Flying Saucer Wheel Warning!!

cornishrobos · 12-31-2008, 09:04 AM

Hi there
Although i've been a member for a fair few months and try to read the forums as often as possible, I don't often post anything, however I thought i'd warn those members who have the above wheel or are thinking about buying one for their hamsters.

I adopted our 3rd robo Tilly from the pets at home rescue centre and for a change bought one of the above wheels, my other 2 have silent spinners, anyway we set Tilly up and as normal gave her time to settle in, we got up the next day and all was quiet in her cage, so assumed everything was ok, later on in the afternoon we came back upstairs and looked in, everything still looked normal but then we heard a little scratching noise, we were looking but couldn't see Tilly anywhere, so looked in her house, still nothing, it wasn't until my partner lifted her wheel and we discovered her there, god knows how long she had been trapped underneath it but there were marks where she'd been biting at it. We felt so bad that we hadn't checked before.

She obviously burrowed underneath the wheel base and the megazorb and got trapped under the wheel and because she was so small she couldn't get herself back out. We didn't have time to go and get her another wheel, so my partner got his Dremel Tool out and cut out a hole in the base, so just in case she did it again she could at least get out. We then acquired our 4th Robo Henry and he did the same (we bought the same wheel as Tilly seemed to like hers so much), so we did the same to his wheel.

Anyway, sorry about the long winded post, just like to warn everyone that they can get trapped underneath these wheels. Both hamsters were fine by the way!

**Spuds Mum** · 12-31-2008, 11:16 AM

Oh dear, poor poor Tilly!
Glad she is okay though and thanks for giving us that information, it maybe will help others who have robos to consider!

j-alexandria · 12-31-2008, 01:39 PM

I love how you say a few months, but it says you joined in 2005. lol
Anyways, it was a good thing you got her out! I would have never thought to drill a hole in the bottom. I've never bought one and I don't plan on it because I don't really understand how they work lol, if that makes sense?

cornishrobos · 12-31-2008, 02:30 PM

I joined in 2008, didn't even have hamsters in 2005! lol

Yeah Tilly was fine, weird though how Henry did the same thing! The hamsters just stand on the wheel and run like they would if standing on a normal wheel, it just stands at an angle.

ref84 · 01-01-2009, 11:15 AM

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cornishrobos · 01-01-2009, 01:56 PM

Yeah they have got used to them, Tilly goes for gold on hers, only thing in that being in an Imac Fantasy, they tend to be too lazy to get off it to go for a poo and it ends up getting flung out the side of the cage. Lovely animals!lol Might change them for silent spinners for that reason and because they are still quite noisy.

ref84 · 01-01-2009, 02:34 PM

I think Rio runs a marathon most nights in his! He's in a perfecto so it's on a stand which means it turns every night when he runs a lot! Starts the evening facing out towards the room and most mornings he's facing the wall!!

Hana · 01-01-2009, 04:38 PM

Cracker has one of these, she also cannot be bothered to get off to go to the toilet!!

mollldoll · 01-02-2009, 03:42 AM

I glue gunned mine to the shelf for my robos - since the top lifts off you can still clean the wheel without it moving around the cage or letting hammies underneath.

raindrop · 01-06-2009, 05:56 PM

My 2 love theirs
They have one each and always try to use it at the same time !
Part of their game is being flung off but then the do it with all their wheels!
(I sometimes change them for Silent Spinners or have one of each just to confuse them lol!)