Best wheel for a tiny Russian?

[ham-star]

Hello,

I currently have the 6.5" silent spinner for my wee hammie... but I have seen him climb (he literally has to climb into it!) into it and then it doesn't move. He's just too small (bless his wee little legs!)
So, which is the best, and quietest, free moving wheel? I would prefer not to get a wooden one for hygiene and safety reasons (ie. splinters).

Thank you

[Sm_banks]

For a hamster as small as yours the 4.5 inch silent spinner would do good until he grows into his 6.5 inch. Petsmart sells the 4.5 inch Silent Spinner.

KAYTEE

[velma]

Personally I'd say the 4.5" is too small. Even a wee hamster should be able to move a bigger wheel. My little robo has to climb into his wheel (I make the substrate a bit higher at the front or put a couple of flat wood chews that he ignores in front like a step). I think the problem is with the silent spinner, not your ham. They redesigned them a while ago and now they don't spin very well so all hams are having a hard time moving them. Pets at home do their own version now and it's nearly the same. The plastic stand is pants though so I'd put it on the metal silent spinner stand for safety but get the same size you have now.

I made a little video comparing the p@h version with the original superset/kaytee silent spinner. The spinner in my video is over a year old & from before the redesign and has none of the stiffness of the new ones. The p@h wheel I got just before Christmas.
Hector demonstrates....silent spinners - YouTube

[Jeir]

Shame you don't want a wooden one. I've never had issues with them that couldn't be easily solved (a little light sanding on the edges, and 3-5 layers of Plastikote to completely waterproof it). The 8inch Karlie Wonderland wheel is good for all dwarfs. My tiny 21g robo runs in it without any issues.

Seems like the P@H one might be your best option after all. =)

[ham-star]

Thank you for your tips! And for the YouTube video... Hector is a brilliant actor!
I shall pick one up from p@h... does the wheel fit onto the Kaylee metal stand?

[Cinnamon Bear]

I have a 8 in Wodent Wheel for my robo & she goes crazy over it. A baby robo could run in the wheel

[velma]

Originally Posted by ham-star

Thank you for your tips! And for the YouTube video... Hector is a brilliant actor!
I shall pick one up from p@h... does the wheel fit onto the Kaylee metal stand?

Yep! I put my p@h wheel on the silent spinner stand. I have it in his cage at the moment.
There are plenty of other good wheels out there, he would be fine in a 8" wheel as has been mentioned and he should be able to move them but the p@h is fairly cheap (I think £7 but I may be wrong) and convenient to pick up for now. Also, I prefer not to have a covered in wheel for my robo as he pees in it. Just keep an eye on size as he grows that he doesn't need upgrading to an 8" wheel but the p@h will give you something to keep him going 'til he's bigger.

Also, Hector says thanks!

[cypher]

The 4'5" is definitely way too small for any ham except maybe a tiny baby dwarf!
Is your silent spinner a new one? They have "improved" the design slightly recently so they don't work any more so it wouldn't be your ham but the wheel that's the problem!
I have some old silent spinners & sometimes the hams do struggle to get in so I just put a bendy bridge in front of it to make it easier, I've only really needed to do that with old hams though.
If you want just about the best wheel going the 9" silent runner is exceptionally good, spins very easily, silently & is super easy to clean even with a ham that pees in it all the time, downside is only price! And it's currently out of stock, maybe I bought the last one

[NoriMoonN]

My cambells, Nori, has a flying saucer type wheel and uses it non stop its quite easy to push down into the substrate so you could almost have it any height until our would catch the ground that is

[ham-star]

The current wheel I have, I bought about 4 months ago for my gerbil.... she used it loads.

When are Russians fully grown? My boy was born in Oct 2015, so thought he would be fully grown by now...