# Hedgehog less active/stopped using wheel



## RubeusTheHedgehog (Jan 25, 2017)

My hedgie, Rubeus, who is turning 1 on the 21st, recently became less active. I havent heard him running on his wheel and he just seems very grumpy and tired. He is eating and drinking fine, and his poop looks normal. I read other posts and found out he could be going through a growth spurt or he needs his nails trimmed, his nails being a cause of not using his wheel and the growth spurt causing both. Im gonna try to cut his nails for the first time tomorrow and if anyone has tips id greatly appreciate them! I know you should cut their nails in the bath but thats really all. I have a Carolina storm bucket wheel and im wondering if it needs to be tightened or if i should replace it because it is a bit wobbly. I can try to send pictures tomorrow, but I have school so itll be a while.

Thanks in advance! :mrgreen:


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## Yukidama's mama (Apr 4, 2017)

Aw my boy is also turning 1 this month on the 25th! ^.^

Yuki also seems a bit grumpy the past few nights but everything else is normal at least. I have read before that some hedgies can have another major quilling around 1 years old so this could be why they are being more grumpy than usual, if their quills are a bit sensitive.

But if he's almost 1yrs and has never had his nails trimmed, I'm guessing they're pretty overgrown?! >< this could be the reason why he's not using his wheel anymore, especially if any nails are so long they've started curving under? Definitely try trimming them, I usually do my boy's nails once a month or whenever they start looking a bit too long. I find a baby nail clipper much easier to use than nail scissors, they're more accurate. Just make sure you only clip the white part of his nails, (just like with human nails) otherwise they can bleed. Just take your time and if he can't tolerate it you might need to do one foot a night.

Here's a useful post about nail trimming techniques and advice. You can also use the search function and search 'nail' and more posts will come up.

http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/97-grooming/166097-new-nail-trimming-method.html

Re the wheel, it probably just needs to be tightened, especially if it's never been done. There are two bolts that should be tightened once a week or so... Give that a try before you buy a replacement


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