Cincinnati's adorable baby hippo takes nap in the shower

CINCINNATI — Fiona the hippo starts her mornings off much like most people do: She weighs in, eats breakfast and hits the shower.

OK, that last one isn’t part of her regular routine. But the Cincinnati Zoo's premature baby hippo added it one recent morning.

The weigh-in, to keep tabs on the premature baby hippo's increasing weight, happens every morning. So does breakfast: The almost 3-month-old takes in about 60 ounces of formula to start the day.

After that, though, Fiona's caretakers let her decide what comes next as she explores hippo-proof parts of their building with a chaperone. Recently, she walked into the shower that the zoo's divers use and stood there.

► March: The science behind milking a hippo, saving baby Fiona
► February: Cincinnati's premie hippo gets help from human hospital
► February: Cincinnati Zoo's premature hippo Fiona takes first steps

Knowing that hippos like to be wet, her caregiver turned on the water. Fiona used it as a chance to play until she got tired and decided to take a nap with the water running.

Fiona, the first Nile hippo born at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens in 75 years, weighed 29 pounds at birth, about 25 pounds lighter than the lowest recorded birth weight for her species. On Tuesday, she was up to 166 pounds.

Because she was unable to nurse from her mother, zoo staffers have been milking mom Bibi and caring for Fiona since her Jan. 24 birth.

Follow Shauna Steigerwald on Twitter: @shaunaincincy