[quillyones]

PC hurt herself on her wheel. I pulled the wheel Monday night after I heard the hedgie scream of death. My son and I made adjustments to the wheel. I am attaching some pics to get others opinions.[attachment=0:3n7fsyn3]DSC03165.JPG[/attachment:3n7fsyn3][attachment=1:3n7fsyn3]DSC03166.JPG[/attachment:3n7fsyn3]

 

[quillyones]

wheel before all the modifications.[attachment=0:lqaxu9w7]My bigger wheel.JPG[/attachment:lqaxu9w7]

 

[sarahomnia]

Before the changes, is that a wire mesh sheet you used for the wheel on where PC runs?

 

[dorasdaddy]

That wheel is a death trap. Not only is it mesh, it also has cross bars...I suggest a Cake Walk Supreme, A D-I-Y bucket Wheel, A Flying Saucer or a Comfort wheel....What ever you do, please remove that death trap immediately or you will continue to hear screams of pain from your little one.

There is no way to make this wheel safe IMO. The mesh can catch toes/nails and the cross bars can whack the poor thing in the head when getting off of the wheel or looking out while it is moving.

 

[Hedgiepets]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions!

 

[nikki]

Just curious...where did you get that wheel?

 

[Immortalia]

It "looks" like a DIY wheel....Only not a bucket wheel....

Although I would have to agree with Chad and say that's not safe, and it's impossible to make it safe.

As Nancy had said about Wodent Wheels...Sometimes, hedgies like to jump off the wheels before the wheel stops spinning. Those side bars could end up hitting your hedgie or pinning your hedgie to the edge.

Also, it LOOKS like mesh, little tiny mesh...But it's best for hedgies to run on solid surfaces.

If your hedgie is small (~300g) than that bar in the middle should be fine, but if your hedgie is a bigger hedgie, that bar could rub their backs as well.

*Edit to add the link and the quote*
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1683&p=13511&hilit=wodent+wheel#p13511

There is a center bar that can rub on their backs. Larger hedgehogs have difficulty with the opening size. Hedgies often like to jump off while the wheel is moving which with those holes is dangerous and can cause injury.

 

[drpepperheather]

What did you cover the mesh with? (It's hard to tell from the photos.)

 

[quillyones]

Thanks for the opinions.

We purchased the wheel from Vern about one year ago. When we received it we place PC in the wheel to look for potential problems. Before we put the wheel in her condo we lined it with Art Foam. I change the Art Foam about every two weeks since she usually does not go potty in her wheel. This way her nails/toes would not get caught in the fine plastic mesh.

We made the adjustments in the frame to make the wheel safer. I was in touch with Reaper last night on HHC chat. We will be trying out the wheel tonight. PC has used this wheel for about a year without any problems. Now that a problem has surfaced we are working on solving the problem.

Again thanks for the input.

 

[Kalandra]

What problem happened? I'm confused. I have 2 of Vern's wheels and haven't had a problem with them. I have a similar design, but mine are not modified.

Did she get a nail stuck in the foam you covered the mesh with? Or did something else happened? Like I said I have 2 of these and haven't had a problem with nails getting caught in the mesh. Before I bought mine I had several conversations with Standing Bear at the Flash and Thelma who uses these wheels with many of his rescues for many years now and hasn't had the problems people say these plastic mesh wheels cause.

Immortia: The Center bar between the spools does not make them arch their backs on this wheel. Rose is a 750+gram hedgehog. She is huge, she has a 12" Vern wheel and she stretches out with no arching whatsoever. Her back is no where near that center bar. Maybe with a smaller wheel yes, but not the bigger spool wheel.

 

[quillyones]

Some how she got inbetween the cross bar of the frame and the cross bar of the wheel. So we moved the cross bar of the frame up. I just wanted to know if this would cause the wheel to become unsafe for her to use.

We have a second Vern wheel that Miss Kitty used and then Cuddles started to use it. It is the wheel he makes for hedgies with mobility problems. We never had a problem with either wheel. Until PC did whatever she did to get pinched between the cross bars. I have no clue how it happened.

We lined the wheel to prevent her nails from getting caught because she runs on the outside part of her feet. Like she is bow legged or something. If you seen her run you would see what I mean. She is the biggest hedgie we have had so far. She has lost some weight since getting the 12" wheel for her. She now weighs in the 540 gram range.

 

[Kalandra]

Have you notified Vern of the problem? It may be something he needs to address. My wheel is a similar style, but instead of the bars pointed upward, mine are parallel to the ground. No idea how your hedgehog managed to get stuck though. Did she move the wheel against the cage wall, preventing it from spinning?

 

[Immortalia]

Immortia: The Center bar between the spools does not make them arch their backs on this wheel. Rose is a 750+gram hedgehog. She is huge, she has a 12" Vern wheel and she stretches out with no arching whatsoever. Her back is no where near that center bar. Maybe with a smaller wheel yes, but not the bigger spool wheel.

Ah that's good. ^_^ Just wasn't sure, because I've always read "no center bar" and "no spools". But I'm glad you haven't had problems with it.

 

[quillyones]

Yes, I e-mailed both Vern and Standing Bear last night. I received Vern's reply this morning. We can not figure out how she got stuck. He suggested to check a few things on the wheel, but the wheel spins freely.

I always say leave it to my girlz to have something strange happen to them. Even our vets say they learn more about hedgies from the ones we bring in then any where else.

Maybe I will post a sign on her wheel telling her to keep all body parts inside the wheel while it is moving.

 

[kandyhedgie]

Maybe I will post a sign on her wheel telling her to keep all body parts inside the wheel while it is moving.

:lol: Definitely laughed out loud over that one.

I'll just mention one thing... if all the mods and Art foam are getting costly, it may be more cost-effective to go with something else, like the CWS wheel or a flying saucer?

Just a thought. I have no hedgie (yet) so I can't help you with wheel safety or anything like that.