Bath Time
We gave Pliny his first bath on Sunday. He was NOT a happy hog. Apparently some hedgehogs absolutely love to swim, while some hate it. Pliny, it would seem, falls into the later category. This is a pity, since hedgehogs look so cute when they swim.
We cleaned and filled up the kitchen sink with a inch or two of warm water. Once placed in, Pliny immediately started trying to climb out. It wasn’t deep enough to force him to swim, but enough to get his belly pretty wet. He got soaped, scrubbed with a tooth brush, and rinsed. Getting him thoroughly dry almost took as long as the bath. It’s important to keep him dry and warm. Also, when wet, his quills stick together, making him look even more bedraggled and, you guessed it, cute.
Thankfully, Pliny will only need a few baths a year. A bath every so often can keep a hedgehog looking its best, and also cut down on the amount of hedgehog proteins accumulated on their quills. This is useful to decrease my allergic response to getting poked.
