This week and the previous weekend have been all about moving back to school, settling in, reorganizing, and getting back into the flow of college life. Phin has been at Matt's and when I'm at my place I miss having my little guy with me. I am planning to move Mr. Grumpus back with me tomorrow since today I have inopportune class times. He has all new exciting fleece liners made by my mother and for once I am actually exciting to clean his cage and see the new look.
I wanted to write a post about exercise wheels today because they are so important for hedgehogs (even though my guy has been boycotting his lately) and there is so much bad information out there about them. When I did my research I went to Hedgehog Central. So keep in mind that the opinions I share are born both out of experience and information I retained from that site. The people there are extremely knowledgable, as I have stated before, and I trust them on their hedgie know-how. Now then, onto the wheels.
#1 The WORST FIRST:
This wheel is a run-of-the-mill mesh wheel, which unfortunately most people end up buying because this is what pet stores often use in their own displays. THESE WHEELS ARE VERY DANGEROUS! The mesh can catch feet or tails or other other body parts as the animal runs and break them. Your poor little critter can end up with serious damage and you can end up with some unpleasant vet bills. Do not buy these.
#2 The Silent Spinner
These wheels are loads better than those awful mesh wheels, but as far as commercially available wheels they still present some dangers. The big deal with these is that they have a seam where the colored plastic meets the white of the inside of the wheel, and you furry friend''s claws and/or toes can get caught and ripped off or broken i
n there. Some people solve this problem by taping the seam. I have not heard how well this works and I personally think it would look unapealing. That's just me though; it's not like your hedgehog cares how pretty her wheel is. Their average cost is $9.99
#3 The Flying Saucer
These space age wheels are still new to the market, but they seem to work well and present minimal problems. One safety concern is how running at that angle will negatively affect your hedgehog's back. However, since these wheels are so new, no one has done any research yet to determine whether or not this is a real concern. One thing I have heard from owners who purchased this wheel is that while the wheel itself is often cleaner, it is because the feces and urine just flies right off and splatters the cage. They cost around $25.00
#4 The Comfort Wheel
This is widely agreed to be the best commercially available wheel on the market. It is the safest, it comes in a large enough size, and is stable. This is the first wheel I bought for my little hedgie. It ran beautifully for months. The only downside was that the feces would often get stuck in the ridges and would require dutiful scrubbing to remove. After about four months or so the wheel began to make a lot of noise. At night I would end up banishing Phinneus to the bathroom so that his wheel wouldn't keep me awake. With some regular cleaning, perhaps some greasing though, this wheel could be a good choice. It is affordable at around $16.99
#5 The Carolina Storm Wheel
This wheel is not commercially available, and is hand-made by a respectable breeder known as Larry from Carolina Storm Hedgehogs. The wheel has been designed with hedgehog safety and comfort in mind, and avoids all the flaws of the commercial brands. It is large, safe, easy to clean, and extremely quiet. In fact, you are more likely to hear the pitter patter of you hedgie's feet thant he revolutions of the wheel. They are more expensive because of their quality and because they are hand made. Larry sells them for $30 plus shipping. Here is the page on his website which advertises them. They also come with a litter pan as you can see from the photo. I bought one of these when my Comfort Wheel began to make too much noise and I can't tell you enough what an excellent purchase it was.
So there you are, an introduction to buying a wheel for your hedgehog. Remember, make sure they are large enough; your hedgehog should not have his or her back coming into contact with any part of the wheel and he/she should be able to run without bending their backs.
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