new wonderland wheel ruined :(

Willow Wisp · 03-06-2015, 02:38 AM

The running battle with potty training Hazel continues, I changed her house to a larger one that would fit a litter tray, this works, all the time she is in her nest and needs a wee she takes the few steps to her litter tray, good girl Hazel

But when she is up and active she insists on peeing in her wheel, bad Hazel

Every couple of days I have been gently wiping it over the running area with a baby wipe, (it stinks lol), loath to do anything else to it because I remember a member on the forum saying they washed theirs and it all fell apart, however a day or two ago another member here mentioned that her wheel isn't plastikoted and she runs it under the tap every 4wks or so and it has been fine so.....
Hazels new wheel has 3 layers of clear plastikote on it, so I thought ok a very very quick run under the tap, keeping it moving at all times so no water puddles anywhere and should be ok then........WRONG!
Arghhh this is what happened, all the running area bubbled and became unglued.....
I have attempted to glue it back on, putting tape around it in an attempt to hold it in place while the glue sets, whether this will actually work or not we will have to wait and see, damn, it's less than 3wks old too

Poor baby Hazel doesn't have a wheel now, I will order her a new one but meanwhile I feel really awful about that

Heather · 03-06-2015, 02:43 AM

Oh no :S. I've just bought this wheel for Albert! I haven't put it in his cage yet because I planned to paint it at the weekend. I really hope he doesn't use it as his toilet!

cypher · 03-06-2015, 02:51 AM

Did you just plastikote the inside?
I have the same wheel for Zephyr & it gets rinsed , basically filled with water & spun a few times, every day as well as having a good wash each week but I plastikoted with several coats inside & out though, so far no problems at all.

I'm sure Hazel will find plenty to occupy her until she gets a new one, don't feel bad you weren't to know that would happen!

Pebbles82 · 03-06-2015, 03:42 AM

Oh goodness! It's me who washes it under the tap - more than that I scrub the running part with a scourer and it comes up fine. Mine isn't plastikoted though - do you think the water got between the wood and the plastikote! Maybe if she wee's in it you'll need a plastic wheel.

Willow Wisp · 03-06-2015, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

Did you just plastikote the inside?
I have the same wheel for Zephyr & it gets rinsed , basically filled with water & spun a few times, every day as well as having a good wash each week but I plastikoted with several coats inside & out though, so far no problems at all.

I'm sure Hazel will find plenty to occupy her until she gets a new one, don't feel bad you weren't to know that would happen!

I have a feeling I didn't plastikote the back, well to be honest I thought I had but looking at it today the inside, the outside and the base are a darker colour than the back, so maybe I got distracted and forgot the back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Oh goodness! It's me who washes it under the tap - more than that I scrub the running part with a scourer and it comes up fine. Mine isn't plastikoted though - do you think the water got between the wood and the plastikote! Maybe if she wee's in it you'll need a plastic wheel.

I think the water must have got under the running section from the back and lifted it, I was very careful, the water wasn't even hot and I used it sparingly lol

Yes if she keeps peeing in it I will get her a silent spinner, but she is still only a baby so fingers crossed she will be fully potty trained soon

I think I've managed to save it

It seemed to glue back ok and as it dried the wood shrank back and 95% of the bubbles disappeared

I have added a bit of decoupage, to add extra glue and help hold the joins together lol and then the ENTIRE wheel has had a further 3 coats of Plasikote. It's been in the garden drying all afternoon but as its getting late now I've brought it in and stood in on the radiator

Piebald · 03-06-2015, 02:28 PM

It looks cute! Good save

Thin Lizzy · 03-06-2015, 10:53 PM

Willow Wisp, I think you're a genius! Good save!
Hazel has her wheel and you've saved a few pounds having to buy a new one.
Phew!

cypher · 03-07-2015, 12:26 AM

It looks great now, nice job!
I think that's one of the advantages of using coloured plastikote lol! I used the transparent one on the base & even with the first coat couldn't see where I had or hadn't put it, I use the paint on stuff rather than the spray too & really work it into all the joins but then I knew how much Zephyr was going to pee in it before I bought mine!!

Willow Wisp · 03-07-2015, 01:44 AM

Thank you Piebald, Lizzy and Cypher

This peeing in the wheel thing is new to me, Willow and Ebony have never done it, they've both had their wonderland wheels since, well for over 6 months anyway and I have never had to clean them, they never get even slightly dirty, so I maybe wasn't originally as fastidious painting Hazels one as I should have been

I'm going to take it back out today and give those joins another coat of paint

But even if I did forget to paint the back, that doesn't explain why Hazels fell apart with the first gentle rinse and Seredipity scrubs Charlie's one under the tap every 6 weeks and it's never been painted LOL

She didn't pee in it last night, I popped it back in her cage just before I went to bed at about 2am, I had left it out to let the smell disperse, I think that was pure luck though and I'm taking bets on whether she pees in it tonight

CPalmer · 03-07-2015, 01:54 AM

How stange! I have the biggest wonderland wheel, it is thoroughly coated inside and out with plasticote. I have filled it with water and scrubbed it, Only once though, as Freya seems to have stopped peeing and pooping in it. But I did seriously fill it to the brim and leave it with some fairy liquid in to soak off the poop. Then i scrubebd it and rinsed with the disinfectant sprayed into water.

Maybe i'll not soak it so long next time... just in case.