A new owner (soon)

[Pebbles82]

Hello and Welcome! Is it a Syrian or Dwarf hamster you are getting? I'm guessing a Syrian if you're getting an Alaska cage! There are a few good wheels. I also wouldn't recommend the Silent Spinner. I tried the 12" one and it wouldn't spin properly (just to see what the issue was!)

[don]

Thanks for the note re the wheels - I'll have a good read up. There seems to be different manufacturers using the name silent spinner - I've seen Kaytee and SuperPet. Are they essentially the same wheels with the same issues ?

My wife works shifts (A&E nurse!!) so I'm after the quietest wheel possible, otherwise I'll be in her bad books.

[Pebbles82]

The Karlie Wonderland wood wheel is the quietest I reckon - virtually silent. They are nice sturdy wheels and the 29cm is a good size for any Syrian, small or large. Occasionally someone gets one that has a few splinters, so they need checking over carefully, especially on the inside near the struts. I just sanded my last one inside with grades 100 and 240 sandpaper - very lightly - took 10 minutes. Then paint it with plastikote paint which is pet safe. It helps seal any rough bits you might have missed and helps waterproof it.

This is the Plastikote paint - I brushed it on with a half inch paint brush.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...rch_detailpage

The Trixie wheel can be noisy and rattly (so can 'silent' spinners!).

The next quietest wheel after the Karlie wheel, if you don't fancy a bit of sanding and plastikoting (although it really was quick when I did it - a coat dries in an hour or two).
Is the Wodent wheel. I have the larger Wobust 30cm one and I'd call that silent. Some people end up with one that squeaks a bit but then you oil the spindle with veg oil. The standard size for a syrian is the 27cm senior wodent wheel, which should be fine unless your hamster is a mahoosive one like ours.

They are hard to get hold of but the sugarglider site sells them for about £15.50 - they import them. Postage is about another £5.50. You get to choose the colour of the front and back plates and the running track and it comes fully assembled.

Here are the links for the two wheels. I like both of them. But I think the Wodent wheels work best hung from the top of the cage - ours runs much more smoothly that way - gravity I guess! It's easy to do - you slot the stand through a bar on top, attach the wheel inside the cage and the base just rests on top of the cage, but needs about 3 cable ties to secure it. The other advantage of doing that is it saves floor space in the cage - the substrate goes under it so more room for digging (or just hiding under the wheel!)

Wonderland Exercise Wheel: Great Small Pet Accessories at zooplus

11" Wodent Wheel (Senior) & Free Tail Guard

Yes Kaytee and Superpet are the same company - they changed the name recently but I can't remember which one changed to which!

[don]

Thanks again for more wheel notes - I think I'll go for the wonderland wooden wheel. There are the odd bad review on Zooplus - sharp edges and some cut hammy feet, but I'll get to work with the sandpaper and plastikote to make it ham-safe.

Hamster haul was delivered today.
I had to double take when I saw the size of the boxes !

[Bertiebobbins]

sound like a good alaska haul!

I ordered a cage from Zooplus the other week, the box doubles as a great hamster playpen for when you're taming your new ham, so hang on to it for a while!

[Pebbles82]

Wish I'd kept my box! If you've already binned the box, the bathtub can make a good playpen/taming bin too! Dry bathtub of course, with the plug in. A couple of towels on the bottom for a soft landing if they jump off a toy - and a few toys in there. Our little boy used to get in first and our hamster would run all over him. Helped the hamster get used to our smell and touch.

[don]

Well today I've taken my 9yr olddaughter to the breeder to pick out her new best friend. We bring him home in a couple of weeks time when he's about 6 weeks old.
He's a beautiful beige longhaired little fella with a lovely satin coat. The breeder tells me that the colour is pretty rare.

[Wookiee]

Hi don!

The size of some zooplus parcels is enough to make your head spin isn't it? I got our Alaska delivered to work and it was quite a talking point. More than one person asked if it was for my husband... I wish we'd kept the box, but I'm pondering getting a Barney in the new year, so I'll hang in to that box if I do. The bath as a playpen hadn't occurred to me, so we'll try that during this week's cage clean

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi Don and Welcome to HC. Sounds like you're ready for your new addition. The pics of him are so cute and adorable.