# Ate dog poop... Why?



## Randomexuberance (Aug 23, 2013)

I have had my hedgehog since march, and he has this habit of sometimes eating or chewing on a rug, grass, and now poop; and then twisting his body and spitting it on himself with like foamy colored spit (the color is what he chewed on). Today he pooped on my hand, so i put him down in the grass, and he started eating dog poop and spitting foamy, poopy, brown spit on the quills by his forehead. Why did he eat the poop and spit it on him?


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

It's called anointing. Hedgehogs do that when they encounter an interesting smell. We're not sure why -- to camouflage their scent, to spread nasty stuff on their quills (they do it with poisons), for fun....

He doesn't actually eat it. He just licks it a lot to create item-scented spit.


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## Randomexuberance (Aug 23, 2013)

Thank you c:


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## wrightk (Apr 20, 2014)

My hedgehog did this outside with dog poop this morning. Should I be watching his stool for worms or anything? Or should I not worry about it? He got a bath very soon after! lol


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## Kiwithehedgie (Oct 1, 2014)

I would bathe him if you haven't already.


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