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Old 03-08-2020, 04:51 PM  
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Trixie wheel woes

I don't think the Trixie wheel can be used upside down - people have said it falls off the stand. The wodent wheels could be hung upside down but you can't get those any more.

If it's not too expensive for you, I'd get the silent runner and the bar attachments for it - it's a great solution and it fits really well in the Barney cage. It's also a 12" wheel so plenty big enough for any hamster. I have also found them to be very long lasting (unlike the Trixie plastic ones!) so it was worth the investment in the long run. I used mine for almost 3 years without any issues at all. It's completely silent and spins really well and is also safe and sturdy. The only minor thing is making sure the front and back are firmly pressed onto the running track so there's no gap in the joining strip on the running track - otherwise it wobbles and the gap could get a toe caught. But once you've put it together once it's a piece of cake.

A cheaper alternative would be the wood trixie wheel 28cm and hang that upside down - I did that in the Barney cage as well. You just need to large flat washers. The wheel is held onto the base by two screws. You take the screws out, put the washers onto the screws and put the screws through the top bars (the washers make sure the screws don't fall through and give some horizontal strength) the wheel upside down inside the cage and screw the screws back in again.

That wheel is only about £13 plus £4 for a bottle of plastikote to waterproof it. Whereas the silent runner is £25 plus about £6 for the bar attachment plates. But the silent runner will probably last a lot longer - as long as you don't submerge the back plate in water or the bearings can go rusty. Just wipe it. I've attached a photo of the Trixie wood wheel attached to the top bars. And a video review I did of the Silent Runner wheel when it first came out (we also had a very large syrian at the time). It's a bit long and waffly but you can fast forward! At the end are some photos on how to put it together. Luna also has a video showing how to assemble it.

In both cases, the advantage is you have the wheel near the top of the cage so the substrate is level in the cage (ie plenty under the wheel) and the hamster can't climb on top of the wheel and fall off!

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small..._wheels/609617

https://sugarglidershop.co.uk/produc...nner-12-wheel/

https://sugarglidershop.co.uk/produc...silent-runner/

Attachment 50223


Last edited by Pebbles82; 11-27-2022 at 06:51 PM.
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