# Hedgy threw up during bath time?



## Aliming (Dec 20, 2012)

So my girlfriend and I recently got a 2 year old Hedgy named Sonic from a young girl and her family. He's pretty antisocial, which from I've read seems to be normal if they weren't handled a lot. For the most part, we try to have him out on occasion and handle him some, but lately we've not had as many opportunities to get him out. I took him out today to clean his cage, and while handling him I noticed that he needed a bath. This was the first time we'd tried to do this, so I filled a small container with maybe a half an inch of water and put some gloves on and slowly lowered him into it. No sooner had his feet hit the water then he was trying to climb up and out via my hands. I tried my best to hold him still while my girlfriend used a medium bristled toothbrush to gently brush some of the grime off of his quills. I rolled him over into a reclined position on his butt/back, and he balled up. Shortly after this, he began to click and jump, then he heaved a couple of times and threw up! We've recently changed his food but he has not thrown up; could he have done so out of stress? Please help!


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## Katis228 (Aug 19, 2012)

In my reading on this forum, and my 1st month with my hedgie, I've come to appreciate that bathtime can be very very stressful. 

With my hedgie, Mal, she seems to find the baths distasteful but my presence is comforting. 

Perhaps instead of gloves you could use a towel or piece of fleece so that your scent isn't masked. As far as bonding time goes, I know that everyday for Mal is a must. Even if it is just her sleeping in her fleece bag on my lap for an hour or so. This can go a long way to helping your new hedgie get used to you, and eventually find your mere presence a comfort.  

Hopefully someone will be by to address the vomiting. I have yet to experience that with Mal, and I would hazard a guess that Sonic experienced this unfortunate episode perhaps due to stress. 

Good luck with him  He sounds like an adorable grump in need of some TLC, and I'm glad he's with you now.


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## AngelaH (Jul 24, 2012)

I also would guess the vomit was due to getting too stressed. It seems like most of them frantically try to climb out of water in a panic. 
Hedgies really need to be handled, most people on here call it 'bonding time', every day for at least a half hour. What works best for me is to let Thistle lay in my lap under a light blanket in the evening while I'm at my computer or watching TV.


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## Viki (Jul 10, 2012)

Gloves are normally a bad thing for hedgehogs because it hides your sent. Also most hedgehogs need a MINIMUM of 30 minutes a day out. I have Willow out for 8-10 hours everyday. Well I got my wisdom teeth out a few weeks ago, there was 2 days she only got 20 minutes. I did notice that with in those 2 days she started to become less social so I know for Willow, time out every day is a must. Unfortunately I have tons of experience with puking hedgehogs. It sounds like your hedgehog needs a bit more social time. My mom has this friend who got a hedgehog because I have one and my mom told her how cool they are. Well this hedgehog never gets baths, nails clipped, time out of it's house, nothing. When I was hanging out with the hedgehog she ended up pooping green mucusy poop and throwing up. She was so stressed because she was being handled and wasn't use to it. Try spending some time with your hedgehog daily, that even includes them sitting on your lap in a blanket while watching tv or doing homework, Willow is laying in her pet bed on my desk as I type this and the best part is it counts as bonding time. Good luck.


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

Yes, hedgie can throw up due to the stress of a bath. Given his reaction, I'd do my best to keep baths to a minimum. Though, if he's a mess, there's not a good way around it.

Some things you can do to help:
- use a dishpan, rather than your sink... Something with a nice, flat bottom that doesn't have deeper spots than others. It also lets you sit down so you're not hovering over him all scarey-like. And, if there are two of you, you can sit on opposite sides. If you put the dishpan on the floor, you won't feel as worried if he tries to get out, because he's not going to scamper out and fall to the floor. The less stressed you are, the less stressed he is.
- fill the dishpan up only about a cm high of warm water; not hot
- put a washcloth or other piece of fabric down on the bottom of the dishpan so he feels more secure as he steps... rather than scramble against a hard smooth surface
- let him cling to your hand; elevate his front end out of the water, so only his back feet are in the water. Use a small cup to scoop up the water and let it pour down his back towards his rear end.
- use your plain hands; no gloves (yes, he'll clambor up your hands/arms... you may get a bit scratched, but they'll be small scratches that heal quickly)
- have a bath blankie ready for him to dry off the moment he's done


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