Got Biscuit back in the spring and for the first two months she basically ignored her wheel entirely. I tried different bedding under it, moved it to different corners of the cage, even swapped the wheel itself once thinking maybe the surface bothered her feet. Nothing worked and I was starting to worry she just wasn't going to be a runner, which honestly worried me because I know how much they need that exercise for their weight and mental stuff.

Turns out the issue was way simpler than I thought. The wheel was slightly too small for her and every time she got going her back would arch in a way that clearly wasn't comfortable, so she'd just hop off after a few seconds. I only noticed because I stayed up late watching her one night instead of just checking in the morning to see if it had been used. Once I swapped to a bigger flat surface wheel (12 inch, no mesh) she was on it almost every single night within a week.

Now I hear her going at it for a solid hour most nights around 1am, which is also apparently completely normal and not her being sick or stressed like I originally assumed when I first heard the noise. Just wanted to share in case anyone else has a hog who seems to be avoiding the wheel. Might not be behavioral at all, could just be the equipment not fitting them right. Wish I'd checked that first instead of assuming something was wrong with her.

Hi guys!

We have regular hog(s) in our garden, and we see them ranging from about 6.30-10pm (over the last week anyway).
We think they may have a nest behind our garage as we've seen different sized ones.

Before the last week, we only caught glimpses at night time but on Saturday this little one came at 6.38pm, which is quite early. Then 8.30, then 7ish.

She (assumed) hunts around in the grass and then usually eats the food I put out and has a big drink. The concern is last night she was at the feeder eating for about 25 minutes.
I spoke to my local hedgehog rescue centre and they're worried as it looks like she has a dip in the neck which could signal dehydration. At first they said she could be a nesting mother and that's the reason for her early appearance, but then they said she probably wouldn't hang around for long.

They said they were concerned and that they'd check her over if I was able to bring her in. My fear is that she's fine and that this is cruel to rip her away from potential babies. She will be so scared if I put her in a box. I'm then conflicted because the rescue are concerned. They said I could return her if they check and she's all good.

What do you think? Any advice welcome 🙏🏼