Baths -- How often?

[Vincent]

When I got Vincent, I was under the impression that baths were to be saved for special occasions. (Like when he got "poopboots" on his visor... or painted himself completely orange with sticky baby food.)

However, I've been seeing a lot of varied answers about how often hedgehogs should get baths. Now I don't know which is right or which is wrong, and I figured there oughta be a poll for it!

So how often do you bathe your hedgehog?

[Loves2LoveChins]

I answered once a week because I find that it is "necessary" to do it that often to clean off his poopy boots. The once a week bath is just a footsie bath. Every 2 weeksn he gets a full one. He's a messy hog. :lol:

[HedgieMate]

Before adopting a hedgie, I read so much about how some hedgies hated taking a bath. I watched numerous bath-time video clips too, so I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. Geoffrey went absolutely BALLISTIC in a bath tub as if I had dropped him in burning lava!! :blob2:
He was completely panic-strucken and ran around in the bath tub like a chicken with his head cut off the whole time! We were both panting when I scooped him out after 5 minutes later completely exhausted, him from his extreme aquarobics workout and me from trying to keep the water out of his nose and ears. The worst part was I felt so guilt-laden to put him through such an ordeal.... :(

To make the matter worse, he was deeply stressed by his first bathing experience afterward. He lost his appetite and was very withdrawn for a few days before getting back to normal, and it was well over 3 months before I gave him a second bath.

As time went on, he got better with footbaths and eventually with full baths, but it took at least a year and a half to be more or less "normal". He still puts up a fight in a sink or bath tub but doesn't lose his appetite or show obvious signs of stress, except for excessive huffing. :rolleyes:

This is why I only give him a foot bath or full bath when it's needed.

[Nancy]

I bath as needed. Some are slobs and need it once a week, some I haven't bathed in months and they still don't need it. :)

[Jeanette]

I give Spiny a small foot bath every day.
He doesn't like the poop on his feet!
He used to try furiously to get out. Now he tolerates it.

He only gets a full bath (back wet) if he has something on his back.

[mmartinez1987]

Aero get a foot bath almost everyday. He get a full bath 3-5 times a week.. So almost every day..LOL He is messy with his boy time and he gets his manhood badge but he will also get it on his quills. Almost every night while running Aero will pee in his wheel and run then it drips on his back. He will get sticky and I will break out. Also if I let him go more than a day wih the poop boots he will suck the poop off his feet. Ive seen this. YUCK! He doesnt like being dirty!

[clutterbuster]

Pk is a wild woman, she needs a poopy paw soak in the tub daily - it invigorates her and she'll run around on the bed or in the corral afterwards. She gets a whole bath about every ten days.

Max is very nervous about baths, don't know if it is because of his age or his poor vision. Doesn't matter if he's in a little water in the tub where he can walk around or confined in the sink. He doesn't require daily washing because he is a gentleman who poops on the towel at the base of his wheel. Usually he gets a full bath once every two weeks and a belly bath in between if necessary. Afterwards he hides that entire night and only comes out to eat.

[hemi_mygirl]

I bathe the trio as needed. Cuda gets a quick rinse off every few days just because he ALWAYS smells like pee. I guess the plumbing plays a part and he gets it on his belly fur while he’s running on the wheel. A quick rinse under the tap and he’s good as new. The two girls, who are the epitome of neat and clean (hah) get baths about once a month or so. Kismet gets a soothing oatmeal soak since her skin is drier than the others, and Vette just a quick soak just to help her get used to the water. She’s terrified, but 5 minutes in the sink every month or so is really helping. Did you know water isn’t a horrible, hedgehog eating monster?

They get full baths as needed. Usually, a warm damp cloth wiped over the quills is enough to clean off most yuckies caused by anointing or flying poop. An unscented baby wipe is great for dirty paws. I hate bathing them in the winter, and I put it off as long as possible. On average, they get a bath complete with Aveeno body wash every 2 months or so. But when they were babies, they had to be bathed every week, especially Kismet because of her poop issue. She’d smear the stuff on her quills, her fur, her ears and on her face. It was awful and made cuddling her rather uncomfortable.

[Pangolin'sZoo]

Corbin gets a bath about every two weeks - otherwise he makes my hands really itchy. He doesn't seem to mind to much though. Curtis, our cat is very protective of Corbin and watches Corbin to make sure he is okay the whole time. As soon as Corbin is out of the bath and rolled up in a towel Curtis sits with us on the couch until Corbin is all dry.

[francescabc]

I give Sadie a bath once a week because she tends to need one once a week anyways. To make sure she doesn't get dry skin, I add a little bit of canola oil to her last rinse water. It makes her skin so smooth :)