# Correct odometer setting?



## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

I have a Carolina Storm Wheel. After much measuring (diameter X 3.14 and circumference), I finally settled on 95.5mm (converted to 3.759").

After much fussing, I actually got the odometer installed securely. My 'hand tests' showed everything to be working okay, though I was concerned whether my hedgie would consistently turn the wheel fast enough to get good data. At low speeds, the mileage became erratic, sometimes not reading movement. The 'elapsed time' had the same issue at a slow speed.

I picked up Sophie (6 weeks, 146 grams) on Monday and it looks like she turns the wheel plenty fast enough to get good data. However, the distance and speeds don't seem possible.? Is there an 'accepted as correct measurement' for the Carolina Storm Wheel? Have I made a mistake in the measurements and setting?

I haven't actually seen her run, so haven't seen the wheel in action. She isn't much of an explorer yet, at least not while I'm around. She wants to spend 'Together time' sleeping under my hand, so that's what we've been doing so far.

Monday:
2 hours, 21 minutes
8.39 miles
3.57 mph average
13.47 mph maximum

Tuesday:
1 hour, 12 minutes
5.23 miles
4.23 mph average
13.05 mph maximum

Wednesday:
2 hours, 9 minutes
9.51 miles
4.41 mph average
13.47 mph maximum


----------



## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

This may help  
viewtopic.php?f=61&t=4844&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=80
and here it talks about the number used
viewtopic.php?f=61&t=4844&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=110


----------



## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

> Re: The Carolina Storm Wheel
> 
> Postby LarryT on Wed May 12, 2010 5:28 am
> 
> ...


Me and Jager both are using 958.[/quote:2pc03al7]

That puts me pretty much on the number. I went with 95.5. But is she really averaging ~4 mph? It hardly seems possible.? The time is surely right - if the wheel is turning, the timer is running. That is the most useful number, but an accurate reading for average speed would be interesting and nice to have.


----------



## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Some pedometers will count how many rotations and you can do the math to figure the mileage, Kalandra uses them, maybe she will be through soon to offer some more input.


----------



## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I don't pay attention to the speed much. But when I have, the most common values are somewhere between max speed (sprints) of 7-10 mph and averages around 2-2.5. However, I have a little girl who when she is upset she runs (storms upset her). She's tiny, but she runs hard and fast, so much so that it makes her ferret nation vibrate! I've recorded 14 miles in a night with her. For most hedgehogs I would be more apt to believe the lower numbers though.

However, does your hedgehog like to rock in her wheel? I have had a couple who had abnormally high values because they liked to rock their wheel. They would run super fast, stop and face outwards. The bucket would rock back and forth with them looking out. When the rocking stopped or became greatly reduced, they would run super fast and do it again. 

Sadly, with this type of behavior, if the magnet is at the sensor location, it will give you abnormally large readings as it is passing the sensor repeatedly and quickly.


----------



## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

This one is a 'Sigma 1009'. It doesn't count rotations; at any rate, it doesn't tell me how may rotations. I have to enter the wheel size in inches. *3.759* is what I put in. I made my measurements in cm and converted. (I said mm above; oops.) I've fussed with it enough that it's all blurry now. Ha.


----------



## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

BTW I just noticed that Sophie is new to you. With that information, I have a new idea for you, which could mean the numbers are accurate. Since I started using wheels, with each new hedgehog I have brought in I have noticed abnormally high values on their wheels for the first few days/weeks, values which after they have started to settle down started to fall into the ranges I listed as the averages I have seen. I call it stress running.

My most recent hedgehog was turned over to me because he needs a lot of socialization and his previous owner thought I could help him become a more 'normal' hedgehog. He stressed over the new home change, something I was fully expecting based on what I had been told about his behaviors. He "stress" ran the first week/week and a half. The first few nights I recorded 10 miles. In the last week he has settled down and is running about 5 miles a night now, instead of 10-11. More along the lines of what I expect of him.


----------



## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

I see what you're saying about rocking. I haven't actually seen her run yet, so can't say. I doesn't strike as likely, but animals will do anything, so can't rule it out. The wheel isn't trued, so I have the magnet placed at the point that always winds up at the 'top' and the sensor is at the bottom. But, she _could_ stop at any point and 'rock' the wheel. If the magnet happened to be at the bottom, then she could rack up the miles. On the other hand, though I only have three nights readings, the data is consistent which would seem unlikely in this scenario.


----------



## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

Your observations of 'stress running' are very interesting. That sounds plausible. Your noticing a trend with multiple animals lends credence as well. Sophie's poops look pretty good, thought there isn't much. Her eating and drinking are still very low. During 'together time' she is very shy. Mostly, she is satisfied to sleep under my hand or in the crook of my arm. I am not pressing her to do more. She lowers her quills pretty quickly and shows no particular signs of concern about me, but I can see that running like crazy at night might be calming for her.

Unless somebody suggests that the number that I've entered for the wheel is incorrect, this stress running sounds like it meets the criteria of the circumstances. Poor girl.


----------



## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I'm not familiar with the sigmas, but based on what you have told us about what to enter, your figure seems fine to me. The small amount of difference between the 958 and 955 is not much at all, and shouldn't make a huge difference in the distance... at least not the amount that we are talking about.

Give her time and lets see what happens. I would be very interested to see if your hedgehog's running decreases as you notice her settling down in her new home.

I should note that the pattern I'm seeing with new homes is not based from a huge number of hedgehogs. I hesitated to even mention it because it is based on the last 3 I have taken in. But I thought I would mention it because there appears to be something there. Two of those three showed other signs of being stressed with the new home. The other, well you wouldn't have guessed had her running not decreased later. I later noticed with her that she has times where she doubles her distance ran. I started recording more information in her daily chart. What I have found is that if she has had a bath or there is a storm or something else that appears to have upset her, she runs like a maniac. She also ran like a maniac for the first week or so of her coming to my home, so I must guess that abnormal week was her being upset from the rehoming.


----------



## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

Your observations are very interesting. Though the sample is small, I agree that it is something to consider. It appears that the odometer is indeed providing correct data, that I haven't plugged in some oddball number. The only thing different is the conversion to inches that is needed for the Sigma, but I know that is correct.

I will report back on this in a week or so and we'll see what we've got. It could be a good way of noticing otherwise hidden stresses. Thanks.
...............................................................

I was looking over the sheet that came with the Carolina Storm Wheel and didn't see anything about 'official' numbers that people should use with odometers. Given that it looks like lots of people add them, the numbers (inches, cm, mm, what-have-you) really ought be provided. Otherwise, lots of people like me are reinventing the wheel and then hoping that we've measured correctly (even after measuring every which way several times), made the right conversion for our odometer, et cetera. It might not be something that other wheel makers would think of or care about, but these are designed for hedgehogs so lots of people probably have to work through the same questions as I have.


----------

