silent spinner vs flying saucer

[shane13447]

i want to hear everyones opinions on which is better the silent spinner or the flying saucer wheel

[Fluffagrams]

Hello there,

There are mixed opinions on the flying saucer wheel and some owners are concerned about side arching of the spine but I think a lot will depend on your hamster and what size the saucer is.

I've got both Silent Spinners and Flying Saucers for my Chinese and have found that some hamsters cannot get on with the Flying Saucers at all and others have preferred them. Outside of the concern about side arching, the main downside to the Flying Saucer is the additional floor space it takes up in a cage than a more upright wheel might. You may also find that your hamster decides to make a nest under there which given the lack of ventilation, is not the best place to make a nest but hamsters will do what they want to do.

The main downside to the Silent Spinner is that there has been an issue with newer models being a little bit stiff and difficult to turn. However I've got one that turns so freely that my smallest Chinese struggles to control it and has been flipped out of it. I've also found that in time they can develop a slight rattle which may be a concern if you have your hamster's cage in a bedroom.

I'd personally go for an upright wheel in the cage and if you still wanted to give the Flying Saucer a go, trying it at playtime in a playpen.

[cypher]

I think Fluffagrams just about covered it really! I have had both, some hams preferring the saucer others the wheel but generally I also would go for an upright wheel in the cage & flying saucer in the playpen.
My silent spinners are all quite old now so I haven't had problems with them but so many people do seem to have had issues with the new slightly altered design I'd be inclined to look for other wheels, which one would depend on the type of hamster you have.

[Culprit]

I have mabye been thinking about getting one just for play, I already have the silent spinner so I would put it in play pen and the new addon

[Cinnamon Bear]

Just to add, you can push the flying saucer apart for better cleaning. When I did that to my last flying saucer it loosened up a lot, so now I have it in my new baby robos cage. She can run on it with no problems.

[badwolf]

I have flying saucers and normal trixie wheels for all three of my dwarves. They seem to use their wheels differently from the two syrians, who like to run in theirs and use it as a food store. So I think they're happy with just the normal upright wheel.