# Problems gripping Wheel While a Running



## GothicBreena (Jun 30, 2014)

I wasn't sure if this was a question for the general forum of for the cage, bedding forum. 

Anyways, my moms hedgehog Maleka uses a large pink Carolina a Storm Wheel and as I watch her try to run on it she's having trouble gripping it to get it to continue going around so she runs one direction as far as she can get it to go, and than turns around and goes back the other direction and vice versa. I checked the bolts on the back and made sure they weren't too tight and I spun it myself and it spun nice and smooth and it was easy but as soon as she gets on it it's almost like she can't grip it to keep it going because there's no tread on it. I'm wondering if we may need to go buy her a comfort wheel that had the little strips that their nails can grip to keep it spinning?

Wondering if anyone else has any other suggestions because the Carolina storm wheel is smooth when it's clean so she has nothing to grip to. My mom has another wheel she bought at a yard sale but it has little holes and I'm afraid her toes might get caught so I wouldn't dare put it in her cage. I myself use the comfort wheel for both of my hedgehogs and they both run marathons and love it it's just sad seeing her Hedgie having such a hard time trying to run, just running back and fourth. 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated..


----------



## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

If the hog is slipping try tilting the wheel back some, we have a very short video on our site to show how it's done. 
http://www.carolinastormhedgehogs.com/storm-bucket-wheel.html


----------



## GothicBreena (Jun 30, 2014)

How can I tell the difference between the CSBW and the CSW? Just wondering so I can figure out what kind of wheel my mom has. I know it's pink, and big and wide, the back looks like there's a dollar blade wheel between the wheel and the post where the bolts and washer is.


----------



## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

GothicBreena said:


> How can I tell the difference between the CSBW and the CSW? Just wondering so I can figure out what kind of wheel my mom has. I know it's pink, and big and wide, the back looks like there's a dollar blade wheel between the wheel and the post where the bolts and washer is.


The CSW only comes in clear, it's made from a cake server. The CSBW comes in a few translucent colors and is made from a bucket. The CSE is made from a feed pan comes in lots of solid colors.


----------



## GothicBreena (Jun 30, 2014)

GothicBreena said:


> I wasn't sure if this was a question for the general forum of for the cage, bedding forum.
> 
> Anyways, my moms hedgehog Maleka uses a large pink Carolina a Storm Wheel and as I watch her try to run on it she's having trouble gripping it to get it to continue going around so she runs one direction as far as she can get it to go, and than turns around and goes back the other direction and vice versa. I checked the bolts on the back and made sure they weren't too tight and I spun it myself and it spun nice and smooth and it was easy but as soon as she gets on it it's almost like she can't grip it to keep it going because there's no tread on it. I'm wondering if we may need to go buy her a comfort wheel that had the little strips that their nails can grip to keep it spinning?
> 
> ...





LarryT said:


> The CSW only comes in clear, it's made from a cake server. The CSBW comes in a few translucent colors and is made from a bucket. The CSE is made from a feed pan comes in lots of solid colors.


Well Maleka's wheel is a translucent watermelon color with the rollerblade wheel.

Is the rollerblade wheel suppose to be a part of it?


----------



## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

If it is the translucent, it is the CSBW. My Penny took a little bit of adjusting to get used to it too. I would tilt it backwards as Larry suggested and give her a few days.


----------



## TikkiLink (Dec 4, 2013)

My girl couldn't even stay on the wheel when she got her CSW, she slipped right off. I had to angle it backward so that she slid up against the inside of the wheel, and it helped her to be able to run. Eventually they learn how to grip it with their little feet so that they can run properly and it can be tipped forward again.


----------



## Erizo (Jul 25, 2012)

tl;dr
Try laminating a rubbery, textured, shelf lining material to the surface of the wheel by using a heavy-duty indoor/outdoor grade of double-faced tape. 
.........................................................................
.........................................................................

*Verbose version:*

Grip can be a problem for some animals, especially once the wheel gets wet with pee. It doesn't seem to be a problem with most hedgehogs but it certainly isn't unheard of. Some animals do have a problem with slipping no matter how much you angle the wheel.
.........................................................................
.........................................................................

