# Poopy IN the nails?



## PrincessZebra (Jul 2, 2011)

My little Quillow has to have her feet washed everyday because of how much poopy she has on them. It's hard to tell, but is it possible to get poop inside of a just trimmed nail? Thank you!


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I have to give my hedgie a foot bath at LEAST every other day because of how much she poops on her wheel.

By *in* the nail, do you mean physically inside of the nail, to the point where a foot bath couldn't soak it out? Or do you just mean stuck in the nail?

I doubt their poop could get *inside* their nails - that would be like if you got some dirt under you fingernail and your nail "absorbed" it, lol, doesn't happen.

But, that said, it was just yesterday that I had to toothbrush Milly's little back foot almost raw because of a stubborn clump of poo that had wedged itself under her nail. I might have been paranoid, but it almost seemed like she was favoring that foot before the foot bath.

My vet (who I have only seen once, but got a very good impression from) has 4 or 5 regular hedgie patients right now, and he told me that he has seen a lot of foot/toe infections caused by poo. I just wanted to throw this out there for you and anyone else who may not know. He said that full baths aren't necessary every week (and shouldn't be done anyway due to drying the skin out), but regular weekly foot baths are really important. Even just filling the sink up with enough water to cover their elbow-joint thingy and putting a rag in the bottom is fine. I always fill it up to just under Milly's tummy, let her walk around for a minute to soften the poop, then lift each foot and scrub from the bottom with a soft-bristled tooth brush. The poo comes off pretty easily for the most part, and I think she feels better with clean feet. I also feel better not having her poopy feet on my skin :lol:


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

It's possible for it to get stuck in little grooves and such or sometimes on the underside of the nail will be a concave part but theres no way for it to get somewhere that it wouldn't come out. Longer nails will hold more poop and make it more difficult though. Sandras nails grow fast so there is times that I have to soak, wash, trim, soak some more lol


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## Snewtalicious (Apr 5, 2011)

With my hedgie, I like to let her feet soak for a bit. Then I gently massage the feet (nails) with a toothbrush. It usually gets all of it out.


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