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Comfort Wheel

21K views 23 replies 23 participants last post by  Veebs84 
#1 ·
The Giant Comfort wheel is the only hedgehog safe wheel that is sold in most pet stores.

PROS

- available at all pet stores
- reasonably priced

CONS

- Can be loud. This can be improved by putting either vegetable oil, or Vaseline on the shaft. Also, a hair scrunchie on the back will help prevent the bumping sound it can make.

- The wheel can come off the base allowing the wheel to fall. This is an easy fix by using a zip tie to hold the wheel to the base. See the picture below.

- Sometimes with a larger runner hedgehog the wheel can tip over. This can be solved by hooking the wheel to the cage bars. See picture.

- the dark colour of the wheel, especially the purple and pink, hides any off coloured urine or blood.


I have numerous comfort wheels and some are very quiet, and others are loud. Not an ideal wheel for someone who has hedgie in their bedroom. I have had a few hedgehogs over the years whose choice of wheel is the Comfort wheel and would not run as much on a bucket wheel. I think some hedgehogs prefer a dark coloured wheel.

Although the wheel has a couple of safety issues, they are both easily corrected.
 

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#2 ·
Oooh, I love the idea of that little latch thing attached to the zip tie!

I also have one. It's... quite loud. Maybe it's just Amelia thinking she's a race horse, but you can hear every single pitter patter of her feet... and she's not a very large hog.
It's also a pain to clean because of the ridges. I usually have to run it under near boiling water to clean it properly.
 
#6 ·
I use this wheel too... It's REALLY noisy! I was considering buying a Silent Spinner for my new hedgehog, but I just read how bad it is... I will have to get another Confort because those are the only two I can get where I live, but I will try the oil too, I never thought about it... Thanks for the review. :D
 
#8 ·
So I know I'm late on commenting on this thread but after having used a comfort wheel for about six months, I just wanted to add on here. While the wheel is more safe than the other commercially available wheels, it is REALLY difficult to clean in all those ridges. I've even tried soaking the wheel and it's just impossible to get all the poo, etc. out of the wheel. This has caused Dexter to get sores on his feet (besides the fact that he runs ALLLL night long). The tilt does help a little with pee leaving the wheel, but you MUST clean the flat inner part of the wheel around the shaft of the wheel because you will get pee dried on there a lot (note: also has ridges and without a really really good wash - not just a wet paper towel to wipe it off - you're not going to get this puppy clean). The bumpyness and loud noise hasn't bothered me since Dexter no longer is in my bedroom. However, I've decided my little man deserves a Carolina Storm Wheel - which I will note is VERY reasonably priced (not a whole lot more than the comfort wheel and much better quality), AND can be tilted better than the comfort wheel for runoff. I am sure Dexter will be much happier once it gets here! :) (Thanks LarryT)
 
#13 ·
I'm using this for Yuki right now and to clean it, I run it under warm/hot water and after a while, use a scrub brush (with soft-medium stiff bristles) and scrub the **** out of it until it's all clean. Doesn't take much effort and the entire wheel's clean afterwards
 
#9 ·
Since I have to clean multiple wheels at once I fill the bathtub with hot water and let the wheels sit in it while I clean their cages. They come clean for me with a dish sponge, the kind with the rough scrubby side. I had not thought of that zip tie idea and will be using it. Thank you Nancy.
 
#12 ·
This wheel is 2.5 out of 5 stars in my opion. I think it works well for me. The things I don't like about it- 1. They are so loud. My little hedgie likes to run A LOT, and it can get annoing. I could not go to sleep at night. 2. The wheel takes a while to clean. I usually soak it in hot water and wipe it down with a towel. I also use anti-bacterial soap. Good things about it- 1. It is safe for my hedgie. That's good enough for me! :D If you want a safe, cheap wheel and don't care about the labor, get this wheel. :)
 
#16 ·
Am I the only one that genuinely likes the comfort wheel?

Sure, it's a tad loud. But since Purdy isn't in my bedroom, it doesn't bother me. She's usually only running when I'm sleeping anyways, otherwise she's running around on the floor or snuggling with me.
As for cleaning, I just use my detachable shower head with the hottest water possible, and hose it down really well. If there's any poop left after a good spray, I just wipe it off with paper towel.

Personally, I believe I'll be sticking with the comfort wheel. I've looked into bucket wheels but to get one here, I'm looking at paying almost 3x the price of the comfort wheel... no thanks! The only way I'd consider it worth the price is if the comfort wheel becomes unsafe.
 
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#18 ·
I honestly love my comfort wheel. It's very easy for me to clean, I just run it under warm water, scrub it, and the poop comes off very easily. It only takes me about 5-10 minutes to clean it. It did start to squeak so I put a little oil on it and it fixed it right up. I've never had big problems with it. :)
 
#19 ·
The problem I have with it is the dangerous holder part that sticks out in the middle of the wheel. Olive likes to change directions mid running and she would get caught in the middle part. With her bucket wheel she does this maneuver where she stands up against the middle of the wheel and flops down facing the other direction and starts running that way!!! I wouldn't put it in the dish washer though, the hot water could warp the wheel so it didn't spin properly.
 
#22 ·
Hey guys i know this post is super duper old, im hand raising some hoglets i rescued (nz european hedgehogs) theyre about 3-4 weeks old was wondering what age you would suggest using a wheel for them. ive brough them one today.
 
#24 ·
I think I'm in the minority but I LOVE my comfort wheel. Well, it is very similar to a comfort wheel but made by 'SAVIC' and available from pets at home in 12 inch size. Cleans easily - I wash my wheel daily, as hedgie not got the hang of litter tray, and attached to cage or has a good stand.

I had another of these Savic wheels with my last hedgie and was good too. Had a silent spinner before that - recommended by pet shop and ugh, so loud, and awful to clean because of all the 'seams' in the plastic
 
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