How do I get olive oil off my gerbil's fur without giving it a bath?

I tried wiping him down a few times with diluted apple cider vinegar and it's not helping much. I let the thing run around the kitchen and apparently there was some spilled olive oil under the counter and he got it on him and when he went back in his cage, rolled around in sand and now he's just a greasy, muddy mess and looks miserable. He'll feel more miserable if I actually have to ';bathe'; him in water.How do I get olive oil off my gerbil's fur without giving it a bath?
olive oil and sand are harmless.


no problem.


the gerbil will clean itself.


it's a rodent.How do I get olive oil off my gerbil's fur without giving it a bath?
ever thought of shave off the fur??
I'm no gerbil expert, but you might try spot-cleaning him with a damp washcloth and a little Johnson %26amp; Johnson Baby Shampoo.
Chinchilla sand is recommended for (more sensitive) dwarf hamsters, I'd imagine it will do well for your gerbil.





You may need to give in and give him a bath anyway, with a (very) tiny amount of dish soap. Make sure he's completely rinsed. I've bathed my dwarf hamsters once after they managed to get into oil and they did fine. Make sure you dry him completely before putting him in his cage, and avoid getting soap and water on his face.
give it a dry bath in oatmeal.





the dry oatmeal soaks up the oil ... might take a few times.





VINEGAR?? got croutons too?


:-)) sounds good with garlic!





oil and vinegar make Italian dressing which has to be shaken when you pout it on a salad.
Well...they use Dawn to get oil out of duck's feathers and otter's fur-and I use it to get cooking oil out of my clothes, so if nothing else works, I would try that. I know he'll get cold, but I would try a spot first to see if it works, and then try to dry him off as best as possible, perhaps with a towel, and maybe a blow dryer-but set on a low speed, only warm-not high- and hold it about 2 feet away from him so that it's more like a gentle breeze that hits him.





I'm sure he's really uncomfortable, and I feel bad for the little guy.





This is for getting oil out of a dogs fur...


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?鈥?/a>





This is for removing motor oil from it's fur, but you never know


http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/fur_cont鈥?/a>





Good luck!





Edit: Dawn will work. It will lift the oil off his fur. Perhaps there isn't a way to get it out, without giving him a bath, except getting absorbed by chinchilla sand, with several dust baths, or just your gerbil cleaning itself over time. You could also try just wiping him with dry paper towels to try to absorb the oil. Honestly I feel sorry for the little guy, for being in a mess in general, and for having an owner that's inconsiderate and not very nice to people who are trying to help.