Hedgehog Grooming

Hedgehog grooming is important to keep up with your hedgehog's lifestyle. Because your hedgehog is constantly creating a mess, they can become unsanitary very quickly. Keeping your hog clean lets you see anything that isn't supposed to be there. Encouraging your hedgehog to be self-grooming is also something that can help your house stay clean and safe. Safety is also a main reason for keeping your hedgehog's nails groomed. Their toes can get snagged on any material inside their cage, inside your sweaters, and can be painful or cause injury. Especially if they are using their wheel with untrimmed nails.

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• Giving Full Baths
• Providing Foot Baths
• Offering Sand Baths
• Trimming Nails
• Brushing Their Teeth

Every bath option has its time and place. There are the regular baths where the water is filled up to their chins, there are the foot baths that soak their feet and legs, and there are sand baths where the hedgehog chooses to bathe and have fun inside a container full of safe sand. It all depends on your hedgehog how often you`ll need to bath them and in what form. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to hedgehog grooming schedules, just do it based on necessity, and always check for signs of dry skin.

**Special thanks to the handsome model Maxwell and his hedgie mamma Brittany B for letting us use this video. See more of Max in action on his instagram: @maxwellaldenzagarella **

This is up to you, but usually you should not need to give your hedgehog a bath more than once a month. If they need it sooner because they are extra messy, that is fine. Just be careful not to dry their skin out. Many products exist like Niks moisturizing oil that you can use directly on your hedgehog. But there is also the option of adding cbd oil or flax seed oil drops to their food to moisturize their skin again. We went into great detail about bathing your hedgehog here in this article if you want to learn more tips and tricks that make bathing easier.

Make sure to use a gentle wash instead of a shampoo, just so you don't throw their skin's pH balance off too much. Hedgie quills hold up to 11% in water weight every time, adding to the equation of things that lead to dry skin after a bath. Thoroughly rinsing off the products you used on them is extremely important, as is drying them off to the best of your ability afterwards. You may read further in depth about how to bath your hedgehog in this article here.

Hedgehog owners continue to be surprised when they find out what a sand bath is! In any kind of dish, place child's play sand, reptile sand, or even hamster sand. When choosing a bag of sand, make sure there is zero chance of dust, harmful chemicals, or dyes inside of the product. If you choose to take sand from the beach, you must rinse then bake it in the oven first at 300°F/150°C for 45 minutes.

Hedgehog Fun Fact: You should bake ALL sand before using it in their sand bathing area, even the kind you buy. Just like mites in litter and bedding, you should take extra measures to sanitize what you use inside your hedgehog's cage.

You can put this sand bath inside of their cage a day or two before you normally clean it out, or you can provide it to them as an out of the cage activity daily. Some keep the bath inside of their cage always – the frequency is up to you. It can get very messy, but it is worth it. Hedgehogs love this activity, and don't be surprised if your hedgehog begins to groom themselves after. It is a very effective way of helping them to clean their own poop boots. One word of caution bears mentioning. There have been cases of sand particles sticking to genitalia (especially males) and causing a UTI. Please read our article on UTI symptoms and carefully watch for the signs.

Foot baths are okay to give daily! Filling the bath or sink up with just warm water so that only their legs will get wet is a great way to start your bonding time together. Something about the warm water and humidity gets things moving, clearing up things so they don't use you or your new hedgehog carry bag as a toilet. The water will get dirty quickly, so make sure to drain it as you go. Nothing like a good bath to clean the old poop boots.

Their nails need to be groomed at least every two weeks, if not sooner. You'll know you need to cut your hedgehog's nails because there should be only a little bit of white that extends past the pink part. The pink part is actually called the quick and is a blood vessel that also grows with the nail. The longer you leave your hedgies nails, the longer the quick grows. If the quick has been left to grow, you must being trying to recede by cutting nails more often.

Be very careful and slow with this process. If you let it go any longer than three weeks, then you could have an injury on your hands. Failing to cut your hedgehogs toe nails results in curled nails that could be very painful for your hedgehog. You can bring your hedgehog to a local breeder, to your vets office, or even ask for help from someone who can hold the hedgie while you trim their precious little toes.

You're going to need a good pair of cuticle clippers and it's a good idea to let your curious hedgehog sniff them before starting. Start off by trying to do it during or after bath time, either in a foot bath or full bath. If they will let you, do one paw at a time. Let them soak in the warm water for five minutes at least so their nails become easier to groom. Don't worry – not all hogs are created equal and most will fight this process. Playing with their paws daily may desensitize their paws to being touched and make clipping their paws easier. But, that is not the case for some hogs. You may need to get gently assertive with grooming their nails. If they do not like the bath method, here are a few others you can try.

First, put your hedgie in a towel and wrap them firmly. Pop one foot out at a time and clip. Holding them like this discourages them from wanting to ball up and gives you clear access to their nails. They are not going anywhere when held safely in this position. While only one person can get the hedgehog grooming done, things may go smoother with a helper. Don't forget to bribe them with squirmy delicious treats during and after!

Another easy way to cut your hedgehog's nails is by holding your hedgehog against you with their paws facing outwards. Sort of pin their bellies with one hand holding it firmly against your belly and clip their nails with another hand. This is definitely a good one to do with a partner, but it doable with just one person after some practice.

You can get creative with different variations of this, but there is a sling method. You can create a sling out of something to hold the hedgie in place as you gain easy access to their toes. Some people use cookie sheet racks, others use the bottom of a milk jug or kleenex box with four holes cut in them for their legs, then tape the cuts around the edges.

Using a crochet blanket seems the safest option for a hedgehog nail cutting sling though. Try sticking their paws through the holes of a crocheted blanket and see what they will let you accomplish. Another one of our favorite creative methods for cutting hedgie nails is to trim their nails while they are distracted by something or they are comfortably on your lap. Always tell them softly what you are going to do, and then begin by trying to clip their nails paw by paw.

It's okay – mistakes happen during hedgehog grooming sessions like using too much soap or clipping a hedgie's nail too short because they moved. Just apply pressure to their nail if you can for a few minutes with a towel or tissue and it should stop. You might need to use the squish or the sling method for this. To stop the bleeding faster, put their toes in cornstarch, flour, or animal styptic powder. Do not wipe away the blood before applying the powder, it will help to clot the quick.

This can be intimidating, so if you have a hedgie that already is complacent with you and trusting then it may be easier. It is suggested that their teeth be cleaned by you or your vet just to prevent periodontal diseases. We've written an informative article about Hedgehog Teeth and the Need For Dental Care. Like we say in our article, you can try to use a small tooth brush with just water and get whatever teeth you can. It may help to offer a worm in between cleanings and after you're done. If you cannot brush their teeth, at least regularly check for tartar build up, as well as other signs of swelling or cavities. Any mouth issues need to be addressed by their veterinarian!

There are five different ways to groom your hedgehog, and they all have their time and place. A hedgehog's spines will get incredibly messy with all their running through poop and anointing. Try to always be on top of that mess to minimize illness for you and your hedgehog. Foot baths are a great way to minimize mess and promote them toileting before they begin bonding time with you. The best time to trim a hedgehog's nails is after they have had a bath. Overgrown nails manipulates the length of their quick, which may cause the nail to curl back into their skin. This can result in injuries on their wheel and around other materials. For more information and a step-by-step guide on how to trim your hedgehog's nails, give this article a try. Consider using a sand bath inside of their cage to promote them to become self cleaning hedgies. Also, give brushing their teeth a try!