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HYGIENE, CLEANING, AND TOILETING
Until baby learns to groom, we must provide this service for them. It is all a part of the hygiene regime, it is good for them - and they love it. This section deals with two vitally important aspects of orphaned flying-fox care: cleaning, and toileting your baby. In the wild, mum carries out these duties with a dedicated attention to detail, and we as foster mums and dads need to do the same. Baby flying-foxes under 4-5 weeks old are not very capable of going to the toilet by themselves, so if we do not help them, we risk enormous strain to both gastro-intestinal and urogenital systems, such as blockage of the bowel, prolapse, bladder damage, kidney damage, and septicaemia. Also, if we do not keep our little charges scrupulously clean, we risk all sorts of problems ranging from infection to mould formation on wing membranes - both of which can kill.
TOILETING In the wild, mother flying-fox toilets her baby by licking the genital area, which stimulates, and encourages baby to void waste: urine and faeces. Before you throw your hands up in horror, exclaiming 'I'm not doing that.' The good news is - you don't have to.
Rather than use our tongue (I hear sighs of relief), we substitute with a moistened tissue or finger. Whilst baby is clinging to his or her mummy roll, you simply peel them off, securing wings and feet between your fingers - as in the photo above - and then holding them vertically, a few gentle downward strokes with that moist tissue or finger, encourages baby to do what a baby needs to do. To make life easy I use a "poo bucket" which is no more than a shallow plastic bowl (reserved for this purpose only), lined with a couple of tissues. Baby is simply held over the poo bucket, and stimulation combined with gravity produces the desired result. I find this very beneficial when raising multiple babies, as it keeps all the nasties in one neat place. The poo bucket, which is emptied after each round of feeding makes a great addition to your compost bin, and the bowl is washed once a day with disinfectant to keep everything squeaky clean. Boy babies of course have anatomy, which is cunningly designed to send a jet-propelled stream of pee clean over the bucket, where it lands instead in coffee cups, on books or magazines, or all over the table. And worse, they are so shameless, that they don't even care! Not to worry - its all about angles and distance. Tilt them forward a bit, and you will soon be toileting like a pro. All sounds relatively easy doesn't it? The problem is that for many new carers the grip ends up looking nothing like the picture above. The reason that some have problems mastering this grip is that they fear that baby flying-foxes are so fragile, that somehow they'll break them. These little bubs are actually very tough, and we need to be firm (firmly held bubs feel secure, and don't struggle). We are not talking about rib-crushing pressure here, but if you have a firm grip on all the moving parts, baby will feel secure. If you're grip is loose and indecisive, baby does not feel secure, and fearing it may be dropped, turns into a flailing mass of thumbs and feet, trying to gain a purchase onto anything, and everything. The result of all this, is that instead of you gripping baby - baby ends up gripping you - and where does all this lead? Well, all the unpleasant substances that were meant to end up in the poo bucket end up running down your arm. If it all goes pear-shaped and your grip looks nothing like the photo above, just put them back on the mummy roll and try again. A bit of practice and you'll soon be doing this with your eyes closed (almost).
