# Really hates bathtime



## Monster (Jan 6, 2015)

First off I wanted to thank everyone who helped me with my two hedgies I unexpectedly ended up with. Now that everyone's settled in we've been calling them Lavos and Schaala. (Changed from the names they had when we got em; Monster and Cranberry)

I had worry's about them when we first found ourselves with them, when I started looking online for information it seemed they're like goldfish or something that we just kind of fed and looked at. But it turns out they are the sweetest things ever. Soon as around 6PM hits they're awake and if someone comes by they'll come up and see who it is. When we take them out they still get along really well and never have fought even though we've separated them when not being watched since finding out they're a boy and girl. They get tons of attention, everyone in the house love them and happily plays with them daily so they spend at least an hour out and sometimes up to 5 hours a night out of their cage. Their cage is always clean, we're all at-home night workers so we don't mess their sleep often and they seem pretty happy.

Until Bath time.

We've found the way that seems to keep them happiest is to place a small amount of warm (never hot) water in the bath tub and let them walk about in it. They where ok with this for a little while but lately they're not wanting to have this either. Lavos in particular gets some really bad poopy feet and really needs to have them cleaned often. Today Lavos bit me for the first time since when he did it in the first day he got here and he bit me hard enough to make me bleed. They make the saddest face when he's in the water like I'm torturing him and comes running to you and trying to climb up to you to get out; Schaala often hides in a corner of the shallowest part of the bath where theirs no water at all. There's only enough water in it to cover their feet, never enough to get to their belly. Why do they hate it so much? Does anyone know of a possibly better method or do hedgehogs just naturally hate water?


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## Buttons (Dec 21, 2014)

I've tried the wet towel in a bin, but it takes a long time to get them clean. The method that works best for me is I fill a little bucket with warm water and place him in the tub with the drain open. Then I just pour water from the bucket around his feet with a cup. This is the only way I can bathe my hedggie without him huffing the bath water. He's not as frantic about trying to escape the bath now.


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## ilovebailey1617 (Oct 9, 2011)

I just put my Bailey in the sink with warm water up to her belly and use a cup and toothbrush to lightly scrub her and clean her quills.i use the aveeno baby shampoo but I also put some plain oatmeal in a sock an run it under the water to help sooth her skin from any itches or dry skin.she doesn't really care for a bath she always tries to climb out like help me I don't wanna do this please lol.every hedgies different they just might not like water or maybe something happend in there previous home that they didn't like that they associated with bath time or the previous owner never gave them a bath and it's something they're not use to It might just take time for them to get use to it or they just don't like water.i had a little boy I named huffingtin cause he huffed all the time, he was a rescue and never had a bath before he freaked out.it took him a good 4-5 months before he realized it was ok.he eventually loved it.


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## Monster (Jan 6, 2015)

When I got them they where pretty dirty, I don't think they ever got a bath. I'll try the bin in the bathtub method, that might keep them a bit calmer. We've tried 3 different sinks and they would spazz about it. In the tub they are calmer.

We have a soft toothbrush and gently brush their quills, they don't hiss, huff or pop. Once Lavos snorted some water as he was sniffing about, that really upset him. After yesterdays bath when they where dry and their beds finished being cleaned when we put them back they both decided to chew and spit the bedding into their quills. :lol: So much for the bath! But I've read that chewing and spitting things into their quills is normal so unless it causes them any harm we let them do it. 

Unless they decide to roll about in their poop (Which they've decided to do before!) it'll be a week or so before their next bath so I have time to look around for a proper bin. Thank you for the help! I'll keep trying and just try my best to keep them calm and hopefully in time they'll get used to it.


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## rodanthi (Feb 7, 2014)

Hector has never bitten, but honestly with the scrambling to get out thing, he did just get used to it in time. He has a very shallow foot bath once a week and he used to freak out all the way through, but he just stands still and grumbles for the most part now. Maybe make it a regular part of the routine? I've had Hector for just over a year now, so it has taken a long time but he did get used to it. He hates it but I always just figured I would have to clean his feet if I was to have any chance of being able to tell where the quick was while clipping his nails.
One thing I did find is that even with bathtime, stuff like making sure the lights aren't too bright helps there - something I usually think about handling him but often forgot with baths. Similarly although I find it hard not to talk to him to soothe him, usually it just revs him up more. So he has quiet baths now. 
Steep sides also help. He scrabbles less in a plastic tub with high, completely vertical sides. In the sink/bath he tries to climb up the slope.
And I show him the toothbrush before I touch his feet with it because it seems to startle him less that way.


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