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mangoandmimi · 03-14-2019, 07:12 AM

There's a few reasons why some people don't like wheels for gerbils. They are big chewers and so plastic wheels could be a danger, but now there are wooden wheels - Rodipet, Getzoo, Trixie, Karlie wonderland all do them. I'm not sure wooden wheels are available in the States so I can see why some people are concerned. There were also some issues with tails getting stuck but I don't think that would be a problem if you got a big enough and safe wheel that didn't come apart or anything. Gerbil enclosures are often not that big so it can be difficult fitting a big enough wheel in, so lots of people opt to leave the wheel out in favour of deeper bedding. The smaller caging is often because some people choose to house pairs/groups in smaller spaces in an attempt to reduce fighting risks. But if you have a good sized cage like you should then none of that would be an issue. Then lots of gerbils do just use the wheel less than hamsters would (and some don't use them at all), especially if the setup is enriching enough. I don't think any of the reasons are enough to just leave a wheel out tbh, the German setups pretty much all have wheels too.

03-14-2019, 07:12 AM
mangoandmimi Little Miss Tinytoes Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: UK Posts: 7,036	Re: Gerbil wheel There's a few reasons why some people don't like wheels for gerbils. They are big chewers and so plastic wheels could be a danger, but now there are wooden wheels - Rodipet, Getzoo, Trixie, Karlie wonderland all do them. I'm not sure wooden wheels are available in the States so I can see why some people are concerned. There were also some issues with tails getting stuck but I don't think that would be a problem if you got a big enough and safe wheel that didn't come apart or anything. Gerbil enclosures are often not that big so it can be difficult fitting a big enough wheel in, so lots of people opt to leave the wheel out in favour of deeper bedding. The smaller caging is often because some people choose to house pairs/groups in smaller spaces in an attempt to reduce fighting risks. But if you have a good sized cage like you should then none of that would be an issue. Then lots of gerbils do just use the wheel less than hamsters would (and some don't use them at all), especially if the setup is enriching enough. I don't think any of the reasons are enough to just leave a wheel out tbh, the German setups pretty much all have wheels too.