Couple (a lot) questions

[Mikayla]

So...I've had Sonic for a week and I love him bunches. BUT I have a few (understatement) questions so I'm just gonna throw them out.

His ears are really tattered, I heard about mites but he doesn't itch, is it okay?

How often do I give him mealworms? I know not too often just wondering how often is too often.

How often do I give baths?

How do I make him stink less? I was expecting stink, but this is BAD... I have cleaned his cage twice already and I've only had him for a week. When I opened the cage today (I've fed and watered him but I haven't really held him much in the last couple of days since the chins have been needing handfeeding) When I c

How do I get him to be cleaner? He's a bachelor...believe me. He doesn't poop in the corner of the cage like I though so in return he rolls in his poop. Yes. So he smells along with his cage.

I have a lot more questions but they have just slipped my mind. I'll post them here later when I get them back

 

[Raindog]

For his ears you can rub Vaseline or bag balm on them. It should fix then up pretty quick. I slather a q-tip in vaseline and swipe Quinn's ears when they get dirty.

Is he a baby? Babies poop a lot. There are some tips on bathroom training in here somewhere, I know you can move the poop where you want him to go and he may get the idea. Quinn just goes on his wheel so a tray under the wheel has helped a lot.

Hopefully someone will come by to answer some of the others.

 

[LovinHedgies]

His ears are really tattered, I heard about mites but he doesn't itch, is it okay?

How often do I give him mealworms? I know not too often just wondering how often is too often.

How often do I give baths?

How do I make him stink less?

How do I get him to be cleaner?

Are his ear tattered - like they were chewed? Or dry? If they are dry you can try adding flaxseed oil to his diet, but that could make his poo smell worse I have read great reviews for Sunshine Factor on hedgehogcentral, and I ordered some a few days ago to help with my male hedgehogs dry skin.

Does he like mealworms? When I had hedgies that actually liked mealworms, I gave one everyother night, I let them pick out their own from the container. Is he overweight? Does he like any other treats? Mine love hardboiled eggs. My chubby guy gets only the whites of the egg and my little lady gets a little of the yolk and the whites. Also, baby foods are a hit here. Try mixing up his treats I'm sure he will love the variety

Baths are only needed when the hedgie is dirty. Often times I only give a footbath because a full bath can dry out their skin. Using a soft toothbrush is helpful in "scrubbing" their quills You can also add a little flaxseed oil to the bath to help with dry skin (if he has that).

For stinking less...do you use fleece liners? I do and I hardly notice a smell. My hedgies basically only poop on or under their wheels and I clean those every evening. I change the liners at least every third day and more if needed.

Unfortunately some hedgies are just super messy You can try litter training, but it doesn't always work.

Hopefully that helps a little! Hopefully you'll get some more answers soon

 

[smhufflepuff]

His ears are really tattered, I heard about mites but he doesn't itch, is it okay?.

Tattered ears without any other issues, I'd say vaseline or bag balm.

How often do I give him mealworms? I know not too often just wondering how often is too often..

You'll get a sense of what his tummy is and is not happy with. For instance, I know Satin will eat as many mealies as possible, but if I give her more than 3 or 4, she'll have messy poops. Also, it'll depend on his weight - you can aim for just about every night with a skinny little fella; space it out more for a chubby guy.

Another thing to consider is if he's had mealies before he came to live with you. Since you've had him for just one week, he's probably still settling in. I might hold off on mealies until he's a bit more settled if mealies are new to him.

How often do I give baths?.

Only when necessary. Baths dry out hedgies' skin, so only give a full bath when he's a mess. You can add oatmeal to the water (put oatmeal in a sock; put sock in the water) to help moisturize. If his feet are messy from wheeling, you can give him a foot bath (very low water level just to get the feet) every day if needed.

How do I make him stink less? I was expecting stink, but this is BAD... I have cleaned his cage twice already and I've only had him for a week. When I opened the cage today

"Opened the cage today" - what kind of cage do you have? I can imagine a certain amount of stink building up in a fish tank kind of cage (poor ventilation). Not so much building up in something like a plastic-bottom/wire-top or cubes & coroplast type of cage.
What kind of food is he eating? Some foods are associated with more stinky poops.

How do I get him to be cleaner? He's a bachelor...believe me. He doesn't poop in the corner of the cage like I though so in return he rolls in his poop. Yes. So he smells along with his cage.

Does he have a wheel? Most hedgies prefer to poop while wheeling - which limits the poop to the wheel area... and their feet. Many hedgies have daily foot baths (as opposed to a full bath) to deal with their poopboots.
And how old is he? Babies are poop machines.