My Hog Won't Run On Her Wheel

[AlexWG]

I have noticed a clean wheel for a few nights, so I sat near her cage to observe why there was a lack of running on the wheel. It seems my hog is struggling to stay on the wheel as she keeps falling off of it. She is over a year old and has been running on her wheel every night since I got her, but now she seems to slip off the wheel when trying to run on it. It's a Carolina Storm Bucket Wheel and she has never had problems in the past.

Do I need to angle the wheel differently?

She has gained weight recently (as discussed in previous threads), is she too chubby for her wheel now?

Should I try a bigger wheel?

Not sure what to do. Her cage (a cupboard, lots and lots of space) has other stuff for her to do, but I want her using the wheel for exercise as I'm trying to get her to lose some weight. Also switched her to a less fatty food, but may need to switch again as she doesn't seem to be slimming down.

[nikki]

Try tilting the wheel back a bit. With her extra weight it may be causing the wheel to sag and tip down.

[Yukidama's mama]

Also have you ever tightened the bolt at the back? Mine becomes loose after a while and just needs tightening every month or so. Perhaps it's a little loose but the tilting of the wheel should also help. I did this for my boy at the beginning and he could run for longer on it without running/slipping off it >.<