Silent spinner dangerous?

[Vierville]

Thank you for the advice everyone. I really appreciate it.

I will look into other brands that use the ball bearing mechanism but if I can't find an alternative then I will tape over or glue over the gaps. My mob of little hams do love them even though I don't thinnthe silent spinner is the best design.

[Ria P]

Originally Posted by Vierville

Thank you for the advice everyone. I really appreciate it.

I will look into other brands that use the ball bearing mechanism but if I can't find an alternative then I will tape over or glue over the gaps. My mob of little hams do love them even though I don't thinnthe silent spinner is the best design.

On page 3 of my thread Henry and Gordon under Hamster Chat, there is a photo of the box and make of the wheel i'd recommend.

[EmmaAndChester]

I think we also have to keep in mind that not everyone who encounters an issue will report it. Some will be too embarrassed, thinking that it was their fault - and others just won't, for whatever reason there may be.

Of course, for every one person you find that has had an issue, there seems like there's an excess who haven't. However, I have a hedgehog and so am also active in that community; we have seen several reports of ripped toenails and injured toes associated with the use of the 12" Silent Spinners, to the point where they're considered dangerous if the gap is not sealed.

I have no idea if it's just more prevalent in the 12" sizes vs the smaller options but nonetheless, I would stress caution that there is potential for there to be a problem with the use of these wheels and if you want to stay on the safe side, close up the gap with glue/tape, or buy a different wheel.

[AmityvilleHams]

I think it's important to remember that this is a genuine safety risk that does exist. It isn't overly cautious panic or anything similar. It is a very real issue that we need to acknowledge.

EmmaAndChester, thank you for coming from the hedgehog community perspective. This is where the issue originates since we weren't as aware in the hamster community of the very serious and absolutely horrifying design flaw.

Let me be perfectly clear however in saying that it is not just hedgehogs and therefore larger animals which are injured by the Silent Spinner. Sugar gliders are another example, and these are comparable in size to Syrian hamsters. Keep in mind that even pets as tiny as mice can break them, and you begin to see the very questionable quality and safety standard.

Knowing there are several safe completely solid wheel choices which don't present these safety risks, the only choice I can make is to exclusively recommend completely safe wheels. The 12 inch Silent Runner in particular can be even lower in cost from what I found in the UK than the 12 inch Silent Spinner, and the Silent Runner won't stop working or stop being silent in a few months(if you're lucky, but the Silent Spinner may never even work in the first place). The Carolina Storm Wheel would be a good choice, but it has a limited size range so it wouldn't work for all Syrians.

Another alternative wheel that gets a lot of hate despite being a perfectly acceptable choice would be the Comfort Wheel. The 8.5 inch and 12 inch sizes offer a choice for dwarf hamster owners(8.5 inch) and Syrian owners(12 inch, don't bother with the 8.5 inch unless you plan on reusing it for future dwarf hamsters and buying a 12 inch Comfort Wheel anyways very quickly). It may not be the quietest but it is extremely safe if sized properly!

I'd also like to give a mention of the Tic Tac Wheels large bucket wheel, which is available in certain colors with a very unusual 14 inch diameter. They're more expensive than the Silent Runner's largest size at £36.00 without postage. They also make another bucket wheel size that could allow many Syrians as it is 11.5 inches in diameter, but as it is around the price point of a Silent Runner I really can't recommend going with that over a 12 inch Silent Runner(which actually costs less and would work for basically all Syrians).

[EmmaAndChester]

Oh of course; I would personally recommend sealing the gap where the two pieces connect regardless of what animal is using the wheel. African Pymgy Hedgehogs can be the same size as a large, breeder quality Syrian hamster - some are as small as 250g, but average is usually 340-400g. Nonetheless, we still see issues reported in these smaller hogs - so I definitely agree & do not believe that its the weight of the animal to blame and advise to seal the gap as a precaution, always.

As far as the Silent Runner; there's been a couple of issues reported of design flaw where the track is held together via that little plastic connecting piece. There are some where the connecting piece ends up leaving a gap on either one or both sides, big enough for a tiny paw to slip through. I think it was Rodipet who issued a warning once for people to check their wheels, as they had reports of hamsters getting feet caught in the gap. (I wonder if that's why they stopped selling them? I have no idea). Again, I know it's an issue we have seen reported with hedgehogs too to the point where these wheels are also considered a potential safety issue. I use a Silent Runner for one of my dwarf hamsters (the others use rodipet cork wheels), and did notice a tiny gap - maybe I'm paranoid from seeing the horror stories with hogs, but i just put a little tape over it and any potential issue for concern then is eliminated.

Love tic tac wheels, they're awesome - I have one, and no faults there, but they are massive and will take up a huge amount of space in a Syrian's enclosure. The tracks are designed for hedgehogs, so are unnecessarily wide for a Syrian. I mean they're fine, if you don't mind taking up all that space, they're just super deep wheels.