The CSW has a diameter of about ~12 inches, with a minor taper; slightly smaller diameter to the inside of the wheel.

The CSBW is 10 1/2" in diameter; small IMO. It is, from a construction view, a fine wheel, but I strongly recommend the largest wheel possible.

The CSE is slightly larger in diameter than the CSBW with a tapering diameter; from ~11.2" to ~10.3".

I own all three wheels; part of my research to building a bigger wheel for Sophie. Larger is better and I can only recommend the CSW. That was Sophie's first wheel and she put over 1,400 hours on it before I upgraded the wheel.

Lots of people like the CSBW, but I just cannot recommend anything smaller than 12" in diameter.

I don't care for the CSE at all; just my preference.

NOTE: All of the above is my opinion and mine alone, but I own all three wheels now and have made treadwheels something of a specialty.

*Larry has thousands of happy customers and hedgehogs and has earned every one of them. (Myself included for the largest, the CSW.)*

NOTE: My comments are specific to Larry's wheels only because they are what every one buys, they are the standard that everyone refers to, and I own them all. My comments are equally valid to all similar bucket-style wheels.

My main concern is "What is an ideal diameter?" It should be noted, in fairness, that my view of 12" wheels as an absolute minimum, and that bigger is better, is a minority view.
.........................................................................
.........................................................................

Sophie's first wheel was a CSW and it worked out fantastically well for her (over 1,400 hours of use and still like brand new). However, I just could not continue to watch her on a 12" wheel any longer and designed an 18" diameter wheel; experimenting up to 23".

This larger diameter greatly increases the stride length that she can take.She is able to take a longer and much more natural stride. This dramatically reduces the unpleasant visual of seeing her front legs unnaturally angled up the front of the wheel and her back legs at an even more unnatural position angling up the back of the wheel. The 18" diameter of her new wheel is a strong design upgrade IMO. I believe the that the larger diameter is much healthier for her; short-term and long-term.
.......................................................................
.......................................................................

To come back round to the slippage problem, when I upgraded Sophie to an 18" diameter wheel I opted to use 4 mm corrugated plastic for the running lanes. I have several tracks and they simply friction fit into place. The track that she got dirty last night was washed and set aside to fully dry and another of her tracks replaced it.

I was concerned that corrugated plastic would be too slick a running surface and decided to permanently laminate a rubbery, textured, shelf lining material to the corrugated plastic by using a heavy-duty indoor/outdoor grade of double-faced tape. Her new wheel has been in use since 22 December 2013 and performs flawlessly.

Cleaning takes just a few minutes longer but its three piece modular construction (running track, wheel body, wheel frame), makes cleaning and sanitation pretty easy to deal with.
.......................................................................
.......................................................................

*IMAGES:*

4 mm corrugated plastic track ready to be prepped with heavy-duty double-faced tape.
http://serenebreezes.com/treadwheel//non-slip-surface-a/IMG_7618.jpg

Packaging: 1.41" x 42' tape
http://serenebreezes.com/treadwheel//product-documentation/Shurtape-carpet-tape-b.jpg

Packaging: 1.88" x 75' tape. (My preference. Same brand, same quality, better deal.)
http://serenebreezes.com/treadwheel//product-documentation/Shurtape-carpet-tape.jpg

Duck brand, rubbery, textured, shelf liner. 20" wide x 18' long.
http://serenebreezes.com/treadwheel//non-slip-surface-c/IMG_7673.jpg

Packaging: rubberized, textured shelf liner.
http://serenebreezes.com/treadwheel//product-documentation/non-slip-surface.jpg

Completed running tracks.
http://serenebreezes.com/treadwheel//non-slip-surface-f/IMG_7709.jpg
.......................................................................
.......................................................................

*VIDEO:
*
Short video tour of Sophie's 18" treadwheel. The video is longish for most people I reckon, but would be seriously long if it went into much detail on any one aspect of it.
wheel-tour-in-cage-14-02-07
(9:55) 




.......................................................................
.......................................................................

