# Hedgehog stopped using wheel



## shenanigans

Hello! I've had my little nugget for over a year now. He turned one October 19th! Since I've had him, he has used the comfort wheel. It has ridges on it. I've noticed for the past several nights that he hasn't been using it. He's eating just fine, moving around like normal. I trimmed his nails too. I decided to order a Carolina storm wheel and I'm hoping he will use it because he needs exercise! Has anyone else had this issue before? Thanks for your help! 
-Shannon


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## CoCoPuff

I am having the same problem with my hedgehog. She is eating, and pooping and drinking water, but not running on her wheel the past week or two. I keep her cage as warm as I can right now - between 73 and 78 degrees. I use a heating pad all day, (kept on low) and a heat lamp at night to add some heat now that it's super cold out. 

I keep my small apartment at 77 degrees to make sure it's warm for her. 

I just started taking her out of the cage more, but she hates being out and "playing". She just wants to hide and not explore. 

I have the Carolina Storm wheel and she used to run like crazy. Recently though she just isn't running. And she's already a little overweight. I just changed her diet from dry cat food to Spike's Delite hedgehog food (I add a little bit of the cat food to that). Trying to keep her fit, and not so large. The vet said she needed to be on a diet. 

And now that she's not running, I'm nervous she's going to become very obese and unhealthy. I don't want anything to happen to her! 

Can someone help here? 

I feel like I would know if she was running, I never hear it at night anymore,, and there's no poop to be found on the wheel or even nearby the wheel. It used to be a mess! 

Thanks!


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## Artemis-Ichiro

CoCoPuff said:


> I am having the same problem with my hedgehog. She is eating, and pooping and drinking water, but not running on her wheel the past week or two. I keep her cage as warm as I can right now - between 73 and 78 degrees. I use a heating pad all day, (kept on low) and a heat lamp at night to add some heat now that it's super cold out.
> 
> I keep my small apartment at 77 degrees to make sure it's warm for her.
> 
> I just started taking her out of the cage more, but she hates being out and "playing". She just wants to hide and not explore.
> 
> I have the Carolina Storm wheel and she used to run like crazy. Recently though she just isn't running. And she's already a little overweight. I just changed her diet from dry cat food to Spike's Delite hedgehog food (I add a little bit of the cat food to that). Trying to keep her fit, and not so large. The vet said she needed to be on a diet.
> 
> And now that she's not running, I'm nervous she's going to become very obese and unhealthy. I don't want anything to happen to her!
> 
> Can someone help here?
> 
> I feel like I would know if she was running, I never hear it at night anymore,, and there's no poop to be found on the wheel or even nearby the wheel. It used to be a mess!
> 
> Thanks!


The package of the hedgehog food is more nutritious than the food, itnwont help it lose weight and won't provide the right nutrients they need.

Heat pads are not recommended, they tend to not to get out of bed if it's warm and comfy and they need the air warm not the floor of the cage.

What temperature is the cage? You need a thermometer in it and a thermostat to control the CHE which should be on 24 hours a day and the thermostat makes sure it turns on and off to keep a constant temperature in the cage.

What other food are you giving it? You can also get it to swim to help with the weight problem but they cannot lose it too fast or they get fatty liebre dissease.


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## Artemis-Ichiro

Make sure the wheel is moving freely and the nails are trimmed and that there is no injury on the hedgehog. What's the temperature in the cage?


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## CoCoPuff

Hey thanks for the response. 

I don't feel comfortable keeping the CHE on all day when I'm not there. I won't keep the heating pad on from now on. 

My apartment is at 78 right now, but her cage is at about 74. I do have a thermometer in the cage. 

The past two days she's eating a mixture of the Spike's hedgehog food and cat food. The vet told me cat food isn't that great (although I've heard differently), and that I should feed the hedgehog food. 

She doesn't eat anything else really. She likes mealworms but I try not to feed those too often. She likes wax worms but they are high in fat so I feed those very rarely. 

I got butter worms but she won't eat those. 

Sometimes she will eat blueberries, but so far that's the only thing besides the dry food that she will eat. 

She seems to be picky. 

I tried chicken and eggs but she wouldn't eat any of that either.

I live in a small studio apartment that is getting really cold now that it's winter, but I keep the heat on 78 all day and night.


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## CoCoPuff

Should I order the below 3 items to use from now on? Thanks!!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001F9CV7K/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2YKHLMXRLPQLV

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018CLYNG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002AQCXM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


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## shenanigans

Yup my little guy eats 2 different kinds of cat food and mealworms for a treat. Wanting to add spikes delight for extra nutrition. I've checked his feet, don't see any injuries. His cage is 74 degrees. Poop is normal. Wheel and the area around it would always be poopy when I would wake up in the morning and it hasn't been like that. It's recently gotten pretty cold where I live so I think I will increase the temperature and see if that helps. And hopefully he will like his new wheel when it comes!!


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## CoCoPuff

shenanigans said:


> Yup my little guy eats 2 different kinds of cat food and mealworms for a treat. Wanting to add spikes delight for extra nutrition. I've checked his feet, don't see any injuries. His cage is 74 degrees. Poop is normal. Wheel and the area around it would always be poopy when I would wake up in the morning and it hasn't been like that. It's recently gotten pretty cold where I live so I think I will increase the temperature and see if that helps. And hopefully he will like his new wheel when it comes!!


