Sandpaper

[bandymandy]

I was reading today that putting fine grade sandpaper in a hedgehog wheel will help to keep thier nails to a manageable length. Is this true? If so, what grade paper should I use? Don't want to rip up her pads. Should it be at intervals like steps or just cover the interior of the wheel?

[bloane]

No no no no no. :) No sandpaper on the hedgehogs' wheels, it will do a lot more damage to the pads of their feet than it will do good for their nails. It would be like a human spending large percentages of the day walking barefoot on gravel. Very uncomfortable. Hedgehogs walk flat on their pads and their nails barely come into contact with the surface except when they are already pretty long. Wish it would work, it sure would cut down on nail trimming time (with 50 hedgehogs, it takes me a while to do the routine nail trims) but I am afraid it would do much more harm than good. On top of that, it would make the wheel VERY difficult to clean, and you would have to replace the sand paper quite frequently when it got dirty.
Becca

[shirleytx]

Just reading this made my feet hurt, ouch.

[bandymandy]

Thank you so much. She is just starting with the wheel and I got a big wheel thinking she an use it her whole life rather than getting a small one for her while she's a baby and a bigger one later so she kind of rattles around in it. Reading this article it sounded like it would help her grip & trim her nails (she doesn't like to be restrained, she's a VERY busy girl). So glad I have you all to ask first. Thanks.

[bandymandy]

So Quest just started liking her wheel. She is just running like mad (without the sandpaper). Occassionally her hind end will try to get ahead of her front end but overall she's just doing terrific!!! Thanks for encouraging me NOT to put sandpaper in her cage. Now I just need to get a bigger gage. You all are the best.

[shirleytx]

Glad she loves her wheel.

[Ododad]

Glad she loves her wheel.
Me too! :)

[hedgehog69]

try a cement pad they are like 12" by 12" By 1"thick and set there food and water on it and when they are eating and drinking they will also be wearing down their nails that seems to work very well for the stubbern hedgies that wont let me trim their nails.