[Jean]

I adopted flower last week, and i have another question.
Her previous owner never gave her a wheel. She appears to me to be somewhat over weight, and i went right out and got the first wheel i could. (There is not a whole lot to choose from) So, during play time one night, after she was running around some, I brought out the wheel for her. I had to put her on it, but once she was on it, she did some awkward running, and seemed to enjoy it. I put the wheel in her cage with her later. She didn't run on it. The only other time she's been on it was last night when i put her on it again. once on it she seems to enjoy it, but she isn't using it at night.
She gets regular hours of daylight, and once i go to sleep, all lights are out. Her nails were just trimmed the day i brought her home. My concern is that since she never had a wheel, she just may never be interested in one, ans like i mentioned before, she is overweight, and iam worried about health issues down the road because of it. I was hoping introducing the wheel would be a healthy start in the right direction. Any suggestions and/or comments would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Mcericville]

I'm having the same problem with my new Hedgie, however, she did have a wheel with her breeder, and I even saw her using it before I bought her...she's only 5 weeks old, so maybe it's an age thing?

 

[shaelikestaquitos]

Jean, let her settle in. She will figure it out eventually ^_^ You could try teaching it to her by placing her in the wheel and blocking off the front with a book or something, so that she is forced to move forward. Most hedgies will figure it out on their own though

I'm having the same problem with my new Hedgie, however, she did have a wheel with her breeder, and I even saw her using it before I bought her...she's only 5 weeks old, so maybe it's an age thing?

5 weeks? Wow she's young! I don't know if they're supposed to come home that early, but I might be wrong. Your hedgie needs to settle in. Lots of hedgies will not wheel for the first few weeks of settling in. Kashi (my hedgie) started wheeling on the first night, but I've heard of lots of hedgies not wheeling until much later.

 

[Mcericville]

5 weeks? Wow she's young! I don't know if they're supposed to come home that early, but I might be wrong. Your hedgie needs to settle in. Lots of hedgies will not wheel for the first few weeks of settling in. Kashi (my hedgie) started wheeling on the first night, but I've heard of lots of hedgies not wheeling until much later.

Yeah, she's a little one...the breeder said the same thing, but I really liked her personality, and she gave me specific instructions on taking care of her.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Jean]

Thanks for the advice. She`s 1 and a half and as i said overweight, and i just want to ensure she`s healthy Also, what are for some good treats she may like

 

[shaelikestaquitos]

Thanks for the advice. She`s 1 and a half and as i said overweight, and i just want to ensure she`s healthy Also, what are for some good treats she may like

If she's overweight you might want to try switching her food. What are you feeding her? Most hedgies LOVE wheeling, even the fluffy ones ;D Just make sure she gets plenty of play time
For treats, mealworms seem to be a favorite among hedgies. Go easy on the mealies, though, because your hedgie is a little fluffy already. Or, you can feed crickets, which are lesser in fat Some people also feed baby food (without preservatives, or garlic, or onion), and some have been successful with fruits such as watermelon. You want to go slowly on the treats, though, especially if you just brought her home (don't want her tummy to get upset since she's already stressed from moving).

I hope that helps ^_^

 

[Jean]

Now that you mention it i was wondering how good this food i'm feeding her is... It's Nutrient Rich HEDGEHOG DIET ("Ultra Blend Select")and one glance at the list tells me it might not be very good quality...?
So, what is a good choice for food for my fluffy girl? And how how long does a person wait to start making gradual changes with things such as food?