Wheel Preference?

caitlinr222 · 10-09-2016, 08:41 AM

Hey all! My hamster Aspen, despises running on his saucer. I have to manually exercise him instead by letting him play around my room. How spoiled!

Anyways I would like to see him getting some exercise in other ways, as it can't be enough for him to run around for only 20 minutes or so. He has a saucer he occasionally runs on, and a fully enclosed wheel with holes as well. (although the latter is currently not in his cage)

All I'm asking for here is advice. Is there any cage all hamsters love and I just don't know about it?

**Cinnamon Bear** · 10-09-2016, 08:44 AM

What kind of cage do you have him in now? Also, what size is it? Any reason why you couldn't just put a good wheel in there. The Silent Runner is a good wheel or the Wodent Wheel

velma · 10-09-2016, 08:49 AM

Just as not one house suits all humans and no one car suits all drivers so there isn't really one cage or wheel that will fit every hamster's needs. They've all got different personalities so will take to things differently. And owner preference comes into it too. With wheels for example, for some ease of cleaning is the priority while others will look for the quietest. As long as your game can run with a straight back and can run easily it's then a case of working out what your ham is most comfortable with.

caitlinr222 · 10-09-2016, 09:00 AM

I believe I have the Wodent Wheel now that I think of it. I live in the U.S so good cage options are slim, but I managed to find a decent sized bin that we use and have mesh cuttings in the lid for ventilation. Measuring it it is about 22 inches by 13 inches by 18 inches (its really tall) which if the metric converter I have pulled up on line is correct is about 56 cm by 33 cm by 46 cm. I'm gonna try the wodent wheel again and am crossing my fingers it was a phase when he didn't like it before.

Edit: He loves it! It's morning here and the minute I put it in he came out to check it out. I think the problem with the saucer was that he felt to exposed, but he loves this one. The first five minutes and he's running his heart out. As close to it as Aspen gets, that is. He mostly waddles everywhere

the wodent wheel is also 26 cm in diameter so no arched back

Fluffagrams · 10-09-2016, 09:46 AM

As Velma has said, there's no single wheel or cage that will fit every hamster's requirements and in my years of keeping Chineseys, I've found that some will love the Flying Saucer and others just can't seem to get the hang of it. I'm lucky, I guess that I've got a couple of different wheels available so if they don't get on that well with one, then I can swap it for another type.

There's a thread which has a guide to the most popular hamster wheels that will outline some of the pros and cons to each that might be worth a look at: Guide to suitable hamster Wheels

caitlinr222 · 10-09-2016, 09:52 AM

Thanks a bunch. Hoping I won't need that link and Aspen will love the Wodent Wheel as much as he does currently.

AmityvilleHams · 10-09-2016, 10:19 PM

The Silent Runner is worth trying if you can

It's like a Wodent Wheel but silent and much safer.

caitlinr222 · 10-10-2016, 10:55 AM

I have the guard on the Wodent Wheel so I don't see anything Aspen can get caught/hurt on. I will look into the Silent Runner in the future if I have a need to

Pebbles82 · 10-12-2016, 03:29 PM

The wodent wheel sounds good

I think most hamsters seem to like them as they like the holes and being a bit enclosed. The silent runner is great too, but both are a good option. The bin sounds a bit on the small side. This one isn't expensive and would give more floor area. It's not that tall though so you'd need low substrate at the wheel end and deeper substrate in the rest of the bin (meaning the vent holes would need to be cut higher up to allow enough depth for substrate)

Access Denied

Another option that isn't too expensive is a detolf if you have space

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ha...eYAYoQ_AUIBigB

DETOLF Glass-door cabinet - black-brown - IKEA

Plus Petco have a dollar a gallon sale on until 5th November, so you could get a 40 gallon breeder tank for $40 (it's a popular size amongst US hamster owners). And a zilla lid for it. No diy then.

Don't know why that link says Access Denied lol. It isn't. With a bit more floorspace he can dig and forage and have lots of hidey places, and a shelf or platform is good too.

AmityvilleHams · 10-12-2016, 03:56 PM

Wodent Wheels are generally safe,but the stand itself isn't as safe as the Silent Runner.The stand for Wodent Wheels are open,which means a hamster could technically get trapped from that.However if you're good with DIY a wheel stand can be made and then the problem is solved!

The Detolf is a great option.You can make it over a square meter using a sheet of melamine on the bottom instead of the glass panel,which in general would be preferable to just a Detolf on its own for a more active hamster.Even with the minimal DIY it is still easy and you can just get the melamine cut at Home Depot and the cage will still be relatively cheap considering the size!