# Footbath



## Oonagh22 (Feb 2, 2013)

Hi, I wasn't really sure what section to put this in, so sorry if its in the wrong place! I just wanted to know how often should I give my hedgehog a footbath? He gets really pooey feet! I read somewhere it causes dry skin, so shouldn't be done too often?! Is this only for a full bath? Also is it normal for hedgies to poo while having a footbath? Thanks


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## sklock65 (Jan 9, 2013)

I'm curious to see if others agree...but I give Henry a footbath almost every night. He usually needs it since he runs through what ends up being a very poopy wheel each night! Occasionally he doesn't need it and that is really the only time he doesn't get one. I let him walk around in a paint bucket (we bought at Lowes because anything else I tried he would just climb out of!) and I really dont use a lot of water. Probably not even a half inch...just enough slightly warm water so that the caked poop softens and falls right off. If you don't use a ton of water so that it's really just his feet in there I'm not sure how that would cause dry skin. I've never had any problems and that has been the routine since we got him. I make sure to keep an eye on him the entire time he is in there and I don't leave him in very long (maybe a min? maybe not even). I also am very careful to make sure to dry him off thoroughly so that he doesn't have a wet, and ultimately cool, tummy. That's what works for me- as with everything else there seems to be some trial and error to find what works best for any hedgie. Oh...and yes it is normal for them to poop while they are in the footbath or full bath. On the upside it is a good way to help a constipated hedgie...just in case, you never know when that advice could come in handy! Sometimes I swear it seems like Henry does it just to get taken out of his footbath sooner...sneaky little guy! Haha

Hope that helps


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

I rinse Piglet's feet off every day. Otherwise, I'm just holding a poopy hedgie and getting germs everywhere! For the dail baths, I only fill the sink up to 1/2 an inch, and that doesn't cause dry skin (at least on Pig). I let him walk around for a bit to let the water loosen up the gunk of his feet, then I gently brush it off with a hedgie-designated toothbrush.  I only soap him up every 3-4 weeks, or if I want him to be all clean and pretty to visit my parents.


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## Oonagh22 (Feb 2, 2013)

Thanks  Since I got him I have given him a footbath nearly every night, as he loves his wheel and gets poop everywhere in his cage, from walking around! He only has around a cm deep, so only his feet get wet. Every time he gets in the water he relieves himself!! :lol:


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

Piggy doesn't potty in the bath anymore, but he used to when he was a baby. I would fill up two different containers with water, and when he pooped in one I'd move him to the other so he stayed clean without having to drain the sink and refill it every time.


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## MrPinball (Feb 23, 2013)

We do feetsie baths every 2-3 days but it really depends. If his feet are poopy the next day after a foot bat, we'll wash them again. To give him a foot bath we basically fill up the sink with warm (not too hot) water maybe 1-2 inches high, put a mini washcloth on the bottom and he "walks" on it which cleans his feet pretty well. Sometimes I use a soft toothbrush with Aveeno oatmeal wash on it.

We don't do full baths that often. He doesn't really get dirty and doesn't smell. Maybe once or twice in a month but again it depends. If he anoints with sweet potatoes we of course have to bathe him because they get stuck everywhere lol


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## Erizo (Jul 25, 2012)

Sophie gets foot and belly baths three days a week (with nail inspection / trimming). I use a fair bit of water, several inches, because she actually relaxes better in more water, rather than less. She gets a light quill brushing and cleaning while in the water. She seems to like getting her quills brushed (toothbrush), so that helps keep her occupied also.

Sometimes she'll poop and pee in the water, sometimes not. When she was a baby, she always did. I use the bathroom sink, so water changes are quick and easy (warm water - not cold, not hot).

She gets a full bath with her Aveeno body wash and a big under-the-faucet rinse every three months. I keep thinking to increase that to every couple of months, but she seems so clean overall that I still haven't actually increased that schedule.

It strikes me that dry skin is more of a problem for some hedgehogs, rather than hedgehogs generally or 'as a rule'. I monitor her skin but she's never shown signs of trouble, and I've heard similar assessments many times. Some hedgies may just be more susceptible, or more susceptible at different times.

(19:54)
full-bath-13-01-17.mp4





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foot-bath-12-11-1.mp4





(5:56)
nail-clipping-13-03-04.mp4


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## alexvdl (Dec 19, 2012)

Reginald gets what we call a poopbath, daily. We put down a piece of very damp fleece inside a little sterilite tub, and after "riling him up" we plop him in there. He walks around and gets his feet clean, and we keep him in there until he poops a couple of times. That prevents us from getting pooped on and he's a lot more active afterwards.


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## k5smitha (Jun 4, 2014)

I just gave my hedgie who i got three weeks ago her first foot bath. At first she was very nervous but after a few minutes she started enjoying her self and peeing an pooping along the way


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