Frequency of Baths

[RoxieFaye]

Hi, I just wanted to make sure that I'm not doing the wrong thing...

I've read through tons of bathing posts here in the last year and most of them said that they didn't give baths but once or twice a month. Well, it seems like I have to bath Quillson once a week or so and give footbaths every few days. Am I doing this too much?

He gets really REALLY poopy feet dispite cleaning his wheel every couple of days so I give him a foot bath just about every 2 or 3 days. Also, he'll get poop in his quills, so I bathe him about once a week with milk wash baby wash. His ears are a little dry so I put cocoa butter on them, but his skin isn't dry at all...

To me it seems okay, but with reading so much about bathing only every few weeks it's just got me wondering... Any input in appreciated.

[horse_chic89]

If he likes it, i don't see a problem with baths, I have a quilling girl, and she loves them. i think it makes her feel better!

[Love4Hedgies]

I think foot baths are okay and good but frequent regular baths can dry out a hedgies skin. I'd recommend once a month. :)

[RoxieFaye]

Well, I've had him for almost one year and he doesn't have dry skin yet. Wouldn't it dry out his skin more to leave the poop in his quills? He frequently gets it in the quills directly on top of his head and sometimes on his back. I think it's from them falling off the wheel as he spins...

If you really think it's bad for me to bathe him to much I'll relent, but I just want to be sure...

[Q-Bert's Mom]

I don't think having poop on his quills will dry out his skin, but if it's getting really caked on and reaches his skin that can lead to skin infections. So I would say the poop really should come off of his quills. If his skin isn't dry then you're probably ok.

[RoxieFaye]

Thanks... I'll just watch really closely for dry skin... He seems okay so far. :) Thank goodness. Thanks so much for your help.

[paris26]

It's amazing where those quill kids will get poop! I have to do daily foot baths with Atticus and I "spot clean" Annabelle with an old toothbrush. She always ends up with a few poopy quills on the middle of her back.

[Nancy]

I have found that as they age they seem to need less and less foot baths. Poop boots one day will be just normal feet the next. Of course some of them never poop on their wheels so their feet are always clean. :)

[RoxieFaye]

Paris26 - Ugh! Quillson's the same way! Sometimes I can't believe that boy! One day he had poop on his FACE! Can you imagine that!! Crazy kiddo!

Teasles Mom - Jeez, I really hope he'll grow out of it. At about what age did yours? Quillson's just over one year old...

[Kalandra]

I've always been an advocate of the fewer baths the better. However, it really just depends on the hedgehog as to how often you bathe them. Some hedgehogs will rarely need a bath as they are just a clean hedgehog. Standing Bear at the Flash and Thelma recently noted that one hedgehog he had almost never needed a bath. The hedgehog in question wouldn't touch foot on a wheel that had been pooped on, so the animal was never dirty. Others run through their waste and get urine and poop throughout their quills and onto their skin. The latter require more frequent baths.

Of my current kids, I have one who seems to only poop on the run, and therefore needs more frequent baths. I use filtered water from my shower filter to bath her with, and we haven't had any dry skin problems yet. I think a lot of the drying effect comes from the chlorine in tap water.