Weekly? EWWWW. I cannot imagine how nasty Cooper's wheel would be if I didn't clean it daily. No wait, I can imagine it, and it isn't pretty or for that matter a healthy picture. Maybe if you have a rare clean hedgehog (I have one now), but for the normal hedgehog, absolutely no way.
I have received a couple of hedgehogs with their wheels over the years for which I have wondered if their prior owners did clean their wheels. In fact I have thrown away the last two wheels I received as they simply could not be cleaned. I let one of them sit in full strength vinegar solution for several days, before admitting defeat.
People have tried lots of things. I know a couple who swear by using plastic wrap (the kind that has a sticky side). Others use self sticking craft foam. Again they all get nasty, and must be replaced. It just all seems like a waste and some of them definitely have potential dangers associated with them.
I'll stick to my method. Spray with a water/vinegar solution, let sit, spray with water and use a vegetable/finger nail brush if needed. This has worked very well for me over the years.
