Carolina Storm Wheel

[Pebbles82]

Yep good point! I am not going to change it quickly while he settles in anyway. I kind of think 11" is better for a Syrian and it is a bit slithery!

[Pebbles82]

Which is why I used to keep it as a playpen wheel for occasional use. They do slither in it a bit and run better in a bigger one.

[Ria P]

Is the running surface smooth or does it have ridges?

[Pebbles82]

Completely smooth.

[Pebbles82]

This was email from Exotic Nutrition in 2016

"Thank you for the video and the review.

The clear connector should span across the entire width of the track, once the track is seated in place on the wheel. We couldn't tell by the video, but it looked like there may have been a gap left on the running track. If that is the case, either the track is not seated properly (push on both sides of the plates to make sure the track is seated all the way in) which in turn would close that gap … or your supplier mistakenly sent you a smaller clear connector, maybe the one for the 9 inch Silent Runner wheel. If that is the case, contact the supplier and have them send you the correct size clear connector. The clear connector for the 12 inch Silent Runner Wheel (Orange) should be 52 mm. The smaller connector for the 9 inch Silent Runner Wheel would be 45 mm."

I swear there were no gaps inside on my previous three wheels! Here are the photos of the tiny gaps on the new wheel. One photo shows the outside - no gaps either end. The other two show the tiny gap on the inside either end. I sent the seller the photos and he says it's normal and they run in the middle so won't catch a toe on that. Hmm hamsters do all sorts! Not happy with it really. I want no gaps.

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[Pebbles82]

Originally Posted by Ria P

What's wrong with using the wheel he has now?
As long as he can run with a straight back which a small Syrian can in a 10in wheel then there's no need to change it.

Only other thing is the noise lol! It's a silent wheel but makes a huge racket attached to the bars (which clearly it's not intended to do). It maybe needs something else between the wheel and bars. Or a different wheel on the bars.

[Pebbles82]

I'm still on a wheel research mission! Just for the heck of it really. So the Niteangel wheels. I'm not sure it's worth all the extra cost to ship one to the Uk. That makes it a really expensive wheel. They look really nice. But there are also a lot of negative reviews that say they stop being silent after a few months (maybe need oiling) and one that the wheel just shattered (probably a rare thing). About £63 in the Uk!

We have the wood cork wheels by Getzoo and Rodipet available that work out cheaper and they're not cheap at about £45 (but plastic is easier to clean long term). And Rodipet seem to be permanently out of stock. I prefer the design of the Rodipet to the Getzoo as they have no lip but it's a minor thing. I do like the cork running surface on those.

Neither of these will fix easily to cage bars without some adaption - except the small ones. Pip has the 21cm rodipet wheel and I just screwed it to the bars as it is - works fine and still silent. It tips very slightly forwards - that would be more of an issue with the larger ones.

I'll wait for Cloudy to give us feedback on the TicTac wheels They are at least designed to attach to bars. About the same price as the Rodipet and Getzoo wheels (on offer price anyway).

Meanwhile I've just had a lime green Trixie 28cm wheel delivered as my spare wheel/playpen wheel at £12!. Don't want to not have a spare wheel again. I appreciate them more seeing the costs of the others!

Silent runners are still good of course but I am very iffy about those little gaps. I've emailed the manufacturer to say it didn't used to be like that, is that right? And has manufacture changed.

In reality the gap doesn't go all the way through - the base is behind it, and it it's unlikely a toe would get caught - but I don't like the gaps. A wheel surface should be solid and no gaps.

We also still have the Trixie Wood wheel in the Uk at £20 odd on Amazon or cheaper on Zooplus. A lot of people have complained about the quality of these recently - me included. I sent mine back and got the Karlie Wonderland one from Amazon for about £23 - which looks identical! But they do seem to be better made.

I liked that wheel hung upside down but that won't work on the Plaza cage due to the edge strips being in the way a bit. And it would pull at the lid too much.

So lots of choice for silent free standing wheels but not a huge choice for bar mounted wheels without adaptation.

[cloudy]

There is a youtuber called Munchies place. I saw a video she made comparing the Niteangel wheel to the Silent Runner. She prefers the Nigteangel and says it runs more smoothly. From what I have seen the more expensive of the Niteangel wheel has the best reviews.

How frustrating it is so hard to find good hamster wheels when they are essential.

[cloudy]

I just added this to my basket to see the shipping and it said it is free! It says it can be delivered 6 May for free.
Niteangel Super-Silent Hamster Exercise Wheels: - Quiet Spinner Hamster Running Wheels with Adjustable Stand for Hamsters Gerbils Mice Or Other Small Animals (S, White) : Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

[Pebbles82]

Interesting! The Mint green one is showing as £66! (including postage). But that was for the large one. I think the one you linked was the small one.

If I was paying over £40 I'd rather have a wood and cork one I think. Even though they only really last the life of the hamster (difficult to fully disinfect between hamsters).

But I'd go with whichever one fits to the bars best!