# Not interested in anything but escaping



## Honeyrainrain (Feb 1, 2017)

Hello all~

I have been taking care of my hedgie, Sprout, for over a month now, he is still adjusting to the environment because he still hides and huffs and puffs at me (even sometimes trying to bite but I just quickly change my finger into blanket before the ultimate bite )... other than that, he has been very healthy and active.

One thing though, is that he never uses his wheels nor play with his toys...EVER, instead, at night, he enjoys scratching/digging on the fleece and climbing up the cage... I have caught him twice in a row, trying to climb up the cage and almost falling off... Should I wrap the whole cage in chloroplast? I don't want him to injure himself.

How can I encourage him to exercise more? Well, I mean climbing takes a lot of effort for hedgies because their short, round body... but I mean, running on the wheel is way safer and better for them. I tried to put mealworms on it to lure him to go on it... he just stood on the edge and ate them and went back to his digging...



One extra question not relating to this post... Sprout is allowing me to feed mealworm from a small cap and let me touch his forehead, is that a sign of trust? I think he is very scared of me because he doesn't allow me to pick him up and sleep in a snuggle bag on my lap (he wants to escape from me every second), so my daily bonding only limited to putting him in play pen while I am next to it, reading my book or doing my thing...:|


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## ArizonaHazelnut (Nov 16, 2016)

I would recommend lining the walls with smooth coroplast at least 11 inches high...maybe more if your hedgie is determined to climb. Hedgehogs are not naturally good climbers, so they can easily hurt themselves.

Do you also have a secure lid on top of your cage? I've heard of hedgehogs climbing onto hides/wheels to escape, so you must have a secure lid of some sort (if you don't already have one).

To encourage my hedgehog to use her new Carolina Storm Wheel (when it arrived) I also would put treats on the clean wheel at night. She would hope up and eat the treat, and after about a week, she took off running! Maybe you need to keep trying it? Or use smidge of wet cat food and "stick" it up higher on the wheel so your hedgehog has to walk the wheel to get to the treat? I also have a hide (usually filled with fleece strips for digging around in) and a 4" diameter tunnel for Hazel to run around in at night...so maybe you need a tunnel or another hide for you hedgehog to "explore"?

Hope that helps!


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

What size and kind of wheel do you have?


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## Honeyrainrain (Feb 1, 2017)

ArizonaHazelnut said:


> I would recommend lining the walls with smooth coroplast at least 11 inches high...maybe more if your hedgie is determined to climb. Hedgehogs are not naturally good climbers, so they can easily hurt themselves.
> 
> Do you also have a secure lid on top of your cage? I've heard of hedgehogs climbing onto hides/wheels to escape, so you must have a secure lid of some sort (if you don't already have one).
> 
> ...


thank you for your advice~ I will try it out!


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## Honeyrainrain (Feb 1, 2017)

nikki said:


> What size and kind of wheel do you have?


I have a 12inch comfort wheel and I will be making a new one soon


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## Theo_the_hedgehog (Mar 27, 2017)

My hedgehog does the same thing as yours. She has absolutely no interest in her toys and I have to put her onto her wheel in the daytime (I leave it out at night because she would run through her droppings and get dirty, and I don't have time to clean it) She loves to climb too, and she has escaped her box twice, even with smooth sides (mind you, she did have thick towels that day, so they were probably a big boost). I don't have any advice to give you, but I wanted to let you know that it is not just your hedgie with this behaviour.  Hope this offers you a bit of consolidation....


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## ArizonaHazelnut (Nov 16, 2016)

Theo-the-hedgehog...

Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, which means they are active at night. The reason your hedgie doesn't want to run during the day is because that's when it is supposed to be sleeping. It would be like waking you up at 3:00 AM to go exercise...I don't know about you, but I'd be miserable!!! 

Also, hedgehogs poop when they run. Think about it...in the wild they run wherever they want and poop as they go...leaving it behind them. On a wheel...well...what goes around comes around. Hedgehogs are known for their poop boots! That being said...if you don't have time to clean a wheel daily, do you really have enough time for a hedgehog? Hedgehogs need to be taken out of their cage and handled for 30-60 minutes (minimum) a day. Cleaning my Hazel's poopy wheel takes me less than five minutes with 50/50 vinegar/water solution and paper towels. It is simply not fair to your hedgehog to deny it a wheel at night, or to make it wake up during the day when its natural instincts are to sleep. 

If the appropriate care cannot be provided, it would be best to contact the Hedgehog Welfare Society so they can rehome it with someone who has the time and patience for such a lovely critter.


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## Theo_the_hedgehog (Mar 27, 2017)

I think I went about my post the wrong way. I definitely have enough time for my lovely Theo and I play with her for at least an hour every day.  I knew hedgehogs are nocturnal and that they need a wheel but I just didn't know how much they needed it! I also give her a "foot bath" whenever she has poop boots. I shall make a point to do more research before I ask questions here. Also, thanks for your 50/50 cleaning tip!


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