Doesn't like Wheel or Ball

[hhodge1104]

Hi everyone! My hedgie "Pugsley" has never liked the wheel and no longer enjoys his ball. He will just roll into a corner and go to sleep. I was thinking perhaps the ball might be too small for him, but the bigger size looks HUGE.

I am just worried that he isn't getting enough exercise, even though he is quite active at night. Any other suggestions? Also what is an average weight? I feed him meal worms occasionally as well and I know these can cause them to get a bit chunky.

[Lilysmommy]

There's not really an average weight for hedgehogs - they can be anywhere from 200 to 1000 grams. So appropriate weight completely depends on the individual, and it's better to judge by body shape. If he's a healthy weight, he'll either have straight sides (runner-type hedgehog) or slightly rounded sides, with his body looking like a tear drop. If he's underweight, his sides will be slightly caved in like ) ( and if he's overweight, he'll look rounder, like a ball. Other signs of being overweight include a hump of fat between the shoulders on the back, rolls of fat in the armpits under his legs, and a double chin, as well as feeling kind of "squishy".

What kind of wheel do you have? How big is his cage? There's occasionally a hedgehog that just does not like wheels, but it's not extremely common, from what I've seen. Usually there's other causes, like the wheel being too small or wobbly/unstable, nails being too long, too much light in the room at night, etc.

Mealworms are a fattier treat & if you want to go with something lower fat just in case, crickets are a popular option. Dubia roaches are good too, but harder to find. You can also encourage activity in his cage by freezing crickets (after letting them eat some healthy veggies for a day or two before you freeze), then hiding the frozen crickets around his cage. Lily loved it & would do several rounds of her cage after finding them all, just to make sure she got them all.

What is his main diet? That usually has more of an effect than treats on whether they gain too much weight or not.