hamster flipping in wheel?

lovehamsters01 · 02-09-2022, 08:38 PM

hi! so I got my tiny robo hamsters a new wheel and noticed that one of them has a hard time going fast. she constantly ends up flipping around but she still goes back on afterwards. so I put in their old, smaller wheel but she was still back flipping off of it!!! is this normal, or dangerous? my other robo doesn't have this issue, i think this one just has a hard time going fast. what should i do?

Ria P · 02-11-2022, 12:22 AM

My first Robo did that at first. I put his wheel in sand so he had a soft landing. Is it an open or enclosed wheel?

On a sidenote: if you are keeping two Robos in the same cage then you need to have a second cage on standby because pairs often fall out and fight as they mature.

LunaTheHamster1 · 02-11-2022, 05:26 AM

you might need to upgrade to a larger wheel. I have the 9 inch silent runner wheel and this worked for my robo. Some people find they have to go even larger for their robo for this to stop happening. In the meantime, it is a good idea to just make sure your robo has only soft items that they will fall on.

lovehamsters01 · 02-12-2022, 11:18 PM

thanks so much, I'll make sure it's a soft landing. it's an open wheel but I'll look into getting a closed one, my Syrian has one. i was also worried about her flipping around the wheel even without falling out.
the wheel is very large, an 8.2 inch, I don't think they'd even be able to move a bigger one lol they're so tiny. I'm hoping they'll just get used to it, I've only had them about a month. if not, I'll eventually try out a bigger wheel, but I've already been thru at least 7.
I'll definitely keep the fighting thing in mind, as of now they're ok and I don't have room in their tank for another big wheel, but I am planning on getting the Niteangel cage which will be big enough and as soon as I do, they will each get their own wheel.
thanks so much for the replies!

AmityvilleHams · 02-13-2022, 03:39 AM

Definitely keep in mind with pairs that horrible accidents can and very often will happen, and it's never when you expect. Even if injuries aren't being caused it's still incredibly stressful for hamsters living together. They can go from being cuddly and wonderful one moment to fighting to the death the next - nothing is set in stone unfortunately and they're not naturally social animals in general regardless of species unlike some other small pets!

LunaTheHamster1 · 02-13-2022, 05:06 AM

you might be surprised, robos can even use 12 inch/30cm wheels quite easily. maybe not when they are babies, but after a few months they should be able to.