To Wheel or Not to Wheel?...

[AprilPearl]

... That is the question!

Quigley will be 9 weeks old tomorrow, and his breeder said he could have his wheel in his cage when he was 8 - 9 weeks old. So, I was planning on putting it in tomorrow, especially as he is still bar chewing and I am hopeful that it may distract him.

Quigley has had access to the wheel in his playpen and does not run on it constantly. In fact, some nights he doesn't even use it.

However, I have heard it said that baby hamsters shouldn't have wheels until they are 10 weeks old. Plus, he's not been gaining weight very fast. Over the last 6 days, he's gained only 5g.

Should I err on the side of caution and wait another week? Or, should I put in the wheel tomorrow?

[Jeir]

My (petshop) hamster went from 80g at 6 weeks to 181g at 13 weeks (today). With a wheel. Weight when they're young is more genetics, I think, and their growth tends to slow down at around 2-3 months. =)

I'd give him the wheel. It'll help with boredom, improve his happiness (citation needed; I read, on here I think, that there was a study that showed running on the wheel increases happiness in hamsters), and give him something other than bar chewing to do.

[Pebbles82]

I would give him the wheel too. It sounds like he needs it and is sensible with it. Our last hamster also had it from 6 weeks and ran it constantly for a few days then settled down. I'm sure it will help with the bar chewing - and when balancing these things, sooner would be better before bar chewing causes damage to his teeth or becomes a real habit Try not to worry - I know it is natural after losing a hamster recently, but he is a good age and weight. I think the concerns come more with baby hamsters of 6 weeks or so.

[AprilPearl]

Thanks guys. Will give him the wheel tomorrow. What worried me most was hearing that baby hamsters can die from overdoing it on the wheel, which is why I have waited until now. But, I think he is probably now old enough

[Coco61]

Sounds like he is ready for his wheel now AP. Don't want bar chewing to become a habit or harm his teeth as Serendipity said.

[Fluffagrams]

I think in this case you should trust your instincts.

I don't normally give mine wheels in their cages until they're about 16 weeks old but on occasions I've given them earlier if I feel that it would be beneficial. Jessie had a wheel at 11 weeks because she was such a live wire that she needed occupying and Matthew was given access to a wheel earlier because I had no issue with his growth rate.

If you become concerned at a later date that he's using it obsessively, losing too much weight and if he starts to feel bony then you could always remove the wheel again for a while.

[Thin Lizzy]

Harvey got his right away and he was 9 weeks.
My first ever hamster Jack had his wheel from 6 weeks but, I never knew not to and that was 16 years ago. He overdone it and I remember having to hold the water bottle to him so he could hydrate himself. I then made the decision to limit his time with it because of what happened.
Going back to Harvey, he overdid it and there were a few times when I removed the wheel.
It's the excitement of going fast, Harvey would pee and run at the same time.
Give Quigley the wheel but keep an eye on him.

[AprilPearl]

Thanks Coco Fluffagrams and ThinLizzy

Ok so I have decided to give him the wheel this evening as he is 9 weeks old today. I'll keep a close eye on him with the night vision camera to check that he's not overdoing it and also weigh him more often (perhaps daily) to check for weight loss.

Really hope he's ok!!! I'm going to be so nervous but I'm going to have to trust him to be sensible...

[Thin Lizzy]

Bless you AprilPearl, totally understand how you're feeling, he's gonna be fine.

[AprilPearl]

Hope you're right ThinLizzy! I'm sure I am probably just overthinking this