Hedgehog Wheels & Cages

This is what I have:

I bought large rodent wheels. They are about 12" in diameter and about 4" across. This gives them plenty of room to wheel in comfort. I took plastic canvas (bought in the craft department at Wal-Mart), cut it to the width of the wheel and weaved it through the rungs. I would go under 1 rung on the outside, then over 4 on the inside, under 1, over 4....continuing the pattern all around the entire wheel. I tucked it all in at the end. This gives the hedgehog a solid running surface they won't get hurt on.
Some use craft foam and that works just as well.

I use vaseline on the wheels where they are connected to the frame to help with any squeaks. This helps greatly and even through many washings, I have squeakless wheels that last for months.

Speaking of washing. I rinse off my hedgie's wheels daily. I have one of those shower massage heads that comes off the holder. I just take that and high power rinse them off in the tub. You can get the wheels going pretty fast and do a good job cleaning them that way.

Below are some pictures of my hedgehog's wheeling.

This is James and he LOVES to wheel.

Kisses also loves to wheel. She adds a little extra to the experience by jamming a tube on her head first though. Isn't she cute?

Below is a few pictures of one of my cages. I use Sterilite 32 gallon containers, (without the lids), and then attach the wheel to the side and attach another smaller container as a sleep/nest box. I use blankets for the hedgehogs to snuggle under as they sleep and newspaper (no colored ink) on the bottom of the play area. This is by far the easiest set up I've ever done.

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