# Bathing after anointing?



## xorenaa (Jul 11, 2014)

So I gave Miko a couple of apple pieces last night, and she anointed quite a bit (four times - one for each piece I gave her). However, now she's just a sticky mess. :roll:

How long should I wait before I rinse her off? Does it matter?


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## Dgameman1 (Oct 18, 2014)

I ended up picking my hedgehog up in the middle of his anointing and just gave him a bath right away.

I don't believe it matters


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## ashleyyy (Sep 22, 2014)

My hedgie barely annoits. Whenever she does, it's almost always with carrots. I'll just give her a quick bath before I'm done with her for the night, then snuggle dry for 10-15 mins, then back in the cage.


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## RoseCityHedgehogs (Nov 29, 2012)

Hedgehogs are insectivores and should not be eating fruits or veggies. This why you are experiencing a self anointing when you feed them apples or carrots. Hedgehogs do not have the digestive enzymes for cellulose (plant matter). In fact, unlike other mammals, hedgehogs do not utilize fruits or veggies for fiber at all. Hedgehogs have a digestive enzyme for chitin which is their source of fiber. Chitin is only found in the exoskeleton of insects. Therefore, feeding insects is the only efficient way to provide fiber to your hedgie -please do not apply human nutrition to a hedgie.

Another interesting fact is that hedgies have a very primitive digestive system and are missing the ileocecal valve which allows food to return to the small intestine from the large intestine. This is where seeds from fruits can impact and kill your hedgie. 

So, keep in mind, just because your hedgehog will eat fruits and veggies, doesn't mean they should. Please feed your hedgies as he would have eaten in Africa. Hedgehogs would have never pulled up a carrot or have stumbled across and apple in the grasslands of Africa


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## Dgameman1 (Oct 18, 2014)

RoseCityHedgehogs said:


> Hedgehogs are insectivores and should not be eating fruits or veggies. This why you are experiencing a self anointing when you feed them apples or carrots. Hedgehogs do not have the digestive enzymes for cellulose (plant matter). In fact, unlike other mammals, hedgehogs do not utilize fruits or veggies for fiber at all. Hedgehogs have a digestive enzyme for chitin which is their source of fiber. Chitin is only found in the exoskeleton of insects. Therefore, feeding insects is the only efficient way to provide fiber to your hedgie -please do not apply human nutrition to a hedgie.
> 
> Another interesting fact is that hedgies have a very primitive digestive system and are missing the ileocecal valve which allows food to return to the small intestine from the large intestine. This is where seeds from fruits can impact and kill your hedgie.
> 
> So, keep in mind, just because your hedgehog will eat fruits and veggies, doesn't mean they should. Please feed your hedgies as he would have eaten in Africa. Hedgehogs would have never pulled up a carrot or have stumbled across and apple in the grasslands of Africa


You haven't given reasons to not give carrots to hedgehogs other than there's no carrots where they're originally from and the fact that they don't utilize it for fiber. It's still not harmful to them.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

There's nothing wrong with giving hedgehogs fruits or veggies. Given those foods don't come out in their poop the same way they went down, they can obviously digest them to some extent. Annointing very likely has nothing to do with being unable to digest a food - no one actually knows why they do it, but the main theories I've heard of include disguising their scent or placing potential toxins from a food on their quills for added protection. But there's no definite reason known. Considering hedgehogs will do it over anything from a new food to an old food to an interesting scent or taste, I highly doubt it's related to digestion of anything. 

And seeing how very few hedgehog owners would be able to get insects or any other food items from Africa, it'd be pretty difficult to feed a hedgehog only what they'd eat in Africa. 

And I'd also like to add that hedgehogs are mainly insectivores but they're not ONLY insectivores. They're opportunistic and will eat a wide range of foods. Heck, there's plenty of stories about how they're basically African raccoons - they're often found scavenging around dumps. So does that mean we should feed them garbage since it's what they find in Africa?


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

My Nara annoints with crickets, so the theory they annoint with stuff they can't digest is not true. 

That doesn't explain all the hedgies that annoint after smelling dirty sox, armpits and shoes. Not to mention antibiotics and other meds. 

Annointing seems to be about the smell, seems to me.

I do a bath if its "crusty". I don't like giving too many baths.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I had a hedgehog that would annoint with any new food she was given, even regular cat food so that blows your theory that they only annoint with things they shouldn't eat. Fruits and vegetables are perfectly fine to give as a treat it would be different if that was all that was being fed to the hedgie.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

RoseCityHedgehogs said:


> Hedgehogs are insectivores and should not be eating fruits or veggies. This why you are experiencing a self anointing when you feed them apples or carrots. Hedgehogs do not have the digestive enzymes for cellulose (plant matter). In fact, unlike other mammals, hedgehogs do not utilize fruits or veggies for fiber at all. Hedgehogs have a digestive enzyme for chitin which is their source of fiber. Chitin is only found in the exoskeleton of insects. Therefore, feeding insects is the only efficient way to provide fiber to your hedgie -please do not apply human nutrition to a hedgie.
> 
> Another interesting fact is that hedgies have a very primitive digestive system and are missing the ileocecal valve which allows food to return to the small intestine from the large intestine. This is where seeds from fruits can impact and kill your hedgie.
> 
> So, keep in mind, just because your hedgehog will eat fruits and veggies, doesn't mean they should. Please feed your hedgies as he would have eaten in Africa. Hedgehogs would have never pulled up a carrot or have stumbled across and apple in the grasslands of Africa


I'd like to see some documentation and research on hedgehogs to prove what you are saying. I know people have asked for proof in the past and you never respond.


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