Ax's hygiene

[Blaise Zebrataur]

Ax probably just goes into a river and clean up as much as possible or get stuff from Cassie if he needs it.

[Estelore]

Another thing to keep in mind, he's probably in a conifer forest, not a hardwood forest. In that setting, things like soapwood and antiseptic tannins are actually pretty easy to obtain, as are ways to get a pine-fresh scent.
On the matter of fleas themselves... they're everywhere in the woods; we just don't notice them because we don't spend our whole lives laying out in grass. You can be immaculately clean in the woods, with some effort, and still have total flea infestation if you don't use some kind of chemical preventative.

[anijen21]

I seem to recall some scene in some book, I think it was 19, where Cassie had a trough just like, outside for the wild animals. She said it had been getting gross and had been meaning to clean it, but Ax did it for her.

I don't really know what this means in terms of his methods for keeping clean, but to me that sort of shows he's a little bit of a neat freak. And he shares infrastructure with wild animals.

idk! It's an interesting question. I think it's just an interesting overall dilemma for a socialized race who still lives outside and runs around in herds. How do they keep things sanitary so diseases don't spread? How do they keep themselves safe from the elements without any kind of "indoor" area to escape into? Maybe Andalites just have super super amazing immune systems, having survived thousands of generations in that kind of environment. Then again their appendix is in their brain so I don't know how kind mother nature has been to them.

[11:11]

Well we know he smells in some way because in MM1 when Marco and Jake morph wolves Jake describes Ax's smell as "a strange, alien smell. A smell like nothing I could imagine" (89). And we also know that Andalites do clean themselves too because in MM3 Ax says "We were relatively backward technologically, but we had managed to discover cleaning agents. These humans are universally filthy" (47).

Anyways, I agree with anijen. I can totally see Ax being a neat freak.

[Zero_Messiah]

Most Andalites are pretty high tech; their method of cleaning would probably be using some sort of sterilization agent in their ships/homes. Also note, it is unlikely for Ax to be able to actually wash thorughly; I'm pretty sure KA's description of him (as well as artist illustrations) prevent him frm actually reaching every part of his body. One example, would be his back; most humans can't completely clean their backs because there are spots our arms simply do not reach easily.

Also, it's a wonder why Ax never gets sick from human diseases. The only disease he gets is Yamphut, and that immediately proceeds to infect 4 other humans. Meanwhile, Ax gets no cross species infections; which is even more unlikely, considering whatever immune system Ax has will have absolutely no defences against earth disease.

And the fact that he lives constantly in the woods. Flea bites, mosquito bites, rabid animals. So many things he could get sick from.

He could probably write a book; "Surviving against all Odds: An Andalite's Guide to Earth"

[TobiasMasonPark]

     Again, we are overthinking this.

     This is simple: He does what us humans do: he has another Andalite wash his back. And that Andalite gets his friend, and his friend gest a friend, etc.

     Just a massive Andalite wash.

[11:11]

massive Andalite wash

That sounds sexual.

Mertil and Gafinilan would enjoy that method XD
Other Andalites could, you know, use a loofa :p

I was just thinking that since Andalites don't wear clothes and don't have to deal with embarrassment issues like humans when it comes to being naked, if the bathing process or whatever they do would still be a private one. I mean their daily rituals seem sort of private, but that's more of a personal/spiritual sort of thing so I dunno not exactly the same. Hmm...

[RAFrukh]

I wouldn't think it would be private. It's not like while they take a bath they leave their fur to dry. 

Let's ask...

Hey ax! How do you keep yourself clean in the woods?
....
Oh yea, it's just an emote. 

[Blaise Zebrataur]

LOL Well Ax probably just reaches the spots he CAN reach and probably doesn't wash the other parts he can.In that cause he just goes to the river and clean as best he can hence probably the smelling so bad part.It is sort of like how a centaur would stay clean or that really.Wash where you can,if you can't go to a shower,waterfall river something and clean as best you can.Now about...certain areas...hey that is for Ax to know and..deal with.

[Darth Zakryn]

I agree. I can totally see Ax being forced to cope by manually washing those parts and then making do with the rest. And I love the sound of that book, Zero! I may just write something like that... I bet it would be popular on the Andalite homeworld!

[Blazing Angel]

What exactly would happen if ax stepped in....um.....animal waste.

[Stephquiem]

He'd wash it off like anyone else would?

I'm sure he watches where he's going when he's eating. And when he's not... he closes his hooves.

This topic reminded me: We only hear about any of them taking baths a handful of times (I can think of three off the top of my head. Don't know the total number.) If you wanted to, you could assume that none of them showered beyond that. For three years.

Actually, what I want to know: What'd they do from 49 on?

[Blazing Angel]

Ax probably came up with a simple plumbing/irrigation system where water heated inside tin foil.

[Zero_Messiah]

Unless they had their own piping (which they wouldn't, too much work to do and no materials) or they used piping which was already there (which shouldn't exist, since that area isn't populated by humans) the most likely reason would be the nearby water source would be within walking distance and they'd take turns to shower.

For example, they still have coffee despite being cut off from society.

[Tim Bruening]

would morphing get rid of any bad odors that plagued him?

If it did, than Visser 3 would have morphed at the end of "The Secret" to get rid of the skunk scent Cassie had sprayed him with, instead of bathing in grape juice!