# Hedgehog climbing up the side of the cage and falling!



## King x Omen (Sep 25, 2014)

I am really worried because he climbs about a foot and a half up a plastic bottom, wire cage and falls, how can I prevent this behavior?


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

You will need to prevent him from climbing. You can use plastic vinyl sheeting, coroplast or vinyl flooring (linoleum). Any material that is easy to cut and clean is what you are looking for. Put this on the inside of his cage so he can't get to the bars. Falling is very dangerous to hedgies as you probably know and needs to be fixed as soon as possible. 

Thinking about it, you might be able to use crib liners too. You can find them at thrift stores for a quick buck. 

Plexiglass is a more expensive option as well. You can get it cut to the length that you need and ziptie it on.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Does he have a wheel that is hedgehog appropriate? Some will climb when they are trying to burn off energy/bored.


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## King x Omen (Sep 25, 2014)

I should get him a bigger wheel, what are your suggestions?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

What kind of wheel does he have now?

Bucket and cake cover wheels are considered the best. They're quiet, safe, last for a very long time, and are easy to clean. Larry T's wheels are very popular - http://www.carolinastormhedgehogs.com/ However, if you don't live in the US, shipping can be kind of pricy (though many people consider it still worth the price). I believe there's someone in Canada that either sells Larry's wheels or makes their own to sell, and ditto in the UK. If you're in another country, it'd probably be easiest to make your own (or if you're in any of the mentioned countries, but are handy & have the tools!). There's instructional videos on Youtube on how to make a bucket wheel.  You'll want to make sure whatever wheel you get is 12" in diameter. Though that said, Larry's bucket wheels are closer to 10" in diameter, I believe, which is fine for smaller hedgies. Lily was around 400g & did fine with her bucket wheel, but it'd be too small for larger hedgies.


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