They Stink! peeoooo! Do I dare bathe them?

[heidiann]

So this is day 7 with my 7-9 week olds and I'm noticing the stench wafting from their cage. A couple questions. I have woodchips down as their bedding. Is this a good or bad idea. I thought it would be easy to clean up but I'm afraid that is contributing to the smell. They chew on the woodchips sometimes too. Is there something better. I don't want to use anything that has to be laundered. I've been through that with my ducks and lost a lot of good towels.:shakehead
So does anyone actually give these little guys baths. While feeding them last night I noticed a stench coming from them too. I'm afraid of them escaping on me, nevermind tearing me up sorta like when you try to bathe a cat. Ow, painful flashbacks! Should I let nature take it's course and clean out their cage but let them clean themselves? My daughter was gagging this morning.:rotfl Guess I got some cleaning to do one way or another. Heidi

[Critter_Queen]

It's ok to bathe them. Use really gentle baby bath in warm water...I like to do it in the bathroom sink...and don't dunk 'em...squirrels don't particularly care for water. If it helps with the wild one, you can towel him first and that will save you some injury...

The wood chips are ok, but really, and I know you said you don't want to do this...but old t-shirts, old sheets, remnants from the fabric store of fleece, etc is what works best for me. I change it out once or twice a day, depending on how stinky they get.... And you should change whatever bedding you use at least every other day anyway...that could be part of the problem...they get smelly FAST and if you don't clean it out it gets REALLY BAD.

What kind of enclosure are they in? If they have eyes open they should have a nest spot, a food spot and a potty spot for them in a cage. They will usually start going potty in one part of the cage rather than in the bedding.

They do get stinky huh? :D

[Mrs. Jack]

You don't have to wreck your good towels.. go to a Goodwill or Salvation army, get a bunch of soft baby blankets etc for not much money and wash them good and voila. :)

[Somebody's Mother]

i would suggest not using cedar or pine chips. i was told when we got our guinea pig five years ago that these can cause respiratory problems and some cancers in rodents. technically the squirrel is a rodent. the most beautiful rodent but still a rodent.
for the guinea pig we use some bedding that looks like paperwads. wee little balls of paper.
karen had a bad stench when he was on formula but since he is off of it he doesn't smell nearly as bad. i take all his bedding out and shake it out and check to see if anything is soiled once a day and sometimes twice a day. i am still using cloths in his cage.
when karen was still drinking formula he would dribble it down his neck. he would furiously try and clean it off but he couldn't. so the vet suggested i use a damp washcloth and wash his neck after meals.

my baby is sitting in the sun this morning. he seems to really like it.

[Preacher]

Something I learned is babywipes, & you can bathe them. Now that BH is older..over 2 yrs. Agee can dunk her & she seems to actually like it! She can even use the sprayer on the kitchen sink & BH will just lay in her hand so still till shes rinsed real good. Dryin is my part cause when shes wet it's time to play & fight!!!

[heidiann]

Well I just finished the dirty deed. They did as well as a cat would. I hurt! I used the bathroom sink also and mild soap. One ended up i soaking wet in my armpit somehow then I lost hold and he climbed onto my back and caught in my hair. Luckily my husband had stopped home for a minute so he extracted him for me. The cage is clean now and I switched to paper towels for now till I gather some rags. They'll be easier to change than the wood chips.
SO I'm very interested in making them a potty spot. Thanks for the tip. One of them peed in the food bowl this morning! What should I put there or will they just decide. I have them in a 2wX4lx2 high cage that has a plastic bottom and removable metal cage top. It's easy to clean and roomy, but I guess I wasn't cleaning it enough. The first few days, they hardly peed or pooped so I thought it was going to be easy but now that they're on the esbilac that's all changed.:shakehead It's a good thing though.
They have a barbie doll tent for their nest spot. Some go in . some go under. They seem to like it. Should I always have food available to them? That's what I've been doing. Thanks for all the tips CQ, Mrs. J and SM. I can't believe how many questions I have throughout the day. Thanks for being there. I just started putting their cage on the porch for sunlight yesterday. I didn't know they needed it until I read about someone else doing it in the info section. If there's anything else anyone thinks I may be missing, feel free to let me know. I know there's so much to learn. These guys are a lot more complicated than ducklings, but actually neater believe it or not. NOw I gotta go get myself cleaned up. Gosh it's a good thing I don't have a job! Take Care. Heidi
PS I wonder if my house will ever not smell like a farm, just when I get the ducks out these newcritters come along.:rotfl

[heidiann]

Thanks preacher I'll definitely use baby wipes in between. That's a good idea. I hope someday mine will be as calm about things as yours but I fear not because I got them so old. We'll see.

[Critter_Queen]

Sounds like you did a good job! :thumbsup All clean squirrels!!

When you get the rags you are going to use, take one of the paper towels you have in there now that's been peed or pooped on and put it in the opposite corner of the cage that their nesting and eating spots. USUALLY this will help them start going in that corner...or they may pick the food corner so you might have to move stuff around some. :)

You should leave food for them all day long. Since it sounds like you are able to be home most of the time, just be sure to remove any perishable items after 2 hours...maybe up to 4 if your house is cold... If you have to leave for more than 2-4 hours at a time, leave only non-perishable items out.

My husband and I rehab mostly waterfowl and squirrels, so I HEAR YA on the duck poop! P U!! They get STINKY. Hubby built me an outdoor enclosure (pics on the General board) that has electricity (for heat lamps) so we don't have to bring the ducklings inside anymore! YAY!! Duck poop is BAD NEWS! LOL! 'Specially since you usually have a whole flock of 'em rather than just one or two...the poop piles up fast! :D

and feel free to ask all the questions you want! It's nice to help people that are willing to make changes in order to benefit the critters!!