be able to get over it and get on the wheel. A bucket wheel is the best kind of wheel to use for a hedgehog. If you don't have one, several members on the forums make and sell them, and some of the wheels come with litter pans, making finding a litter pan easy!


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## lilythehedgie (Sep 20, 2012)

Here's the link to the litter I use:http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11279854&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No Of course, there are tons of other options if you don't want to buy litter. Lily tried to get under her litter pan and her wheel when I used paper towels, making a mess, so this helped to weigh it down. Silly hedgie! :roll:


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## amsue0222 (Sep 25, 2012)

I feel like my guy is the same way- I have tried so many times but no luck?!! I had a hedgie before and didn't have any issues- He never even pooed in his wheel! I think just certain hedgies are kind of messy!


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## sarahspins (Jun 25, 2013)

Before I switched to paper towels I used yesterday's news and it worked just fine.. but paper towels are cheaper and there's no tracking of any loose litter around (often stuck to poop boots - he hasn't yet managed to track out the paper towels).

One of these days I will get organized enough to sew some liners for the litter tray.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

For food crumbs:
1. Cut a fleece placemat for underneath the food bowls. I find my little friend rarely spreads crumbs more than 1 inch away, so a placemat holds most of 'em.
or
2. Cut the kibble into smaller pieces (grind, food-slicer chop, etc) so he doesn't have to crank so hard to get pieces small enough to eat.


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