What types of cat food do you use? I currently use Blue Wilderness. That's the only cat food. She didn't quite like any wet cat food.


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## SquirtleSquirt

CoCoPuff said:


> Hey thanks for the response.
> 
> I don't feel comfortable keeping the CHE on all day when I'm not there. I won't keep the heating pad on from now on.
> 
> My apartment is at 78 right now, but her cage is at about 74. I do have a thermometer in the cage.
> 
> The past two days she's eating a mixture of the Spike's hedgehog food and cat food. The vet told me cat food isn't that great (although I've heard differently), and that I should feed the hedgehog food.
> 
> She doesn't eat anything else really. She likes mealworms but I try not to feed those too often. She likes wax worms but they are high in fat so I feed those very rarely.
> 
> I got butter worms but she won't eat those.
> 
> Sometimes she will eat blueberries, but so far that's the only thing besides the dry food that she will eat.
> 
> She seems to be picky.
> 
> I tried chicken and eggs but she wouldn't eat any of that either.
> 
> I live in a small studio apartment that is getting really cold now that it's winter, but I keep the heat on 78 all day and night.


You need to get a thermostat and attach that to the CHE it controls when the CHE should be on and off.


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## Poppy_the_hedgie

The first link you have to the cerared reptile heat lamp is not a bulb you can screw into the dome. I originally got that lamp before switching to a che bulb due to safety reasons and it gave off a slight red glow. I would get a 100 watt che bulb. The thermostat and dome look good though!


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## Poppy_the_hedgie

Wow! Looking more closely at it I see it is not the same thing I got just in almost the exact same package! Sorry about the confusion! The link for the bulb looks fine!


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## CoCoPuff

Poppy_the_hedgie said:


> The first link you have to the cerared reptile heat lamp is not a bulb you can screw into the dome. I originally got that lamp before switching to a che bulb due to safety reasons and it gave off a slight red glow. I would get a 100 watt che bulb. The thermostat and dome look good though!


Thanks!

Is this what I should get? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RMYKU3Y?th=1


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## CoCoPuff

Poppy_the_hedgie said:


> Wow! Looking more closely at it I see it is not the same thing I got just in almost the exact same package! Sorry about the confusion! The link for the bulb looks fine!


So I should get the one I originally put?

I'm very nervous about fires. The one I have now, has burn marks on the face of the bulb. which is why I only leave it on while I'm there.

I also don't have a thermostat yet to turn it off when it gets too hot.


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## Artemis-Ichiro

CoCoPuff said:


> Poppy_the_hedgie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Wow! Looking more closely at it I see it is not the same thing I got just in almost the exact same package! Sorry about the confusion! The link for the bulb looks fine!
> 
> 
> 
> So I should get the one I originally put?
> 
> I'm very nervous about fires. The one I have now, has burn marks on the face of the bulb. which is why I only leave it on while I'm there.
> 
> I also don't have a thermostat yet to turn it off when it gets too hot.
Click to expand...

The thermostat is a must or even if you are at home it can overheat the hedgie.

The CHE must NOT emit any light and the dome has to be rated for Ceramic Heat Emiter


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## shenanigans

I use blue buffalo indoor. It's grain free. And natural balance green pea and duck formula. He likes the blue buffalo more. When I first got him about a year ago he was eating Purina one which I discovered was too high in fat so I slowly started adding the natural balance and eventually stopped the Purina and later added the blue buffalo. Seems to be a good combination for him!


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## Mix

I originally had a heating lamp, however hooking that up to a thermostat was not an option so I switched to just a space heater that had temperature control. Thistle's cage has not gone under 75 and not gone over 77 degrees since this change.


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## happytreecompany

i'm having the exact same problem with wylie right now, he just will not use his wheel. he has never really liked it though, but he has stopped all together. im thinking it might be the weather? its chilly!


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## Artemis-Ichiro

happytreecompany said:


> i'm having the exact same problem with wylie right now, he just will not use his wheel. he has never really liked it though, but he has stopped all together. im thinking it might be the weather? its chilly!


So you have a heating system? A thermostat? A thermometer in the cage?


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## shenanigans

I got a space heater and the temperature of his cage is now 81 and he's been using his wheel!! So obviously his cage wasn't warm enough before. Makes sense because it got colder outside. Just had to add the space heater to make his cage warmer. Already use a heat lamp.


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## ArizonaHazelnut

If you're using a ceramic heat emitter bulb, you need to have a dome that has a ceramic base to screw the bulb into, and one that is rated for CHE bulbs. You also must have a thermostat to control the CHE. You basically set the temperature you want it at, and the thermostat turns the bulb off and on to maintain temperature.

I understand being concerned about safety with the heat set up. My is a retired fireman, so I grew up having safety drilled into me. When we set up my Hazel's heat system, I had my dad look everything over and he proclaimed it safe. It's a Zoo Med 150 Watt CHE bulb, a Zilla Thermostat, and a 10" Zoo Med dome with ceramic base. 

As long as you have the proper equipment, and keep flammable things away from the hot dome, it should be safe! :wink:


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