A VARIATION ON THE THEME: Many experienced flying-fox carers simply leave baby on the mummy roll, and by just lifting one leg off, have access to "the bits" for toileting. This is actually how baby learns to toilet in the wild. They drop one leg outwards, and gravity does the rest. It really does not matter what method you use for toileting, as long as you - and baby - are comfortable with it. WHEN TO TOILET: We toilet baby flying-foxes just before each feed, just after each feed, and again just before putting them back to bed. The procedure goes something like this: we have warmed our milk, and are ready to feed. We unwrap baby, take them off the mummy roll, and toilet. When finished, we allow them to cling back onto the roll, and re-wrap. We feed, and then toilet again, before allowing exercise time on our shirt, which is also the perfect time to clean body and wings. After 10-15 minutes exercise and cleaning, we toilet again, before re-wrapping and putting back to bed. Toileting just before each feed completely empties the system - particularly the bladder - allowing baby to take a full feed, without putting undue pressure on an otherwise full bladder. Remember - mother flying-foxes do not feed anything like the large volumes that we do. Toileting just after each feed (which may or may not produce anything) simply avoids you wearing unmentionables on your shirt all the time. And, toileting again after exercise, allows for the very short digestive transit time, and simply means that with an empty system, they are less likely to soil mummy roll and wraps. Clean dry babies are happy healthy babies. DO NOT OVER STIMULATE: When toileting, we just need to use a few gentle strokes. If nothing happens after a few seconds, do not ever force the issue. If you over-stimulate a baby flying-fox whilst attempting to toilet, there is a very real risk of prolapse from straining. Prolapse is a nightmare to be avoided at all cost, and is not easy to fix. If baby does not produce anything, just try again a few minutes later. If still nothing, it does not matter. Babies do not poo every single feed. If however, baby appears to be constantly straining, but producing nothing - or goes for three consecutive feeds without pooing - a phone call to your coordinator would be a wise move. Do not use dry tissues when toileting, they are too rough on sensitive little parts, and can abrade - causing inflammation or infection. WHEN TO STOP TOILETING: Mother flying-foxes may continue to toilet their bubs until 12 weeks of age or more, which is long after the point that baby has learnt to do this for themselves. Baby flying-foxes in our care will start to invert, and toilet themselves from as young as 4 weeks old, and you will certainly see them doing this once out on their airers for exercise. We should however continue to toilet both before and after each feed, up until the point that we stop feeding them milk at 11-12 weeks old, because that is what mum does, and just as importantly - If you stop toileting too early - you may end up wearing the results.
URINE BATHING: Only new carers need to read this bit. You have proudly raised your first baby flying-fox. You have breezed through with very few problems, and now have a perfectly behaved little bat, whose table manners and general demeanour would be the envy of Sydney socialites. And then to your horror, you walk in one afternoon to find that junior is peeing all over itself - but worse - is rubbing it all over its head with its wings. 'Where have I gone wrong?' exclaims the new carer. 'What did I do to deserve this grotty little monster?' 'What will my coordinator think?' A word of comforting explanation. Your little bat has just taken his or her first urine bath. There is nothing to be alarmed at, as this is completely normal behaviour, and certainly does not require you to desperately search the yellow pages for a non-existent bat psychologist. CLEANING YOUR BABY Before moving on to actually cleaning your baby, we need to start with a word of extreme caution: flying-fox wing membranes whilst very strong, are actually very sensitive to all manner of cleaning products. In the past, horrendous, and sometimes irreparable damage has been done by using products like tea tree oil, or WET ONES ®, both of which can literally dissolve and destroy wing membranes. There are only two safe and recommended products we can use: PLAIN WATER and JOHNSON'S BABY LOTION ® (in the pink bottle only). The only other thing that is safe to use on wing membrane is JOHNSON'S BABY SKINCARE LIGHTLY SCENTED CLOTH WIPES ® (in the pink packet only), which are very soft cloth impregnated with just the right amount of above mentioned lotion. Just as a mother keeps her pup meticulously clean, we must do the same. Mum of course, uses her tongue, which is warm and damp (not wet), and we can easily imitate this by using a soft cotton cloth soaked in a bowl of warm water, and then wrung out before use. Remember: damp, not wet. The easiest way to clean baby is to copy mum. A mother flying-fox cleans her baby whilst it is hanging from her body, and we can do exactly the same thing. After feeding, we allow baby to hang from our shirt, with its head level with our waist or lap. This is the most comfortable position for you to both clean, and to see what you are doing. Baby's leg joints are amazingly flexible - allowing them to hang equally as well, either facing in or facing out, which certainly makes for easy cleaning access. FACE: A baby flying-fox should have its face cleaned after every single milk feed, because milk residue is the perfect breeding medium for a whole host of bacterial organisms. After feeding, sponge any milk from lips and face with a warm, damp cloth or tissue before offering the dummy. Warm water is all that is required, and most babies seem to thoroughly enjoy having their little faces gently washed. If any milk has dribbled down the sides of the face, into the ears, or the hollow of the neck, it goes without saying that this needs to be sponged away too. BODY: To clean the body, we again need nothing more than water, using our trusty warm, damp, and soft cotton cloth. Gently sponge any soiled fur, paying particular attention to certain areas that are very easily missed, such as the inside of the trousers, the lower back - just between the legs, and deep inside those cavernous wing pits; which are natural collection points for all manner of stuff. You will soon discover that flying-fox poo sticks to fur with the tenacity of two-pack adhesive, and we must use patience, and gentle perseverance to remove every last trace. Equally as important, is to make sure that baby is thoroughly dry afterwards, using tissues, or better still, a clean dry face washer or small towel. This drying process can be greatly aided by allowing a little exercise and wing stretching on your shirt outdoors. Plenty of fresh air and sunshine works wonders. The genital area must be cleaned after every single feed (and toileting), and the rest of the body should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a day. WINGS:
Note that baby has a firm grip on my shirt with his feet - which leaves both hands free to clean him up.
