Hedgehogs have terrible eyesight. Her old wheel was clear - not window glass clear, but pretty clear - and the surface was smooth - not that she could see it. Plus, it is blacker than black when she is active and running. Her cage has five tunnels, a house, plus food and water dishes. Partly, she knows her environment. That is one reason that making changes can be met with a lot of resistance. They don't like changes. She navigates with her whiskers. They aren't just cute - they are a vital sensory tool. Her whiskers give her the equivalent of excellent night vision.

Another good night last night. Two runs: 27 minutes; plus 1 hour, 2 minutes. Using the average speed calculator tool at Machine Head UK is working out great. The computer, because she is inconsistently turning it fast enough to trigger reliable calculation, has been showing average speeds between 3.5 and 4.5 mph. Converting elapsed time (which WILL be a little bit off, but probably not terribly so) and total distance (which should be exactly correct) -- is showing her average speed the last few nights to be between 1.53 and 1.61 mph. This consistency is typical for her. She may trend up or down a couple points, but those tend to be long-term trends, not nightly spikes.

If I find another computer, that would get me back to having an exact elapsed time. I suspect that the variance is minimal. Without data, however, that is an educated guess.