[miky2228]

Hello! When I first got my hedgie (close to a year ago now) the recommendations I kept getting in regards to an exercise wheel was a silent spinner from living world. I bought him a 12" silent spinner and I have not had any problems with it in the last year. I have, however, been hearing lately that these wheels can actually be quit dangerous for hedge due to the small joint area between the two pieces of the wheel! Darwin has never had any issue with his wheel and we keep his toe nails clipped to a good length. I was wondering if I should be concerned about his wheel or not, and before the suggestion is made, there is nowhere around for me to get a storm bucket wheel without outrageous shipping (and by that I mean it would cost at least 70$ plus tax). If anyone has any comments, concerns or other suggestions I would love to hear them!

 

[LuckFupus458]

I would definitely be concerned. You may not have had any problems yet but you may one day. I found a site with instructions on how to make a bucket wheel:

https://www.instructables.com/id/Noiseless-Hedghog-Wheel/

Hope this helps!

Jill

 

[miky2228]

Thank you, I will definitely look into it!

 

[miky2228]

I had a quick look around pet smart to see if they have a reasonably priced wheel that is similar to the bucket or homemade wheel and found this guy: https://www.petsmart.ca/small-pet/t.../all-living-things--exercise-wheel-41066.html
Would this work as well or would the ribs be too hard on little hedgie feet? If it won't work I will have to look at making one.

 

[LuckFupus458]

The wheel you posted looks very similar to the Comfort Wheel which is recommended and used by a lot of people. It does have ridges in the running area which could cause foot injuries. Many people have used the wheels with ridges for years and never had any problems. Some have used them for a week and had a hedgie with bloody feet. I think it really depends on how much and how hard your hedgie runs.

Any wheel that you get should be at least 12 inches so the spine stays aligned as they run.

Hope this helps,

Jill

 

[miky2228]

His current wheel is 12", that rule I know. But he gets going pretty good in the wheel some nights so I am a bit concerned about the ridges. I will have to look into making one, thank you for the info!