# Nightime Problems



## Mrs. Tiggy Winkles Owner (Jul 20, 2015)

Hi guys, 

I've had my hedgehog for about 2 weeks and I'm pretty happy so far and I think she has a lovely temperament, however, the last two nights, I have found that she is making a warning noise followed by a hiss and it's only ever when the lights are off. Now I know the obvious solution is to only go near her with the lights on, which is when she's fine, but it's not really good for a nocturnal animal.

I'm assuming it's a sight issue, but I don't want her to be scared, or become aggressive so some advice/practical tips would be much appreciated.

Also, on a completely different one, how on earth do you stop them poohing in their wheel and making a huge mess? It really does get in every crevice and dry hard. I'm cleaning it every day and it is a real chore. I have a litter tray for her and I've put it where the wheel was, thinking she'd pooh there, but it makes no difference.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

What kind of wheel do you have?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Hedgehogs poop when they run, its just what they do. You're going to have to get used to cleaning a poop covered wheel every day its just part of owning a hedgehog. In the wild they poop when they run and it gets left behind, works great, doesn't work so good on a wheel but they don't understand that so they still poop when they run.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Yes but some wheels are easier to clean. The op mentioned poop drying in crevices which generally would be in a silent spinner or a comfort wheel. Neither being easy to clean, one being dangerous.


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## Mrs. Tiggy Winkles Owner (Jul 20, 2015)

My wheel is a silent wheel, probably a UK version of the California storm wheel. It basically looks like a bucket that's been sawn and put on a spinning mechanism with a 3 piece plastic stand. 

So that really is it, they pooh and there's nothing you can do about it? I need some hope here because I was led to believe you could toilet train them and I'm spending 20-30 minutes every night cleaning it, which, quite frankly, is not a good use of precious time. I'll be wasting 2-3 whole days a year in just cleaning pooh!


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## Mrs. Tiggy Winkles Owner (Jul 20, 2015)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/African-p...heel-silent-degu-exercise-wheel-/121739364872?

This is the wheel I've got. It's very well made, with no crevices and silent.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Put a litter box under the wheel. Not all hedgehogs take to being litter trained. You might want to make a slight adjustment to the angle of the wheel so more will run out. 
What are you using to clean the wheel?
A simple solution of water and vinegar spayed on and let set a few minutes usually does the trick.
Also cleaning in the morning might be a better idea since it's fresher than in the evening.


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## Mrs. Tiggy Winkles Owner (Jul 20, 2015)

Thanks, I have got it standing in a litter tray and I am using water and clean and safe to clear up the mess, but it really dries hard!
I'll try the vinegar and water method as I'm sure she'll be happy going in her clean wheel again!

Thanks for the reply, I'm really hoping she will go elsewhere and have made some adjustments to her living area to see if it makes a difference.


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

I can't imagine why it's taking 30 minutes to clean your wheel. 

On lightly soiled days, I spray mine down with 50/50 vinegar water, let it sit while I switch out food and water and litter, and then wipe it down with paper towels before spot cleaning and lint rolling the liner.

If it's really dirty, I toss it in the sink, add some dish soap, and fill it up with hot water. I let it soak while I'm switching out food, water, and litter. Then I scrub it with a sponge set aside specifically for the wheel, spray it off (being careful not to hit the bearings too much), and dry it. Finally, I put it back in and then spot clean and lint roll the liner.

The entire process takes 15-20 minutes each morning. (I happen to do it while my oldest is eating breakfast. Then, if the liner needs shaken out or replaced instead of spot cleaned and rolled, he can eat with Fitzgerald in his lap.)

You did mention crevices, and a bucket wheel really doesn't have any of those except on the stand. Do you not have a litter tray underneath? I use a disposable plastic pan that sits between the legs of the stand and has a bit of a lip around the edge. Because hedgehogs naturally eliminate when they run, under the wheel is the best place for the pan. Some will go to that pan to eliminate even when they aren't wheeling, but many will simply go where they feel the need. 

All of that being said, when I calculate 20 minutes per day 6 days per week and 45 minutes per day on the one day per week I do deep cleaning and food mixing, I've spent 6 days per year caring for my hedgehog outside of bonding. I know everyone has different schedules, but I think most people waste more time than that on things with less return.


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## Mrs. Tiggy Winkles Owner (Jul 20, 2015)

Unfortunately, because of the design and construction of the wheel, the person who produces them states not to soak or get water into the mechanical parts, as it would lead to rust and will no longer remain silent, hence the not soaking it as I have no doubt that would be a big help.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Paper towels. Lay wet towels on the wheel and let it hang out for a couple minutes. Your essentially soaking without soaking


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

Mrs. Tiggy Winkles Owner said:


> Unfortunately, because of the design and construction of the wheel, the person who produces them states not to soak or get water into the mechanical parts, as it would lead to rust and will no longer remain silent, hence the not soaking it as I have no doubt that would be a big help.


They all say that. 

I actually lay mine down in the sink (obviously, that wouldn't work if your sink isn't big enough) and fill it with the soapy water. Then I scrub with that water and dump it out. The bearings never get wet unless they're incidentally splashed in the dumping or rinsing -- which has never been an issue. In the event that it becomes an issue (which, as I said, it hasn't), a bit of cooking oil or petroleum jelly (Vaseline) can be applied to the bearings to lubricate them and eliminate the issue.

I _promise_ you that all the owners of these kinds of wheels aren't spending 30 minutes every day chipping dried hedgehog waste off their wheels or replacing them frequently due to bearings that additional lubrication. They're spraying them down with a spray bottle and wiping them down or washing them in the sink or tub and then lubricating the bearings if the need arises.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I used the same type of wheels and got them wet many many times. I used the same wheels for years with no problems. You can always put them in a sink and only add enough water to go almost half way up the wheel, keeping the bearing out of water. Then turn the wheel every couple of minutes and it will come clean and the bearings won't get wet. Really hot water works the best. 

Even when I had been on holidays and the person looking after my hedgies hadn't clean the wheel for a few days before I got home I never spent more than maybe 10 minutes cleaning one wheel and I doubt it was even that long.


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## Slava (May 29, 2015)

I put my wheel in the sink. Soak for 2 seconds, scrub with brush. SOmetimes I do it with soap.Tbh water+brush gets rid of everything after a hot water soak for a few min.

ALso I don't think anybody mentioned this but the bearings are replacable, 



 shows how to replace bearings and they are DIrt cheap.


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