Tips for bathtime?

[Jeanette]

Hi there!
I have a 8 week old hedgie, Spiny. He's so cute and loveable, especially when he's taking a bath. He's very independent. But he is very clingy when he's taking a bath. He seems to hate the water. We put him in slowly and make sure that the water isn't too warm or cold, but he still struggles to climb up our arms when he's having a bath. What can make him more relaxed?
Thanks!
Jeanette :hyper:

[incrovaj]

Jeanette,
Daisy was just like that. Getting her used to baths was a process. She would try to claw up my arm like she thought she was going to die if she got wet. I bathe her in a small rubbermaid tub (one of the clear BIG shoebox ones) with just about an inch of water in the tub (soap if it is a real bath, no soap if it is just a minor foot bath). I make sure that it is filled before she goes into it (even better if it is filled before she sees it or hears it). Then she would just try to climb out of her bath. Each time, I would put her back in, and then place my arm on the top edge of the tub so that it looked taller and she would not try to get out. She began to get used to this, and now, when it is time for a bath, she will walk around in it, try to drink her bath water (YUCK!), etc. She is much more relaxed. Every now and then, she will still try to climb out, but usually that is when we are cleaning her, and she wants none of it because to her, bathtime is over.
Of course, every hedgehog is different. Some love baths from day one, and some probably never like them. The key is patience and love. Even if they never like baths, they can get used to them. Good Luck! :winkgrin:

[LoriL]

Princess Lucy (I'm starting to think that we should've named her that instead of just Lucy :lol: ) really dislikes her baths still.

When I bathe her, I fill both kitchen sinks. The first one is strictly for poop/pee because she will ALWAYS poop and pee when I put her in water. The second one has the Aveeno oatmeal and then we use the baby shampoo in there.

She always tries to crawl up the sides of the sinks, so I try to keep my hand under her as much as possible to keep her settled. She does tend to settle down once I start to scrub her with a toothbrush on her quills-she really does seem to like that.

While I'm doing that, I do let the water down on the other side of the sink and fill it up again with clean water to rinse her off. It doesn't seem to bother her. I keep my hand under her the whole time, and sometimes, I just hold her while I do that.

Once she's scrubbed and wandered around in the oatmeal water for a bit, we switch to the clean rinse water and rinse off. I rinse her off.

Put her in a towel and let her burrow in. I change the towel after about 15 minutes, let her burrow in again. Add a couple of drops of Vitamin E oil onto her back to keep her skin soft.

Last, but certainly not least, a nice juicy mealworm for being a good girl!

Of course, the whole time that I'm bathing her, I'm telling her quietly that she's a good girl and talking reassuringly to her.

She dislikes foot baths too.

I think the only way they can really get used to them is over time and they learn that they won't die when they are with us while they are in the water and that we will take care of them.

I think the treats afterwards are good too. ;) A little bribing never hurts.

[prettypollyanna]

i bathe my girls in a sterilite container, it seems to help b/c the side are too high for then to climb out. they still dislike it though...(this photo was just a footie bath)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/am1020/footiebath.jpg

[Jeanette]

Oh, Spiny looks so much like your hedgie at the top of the picture!
What colour would you say that is? I couldn't tell. Spiny's spines are mostly white with a little bit of brown at the base.

[prettypollyanna]

they are both Cinnicots, although Clementine (smaller one, lower in pic) hasn't quilled yet so... also i know i there are different "types" of Cinnicot-i'm not sure which one Pollyanna is(top of pic). but i LOVE them! :hearts:

[Jeanette]

Oh? So when Spiny quills, he might be a different colour? I'm going to try and post a pic of him. I would be interested to know what colour category he's in. (He's sleepin in a towel on my lap right now).
He looks really white in one pic (the base of his spines are brown and the tips of them are a cream colour.
At his head, that's where his spines are the brownest.
He's grumpy because I forgot to turn off the flash,... I'm sorry Spiny!

[prettypollyanna]

it isn't that they change color neccesarily, just that she could end up being lighter or maybe a little darker. at least that is my understanding ( exp: a really light one isn't suddenly going to be really dark)