Falling out of wheel?

junghan96 · 03-12-2017, 12:54 AM

Hey everyone,
I have a new-ish Robo hamster who keeps tripping/falling out of his wheel. He gets right back up and starts running again... but I've seen him go around a complete cycle after tripping and falling, and sometimes he lands upside down when he lands outside the wheel. Is this normal? Or maybe there's a problem with the wheel...? I really have no idea, since I've never encountered this with my last hammy (granted, he was **much** less hyperactive than this boy)
Thanks in advance for any feedback! ^^

cypher · 03-12-2017, 12:58 AM

It is quite common for them to come flying out of the wheel until they get the hang of it, usually because the wheel keeps spinning for a while when they stop, you need to make sure he doesn't land on anything hard if this does happen, they usually stop doing it after a while.
Which wheel do you have?

velma · 03-12-2017, 02:58 AM

My robo used to do that but they soon learn to control their wheels. Like cypher said, just make sure in the meantime he has a soft landing with substrate outside his wheel no nothing hard to land on.

Thin Lizzy · 03-12-2017, 08:54 AM

Aww, it is funny when they do that, but they do get the hang of it.
Like Velma says, provide plenty of substrate round the wheel so he doesn't hurt himself. Also, the thing with dwarf hams is they go super fast.

junghan96 · 03-12-2017, 11:59 PM

Yeah, there isn't anything close for him to land on (except the bedding). I have a solid 4.5 inch Kaytee silent spinner wheel.. and yeah, I can definitely see what Thin Lizzy is saying; sometimes it almost seems like his little legs are going too fast for the rest of him to keep up and that's when he falls x)

Thanks for all your feedback

cypher · 03-13-2017, 02:25 AM

A 4.5" wheel is too small, even for a robo, you need at least the 6.5" if you use a silent spinner, bigger if you use other types of wheel.

Pebbles82 · 03-13-2017, 02:35 AM

Ditto re needing the 6.5" wheel

Although robos are tiny, the bigger the wheel, the easier it is for them to run and 4.5" is too small for any hamster (they shouldn't make them really). A robo can easily run in an 8 inch wheel as well!

AmityvilleHams · 03-13-2017, 02:48 AM

Robos could even use a 9 inch Silent Runner which is a great wheel!It is expensive right away,but the investment is worth it since it will last a long time and is the safest wheel on the market