Quite a few hams do this, some even take su residence in their
Ah yes i remember, you have the rotastak wheel!
Yep from my experience hammies really enjoy stuffing food and bedding in there
Peggy had two wheels and she didn't run much in the rainbow runner so it wasn't much of a problem.
i can't think of much to suggest, as obviously you don't want to deprive him of exercise by removing the wheel too much. But how long did you take it off for?
it may need longer for him to settle himself, which you must provide lots of exercise time outside the cage while its taken off.