I have hours and hours and hours of video on the design and construction of the 18" treadwheel, and over 70,000 words of partially edited text. Maybe someday I'll put together a monograph on the topic and project.

The wheel uses 1" pipe for the frame instead of the ususal 3/4", and it is a full four-sided frame. However, the math (which I won't go into here) fully justifies and supports the space allotment required for this wheel in a 2 grid x 4 grid C&C style cage. We don't use C&C anymore, but that is the best comparison because C&C is still what most people use.

.


----------



## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Gothic Breena, I'm pretty sure I have the same wheel as you; a transcluscent watermelon color with a roller blade wheel on the back. If so, it's the CSBW, and tilting it back also helped my girl maintain grip as well. 

And Erizo, I'm not completely sure, but it's my understanding that the CSE (Carolina Storm Express), isn't meant for hedgehogs, unless they are unusually small. I think it's meant for small mice, hamsters, etc, because it has a smaller inside diameter than the others. Also, I do agree with you that bigger is better, but unfortunately, even a wheel with a 12 inch diameter is considered pretty big for some cages. I have a 2x3 C&C cage (I wish I could make it bigger but unfortunately I have limited space in my apartment), and my girl's wheel takes up a fair amount of space already, with all her tunnels, toys, a dig box in there too. I guess my point is, not everyone can afford enough space for their hedgies to have a very large wheel, one even bigger than the CSW.


----------



## Erizo (Jul 25, 2012)

> And Erizo, I'm not completely sure, but it's my understanding that the CSE (Carolina Storm Express), isn't meant for hedgehogs, unless they are unusually small. I think it's meant for small mice, hamsters, etc, because it has a smaller inside diameter than the others. Also, I do agree with you that bigger is better, but unfortunately, even a wheel with a 12 inch diameter is considered pretty big for some cages. I have a 2x3 C&C cage (I wish I could make it bigger but unfortunately I have limited space in my apartment), and my girl's wheel takes up a fair amount of space already, with all her tunnels, toys, a dig box in there too. I guess my point is, not everyone can afford enough space for their hedgies to have a very large wheel, one even bigger than the CSW. [/quote
> 
> ]..............................................................
> ..............................................................
> ...


----------



## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the main purpose of having a wheel was to give your hedgehog a place to run? I understand it's good having extra space for your hedgie, just for other space to run and frolic haha. For instance, my Tansy usually runs on her wheel, then will get off and run around her cage, then hop back on her wheel (occasionally running around in her tunnels - it's like a little obstacle course!). And it's great that you're able to give your hedgehog so much room. But I actually think 2x3 C&C cages give a lot of space, but that's my opinion. In my cage, I'm able to house the wheel/litter area, a dig box underneath a fleece forest (or I switch that out for another tunnel), a PVC pipe, a fairly large ferret tunnel, as well as her large igloo, food and water dishes. And there's still space for her to run in between the tunnels and igloo (then again, I have a smaller hedgie, and she might be able to fit in smaller spaces).

I've seen some people that have HUGE enclosures for their pets, and I wish everyone could afford that luxury. And I agree that some people's cages are way too small for their hedgehogs (personally, I think a 2x2 C&C is too small), but I feel like as long as there's a wheel, it's not as bad as it could be. Though getting back to your first point, it does need to be the correct size.


----------



## GothicBreena (Jun 30, 2014)

So I tilted her wheel back, and used a sticky tape in strips and under it put tooth picks that I cut the points off so that the strips have a little hump in them so her paws can grip them to run and since I did that she's been up at night running marathons. She even goes on her wheel during the day. She LOVES it and is Super Happy! I made sure there's no way for the tape to come up, or for her to eat it or get access to the tooth picks or hurt herself in anyway. So now that she seems more than content I think my work is done. She's able to run and she's happy! So me and my mom are happy!


----------



## GothicBreena (Jun 30, 2014)

Meet My Moms Hedgehog Maleka!




























She's a little beefer! She's my little butterball


----------



## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Can you post a pic of the modification?


----------