To stretch the wing for cleaning, simply hold the wrist (that's the bit where the thumb is), with your thumb and forefinger on top, and with your third, fourth, and fifth fingers underneath to support, you splay the wing out like opening a Chinese fan. Your other hand is now free to sponge or wipe, working in a natural outward direction, starting from deep in the wing pit, out along arm bones, and from baby's wrist out towards fingertips. We need to clean all membrane surfaces, paying attention to natural recesses where membrane meets finger and arm bones, where membrane meets body, and as mentioned above, particular attention should be given to membrane deep inside those wing pits - which are easily missed, and are naturally damp smelly collection points. Whilst we need to clean both inner and outer wing surfaces, it does not take a rocket scientist to work out that when baby is asleep with folded wings, the outer surfaces at least have some exposure to air, whilst the inner have all those hidden nooks and crannies, with the potential to become damp and stale. Do not be frightened of tearing your baby's wings whilst cleaning. Membrane is very strong and flexible, and as long as you use a soft cloth, you will do no damage. Most babies learn this routine very quickly, and it never ceases to amaze me, how after just a few days, baby will "help" by willingly opening its wings up for cleaning. There are two methods of cleaning wings, both of which are arguably equally as good, and both have their committed camps of followers:
I personally (along with many other carers and organisations) prefer the JOHNSON'S method, because no water is ever in contact with membrane, and no water means no risk of residual dampness for mould or bacteria to take hold. Many groups - including ours - have not had a single incidence of membrane infection in care since using this method. Whether water or lotion, the wings should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a day. CLEANING CONSIDERATIONS: If using JOHNSON'S - THINK PINK (see above). Do not use any untried or un-recommended cleaning product, shampoo, or any soap product on your baby's wings ever. Do not ever use a heater or hair drier to dry your pup after cleaning, as it can severely damage those sensitive little wing membranes. A baby flying-fox has wing membrane which is just two ultra thin layers of skin with a micro layer of supporting tissue in between. The whole structure is far less than 1mm thick, and as such, will readily burn with a hair drier temperature, which seems very comfortable on your own skin. Mould spores and bacteria are always present in the air around us, and these pathogens can absolutely thrive in an environment that is warm and damp. Slimy wing can do irreparable damage to membrane, is very painful, spreads frighteningly fast, and unchecked, can even kill your baby. I cannot stress enough, the need to thoroughly dry your baby after cleaning (and then dry it again), before wrapping and putting back to bed. If any moisture at all is present on the inner surfaces of wings, wrapping will trap that moisture in, which is further compounded, because we are then putting our wrapped baby back into a heated environment. If you are not familiar with, or have never seen mould or slimy wing, but even remotely suspect the possibility that part of baby's wing membrane does not look (or smell right) - phone your coordinator immediately. Bacterial and fungal membrane infection is covered in full here WHEN TO STOP CLEANING: We can cease cleaning once baby is observed fully cleaning (both washing and grooming) itself. This is very hard to put an exact time frame on, but you should certainly cease cleaning wings with JOHNSON'S BABY LOTION ® once baby is observed washing their own wings - to avoid undue ingestion. This usually happens somewhere between 5-7 weeks old. Water is fine to use for cleaning at any age. Baby flying-foxes may start to wash themselves from as early as three weeks old. At this age it is just a few tentative licks, but within no time at all, they soon progress to washing every square millimetre of membrane with ardent fervour. Anyone who suggests to you that flying-foxes are dirty creatures, has obviously never