Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Bath

After a solid week of being Impostor Mommy, I'm finally feeling better so my voice is now back to normal. Gizmo was overjoyed to have "me" back, so naturally I had to spoil it by giving him a bath this morning.

I have to admit, he was a pretty good boy during his bath. No screaming or flailing or constantly trying to escape. He DID poop in the tub, but he always does that, so no surprises there.

4 comments:

  1. Why on earth would you bathe a fox? Foxes don't need baths. They groom themselves.

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  2. Clearly, you've never shared a household with one for any length of time.

    Yes, foxes do groom themselves, but to be kept indoors they also require baths and brushing, much like any thick-coated dog would.

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  3. How often should you bathe a fox?

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  4. Hi there! Rescued a 6 week old (?) baby fox and bathed it today (very dirty, covered in poo). I had to put on rubber dish gloves for hand protection from bitty claws and teeth. I held the baby over the tub with constant stream of clean water to rinse dirt away, rather than putting her in the water or under the faucet, which seemed like it would be torture to me. I did not wet the fox's head at all because water can get in their ears and they can get sick. I used J&J No more Tears and dunked a washcloth in the warm (not hot) water, then gently squeezed water onto the baby. This worked very well in removing dirt/poo from the fur. I then put more soap on the cloth and cleaned between her little toes. After dislodging all poo and dirt, I took a clean cloth and wet it, then squeezed clean, unsoaped water on the baby's fur until the water ran clean. After the bath, I wrapped her in a towel and patted her dry. I wrapped her in a clean, dry towel to prevent hypothermia, and gently combed all matted fur with a NEW comb that was never used on humans. She fell asleep whilst being combed. She did not scream while being bathed. Well fed and happy baby. She's going to the nature conservatory tomorrow! Note: Never go toward wild animals with an open hand. Use a closed, gloved hand to protect fingers. Support baby animals' backside, keep them warm and dry and offer clean water & food specifically for that animal's diet, not just table scraps. Baby fox has a tendency to nest, so I offered newspaper and a blanket in the crate. Again, she is going to a secure nature environment, NOT being kept as a pet.

    ReplyDelete

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