# Is her wheel too small?



## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

1st a cute pic of her about 2 seconds before she uncurls and tries to start her marathon running.









During bonding time last night I put her new wheel in her play pen with some kibble and water. She is silly she likes this new wheel because if she runs fast then stops it rocks her back and forth. She did that over and over again. But my concern as the wheel seems a bit small for her? Or is she just hefty? 









Also she has a white patch is that pinto? Would you say she's grey or chocolate?


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

Do you know what size the wheel is? I think 12" is the recommended. It does look a bit small as she is having to arch her nose in the air. But it's hard to tell from the picture. The rocking back and forth isn't anything to be worried about- it will happen on pretty much any wheel you get. She sure is cute!


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

It's a Carolina storm bucket wheel, they are 10.5 inches in diameter, and I thought they were MADE for hedgehogs?!! I am pretty upset I spent this much on a wheel that is too small.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

They are made for hedgehogs. Your girl might just be a bigger hedgehog, therefore that's why it seems small. I have the same wheel and my girl's back doesn't bend, or her nose isn't arched. I would try getting in contact with Larry T and seeing if he has any of the 12" inch wheels available, maybe you can exchange it.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

He is going to send me another wheel but they do not do ANY refunds .... How much does your hedgie weigh?


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

or exchanges


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Tansy is 320 grams. I weighed her a couple days ago. And she's a little over six months old now, so I expect that she's done growing


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Oh I thought they didn't stop until 9 months? And that's tiny especially since Olive is the perfect weight for her size at 505 gms.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

They come in all sizes, and I'm pretty sure there's no "perfect" weight for a hedgehog, because of that. As long as your hedgie isn't super slim around the midsection (shaped like an hourglass), or has an overly round shape, I would say they're healthy. usually, a healthy hedgehog will have a sort of "streamlined shape," which you can see when they're running. You can check out this thread, it lists the size and weight of different hedgehogs:

http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/10-general-questions/6079-average-hedgehog-size-weight-please-share.html


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

I think it also has a lot to do with how active they are, as some hedgies run more at night than others. My girl is a very avid runner, and is very active; she doesn't really cuddle with me, and would rather explore. Because of that, she's a lighter weight, and I've been keeping her on a diet that's higher in fat to help keep her weight on.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Yeah Olive doesn't cuddle either she will let me hold her for at the most 30 seconds and when she does she just stares at me like "MOM! I don't wanna cuddle!!! I wanna 'splore the world!!!" and then she starts kicking her legs out and it's like her way of saying "I'm gonna jump mommy!!! If you don't let me go I will do it!!" silly girl dare devil Olive.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

So I just read that post! I am so jealous most hedgies are half her size!!!!! There were only 3 posts on there of ones as big as her... =[ Imma take a picture to compare


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Does she look big to you


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Do you have a better picture of Olive? She actually looks a bit too chubby but it could be the pictures.
As for size, I have never had a hedgehog who's healthy weight was below 500/480 grams. Hedgehogs can be bigger or smaller and some fit perfectly on this wheel but a lot will be too big for it.


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

AlexLovesOlive said:


> It's a Carolina storm bucket wheel, they are 10.5 inches in diameter, and I thought they were MADE for hedgehogs?!! I am pretty upset I spent this much on a wheel that is too small.


No this is the CSE that's the smallest one they sell and it is 10.3 inch. The discription says "Great for Syrian hamsters, STO's, rats and smaller hedgehogs." so it is mostly used for smaller animals. 
The CSBW is 10.5 and the CSW is 12 inch, I think your best bet would be to buy one of them.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

It's hard to tell if she's chubby or not because of it looks like she's balling up just a little? Maybe not though. But she definitely looks like a larger sized hedgie to me, next to the $5. Not a bad thing, just more to love


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Yeah she was balling a little because she was scared of the tennis ball...Probably because it is the dogs and might smell a little strong lol. 








here's a closer up pic. I don't have any really good ones because she is always running and smelling and exploring


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Hard to see but she doesn't look that chubby to me in this one. Signs to watch out for are: visible fat behind the front legs, double chins when balling up and sometimes a hump between the shoulder blades. She is probably just on the bigger side of the hedgehog-size spectrum.  505 grams is not *that* big, it is still average size. They can be anything between 360-600 grams and some of them are even smaller or bigger.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Well if you look at the 1st post I made on this thread of her balling she definitely doesn't have a double chin. 








Here's a pic where you can see that she doesn't have any extra fat behind her front legs.


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

She sticks her head out in the first picture so you can't see it. But if she doesn't have any of these symptoms she's at a good weight, some of them are just a bit bigger than others. 500 grams is a very average weight here but I've seen hedgehogs in the US who are way smaller, that's more rare here I think. It can vary so much! I always say there's more to love with a big hog...


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Just wanted to say I got the 12' wheel (Thanks so much Larry T.!!!) and she loves it so much more, she is back to running with her normal vigor!


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