observed a baby cleaning itself in action, or has not seen them wriggle out of soiled bedding to get away. So when do we stop cleaning? Common sense dictates. As a general rule of thumb, we can stop once baby is out on the airer all day, and is clearly observed devoting much time to washing and grooming. We should of course continue to clean face and genital areas after each feed and toileting, and a bit of spot cleaning does not go amiss if baby accidentally poos all over themselves - no matter how old they are. CLEAN WRAPPINGS No section on hygiene would be complete without mentioning clean mummy rolls and wraps at all times. It is really quite pointless keeping baby spotless, if we then return them to bed clinging to, or wrapped in, soiled bedding. Soiled bedding harbours and encourages bacteria, mould, and parasites. Change mummy rolls and wraps whenever they are damp, whenever they are soiled, and once a day, regardless of whether they are soiled or not. GROOMING
No section on hygiene and cleaning would be complete without a quick look at grooming. Flying-foxes devote a lot of time each day to the art of grooming, and this skill is learnt quite early on as babies: at first just being the odd scratch with toenails, but quickly progressing to full-on grooming sessions. Some babies learn this quicker than others, but until they do, we need to provide this service for them. Flying-foxes are equipped with amazing grooming devices - their feet - and coupled with the absence of knee caps, can rotate and reach almost every part of their body with their toenails: with amazing dexterity. Flying-fox toes are laterally flattened, so being so close together, the toenails form a very efficient combing device. We have already looked at cleaning and conditioning all the shiny membrane bits, and with grooming, we are conditioning all the furry bits. For our purposes, all we need is either a soft toothbrush (preferably not the one you use on your teeth), or a small baby's hairbrush. When babies start to groom, they usually start with their own faces, ears, and bellies, but often take longer to master grooming their backs and legs, so these are usually the areas I concentrate on. Apart from removing stray fur, bits of dried milk or food, and dead skin cells, grooming has another valuable purpose other than just hygiene - it communicates to the orphan that someone cares. Mother flying-foxes spend much time washing and grooming their babies, and just like primates, this tactile bond between mother and baby is incredibly strong. An orphaned flying-fox, by definition, has no mother, so this bond is missing. As foster carers, we can add a small degree of normality by spending a few minutes each day doing what their mothers do - grooming them. Whilst hanging from your shirt after feeding, a few minutes brushing will do wonders for hygiene, sensory stimulation, and quality bonding time. Personally, I find brushing baby is very therapeutic and relaxing (to me), and what does baby think of all this? Just look at the photo above. AND WHILST ON TOOTHBRUSHES - A GORGEOUS LIGHT-HEARTED MOMENT: Why do I love caring for flying-foxes? Reason number 649 - you'll never see a possum doing this.....
No - but this gorgeous photo certainly illustrates both curiosity and dexterity. Section last updated: 27.07.2008 10:20 AM
1. Photos courtesy of Mandi Griffith. 2. Photos courtesy of Stefan Klose. |
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'I could take this all day long.'1
A range of tried and safe cleaning products for baby: soft
tissues, Johnson's (pink) lotion and wipes, cotton make up removal
pads - and good old water.
12-day-old female baby grey-headed flying-fox securely
held in a "toilet grip".
Toileting a 4-week-old baby male black with a moistened
tissue2
'It's OK folks, I'm alright. I'll get the hang of this
inverting thing in a minute - maybe?.'
What a little professional - inverting to toilet is "hardwired"
into their very DNA.
Cleaning membrane with a Johnson's ® wipe - in amongst
the wrist2
Between the fingers2
And outwards towards the tips2
Grooming a baby grey with a toothbrush1
Are flying-foxes so smart they can brush their own teeth?1 |
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