# what is a runner?



## v.bow (Nov 1, 2010)

ok so im trying to figure out how people determine if their hedgehogs are runners.

mine will 3-4 hours a night. 1-2.9km (.62miles to 1.8miles a night) 

i just know that he was 274g when i brought him home and now he is hovering around 249-263


trying to figure out if i should feed him a fattier diet or not. 

thanks for the input =D


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

As long as his sides aren't caving in and he isn't losing any weight, you do not need to put him on a higher fat diet 
My hedgehog, Kashi, is considered a runner. I don't know how fast he runs but he runs on and off for most of the night. The first thing he does when he wakes up is eat, drink and hop right on his wheel. Sometimes I will even catch him still running on his wheel when I wake up early in the morning. He actually started losing weight when I tried weaning him off kitten food (not because he wasn't eating any, but because he just needs the extra fat) and I've had to make mealworms a stable to his diet as well for extra fat as well.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

My Cholla is what I would consider an extreme runner. He does between 5-7 hours every night for about 7-11 miles. He's lost some weight & I'm trying to keep him from loosing more. He gets extra waxworms & mealies every night. And I'm keeping the kitten kibbile in his mix. 
He had gotten up to about 300 g, but is down to about 266.

What are you currently feeding him?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The term runner is used in a few different ways. 

One is a hedgehog who won't sit still and runs around like crazy. This is opposite of the cuddler who all they want to do when out is sleep and cuddle. 

The other is body shape. There is the runners body shape which is long and lean and when looked at from above the sides are straight rather than curved out. Runners body shape doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how much the hedgie runs as hedgies that don't run very much at all can still have a runners body shape. 

And then there are those hedgies that spend their nights wheeling and can clock 7,8,9+ miles on their wheels each night. :lol:


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## v.bow (Nov 1, 2010)

im feeding her nutrience, 2 kinds, the light and then duck formula as a treat (20% fat)
3 kinds of royal canine sample bags in the mix and 2 kinds of wellness in it. I also hand feed her extra wellness kibbles and meal worms. 7 types of food, poo looks fine but its dark black.


something about the body shape...is this when shes laying down splat? or when hes walking around? 

lol my girl doesn't eat first...she runs then eats, runs then eats. last night she ran 2.6 km 3 hours and 54 minutes.


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

It's just when she is walking around regularly  Some have a straighter/longer body shape whereas the others have a teardrop shaped face

Wow that is a huge mix o_o how do you keep track of it all? :lol:
As long as she is maintaining body weight it should be fine.
Is the poo dark brown after it dries or when she first poops?


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## corgi (Nov 29, 2010)

This might be a dumb question  but I was wondering how you all know how far they have run? Is there some sort of mileage thing you put on the wheels?

I'm guessing you're not strapping little pedometer's to their wrists


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

corgi said:


> This might be a dumb question  but I was wondering how you all know how far they have run? Is there some sort of mileage thing you put on the wheels?
> 
> I'm guessing you're not strapping little pedometer's to their wrists


You can install a bike odometer on the wheel. Although the idea of hedgehogs with little pedometers on their wrists sounds very cute! :lol:


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## Sheryl (Sep 9, 2010)

Wilson is a marathon runner. He runs 10-11 miles each night over 4.5-5 hours. He would run more (his high was something like 14.2 miles in one night) but I limit him a bit by leaving a night light on in the room for a couple of hours each night. Otherwise, he forgets to eat and loses a lot of weight. He weighs 260g and is 6 months old. He was 288g when we got him at 4 months old and he dropped to around 245g before I began limiting his running time. I also put a second dish of kibble in his igloo so he can eat during the day (he doesn't willingly come out of his igloo during the day). The food in the igloo seems to have helped a good bit.


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## v.bow (Nov 1, 2010)

lol omfg the pedometer on the wrist is to cute lol


i keep track of the food by...well nutrience is the staple and each day i put a few of the other ones in rotating them 

the food fish in the home seems like a great idea. i might try that. 

my pedometer fell off last night >.< so i don't know how far he raun last night

hmm the poo is dark black when it dries, not sure how it looks when its wet.


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## v.bow (Nov 1, 2010)

thats odd i made some spelling mistakes and trying to edit but i dont see the edit button. there was an edit button right?


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