Chinchilla Wheel

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Chinchilla Wheel

Posted by Jennifer Snyder on Wed, Apr 09, 2008 @ 12:48 PM

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Chinchillas are very active and love exercise, but choosing a good chinchilla wheel can be a difficult task. Many people agree that traditional exercise wheels can be dangerous for chinchillas. If the wheel has spokes, or is a wire mesh, it could be easy for your chinchilla to get its foot caught and become injured or even amputated or killed by the wheel while it runs on its wheel. It is also not very natural for a chinchilla to arch it’s back the way traditional exercise wheels require. But, to be honest, most chinchillas really seem to enjoy having a wheel in the cage, so what can you do? Below are a couple reviews on safe chinchilla wheels we have tried.

There are 2 options that we have found safe and suitable. A large plastic or smooth metal drum style wheel 12’’ or more in diameter that do not require your chin to arch its back, and does not have dangerous spokes The other choice is the innovative “flying saucer wheel,” the one that seems to have started a trend. This wheel looks great, but at $75 each, it does not seem very economical for someone who owns multiple chinchillas in several cages.

Round Plastic Chinchilla Wheel ~$25 (6 out of 10)

We first tried a plastic wheel that attached to the side of the cage nicely with a bolt. Two of our chinchillas really took to it. It was not very loud and seemed very safe. The cons were that the chin’s fond a way to loosen the bolt and chewed around the plastic points making it loose so every morning I began to find the wheel laying inside their cage face down and dirty. Eventually it would not stay on at all, and we had to toss it. Our wheel may have been slightly defective in retrospect, but even when the wheel is attached it builds up filth very quickly.

Metal Drum Chinchilla Wheel ~ $85 (? out of 10)

This looks pretty cool. Haven’t tried it yet, but it seems like it will attach well and won’t have the chewing issues the similar one we tried in plastic had. Metal is also easier to clean.

Metal Flying Saucer Exercise Wheel ~ $75 (? Out of 10)

Buma y el disco

The metal flying saucer wheel has gotten a lot of feedback and attention recently. We may have to break down and buy at least one of these to try it out. At this time the only thing we have to offer is the video above of a very happy looking chinchilla running on its wheel.

Update 6/23

There are comments below on our experience with the metal flying saucer chinchilla wheel, but pretty much...it's terrific! I watch both of my Chinchillas run on it and it's amazing. It looks like they are just jumping up and down. They also like to snuggle up and sleep on top of it. It took a while for both of them to understand that it was for running, but now they have it down pat, and they are at it like pros. Now I am debating which of my lovely pair of chinchillas are going to be the lucky recepients of the next one!

Plastic Flying Saucer Chinchilla Wheel ~$14 (3 out of 10)

We recently purchased this plastic version of the flying saucer wheel. We tried it with several of our chinchillas, but the main problem was that there is no way to attach it to the cage. We spoke with the managers at the online store where we purchased it, but unfortunately it was not designed to attach to the cage. Our chinchillas didn’t seem to like that it didn’t stay put and didn’t trust its stability. They kept pushing it to the bottom of the cage, and after a couple of nights we decided to take it out and put it in their play room when they had play time together. Though during play time they are often more distracted dusting and hanging out with the rest of the herd. The wheel seems like a great design, but we prefer things that attach to the cage. Chinchillas are notorious for knocking over food bowls and anything they can get their paws on.

In the end, perhaps you get what you pay for in terms of finding a good chinchilla wheel. We will bite the bullet and let you know how these other wheels pan out!

Tags: Chinchilla Wheel

COMMENTS

Day 1 with the new flying saucer wheel. So far B-B and Haze don't get it. It is also very big! We tried putting treats on the wheel and placing them on it, but they quickly jump off. We will see how tomorrow goes!

posted @ Monday, May 12, 2008 10:37 PM by Jennifer Snyder

It's been about a week now, and I have seen Haze standing on the wheel, but never running on it. He has been sleeping under it though...

posted @ Sunday, May 18, 2008 10:47 PM by Jennifer Snyder

Huge break through! Haze finally seems to get it. I had to kind of trick him onto the wheel by holding a raisin treat in front of him like a carrot on a stick...but he did it! He ran on it just long enough to take a bite out of the dried fruit and then after he was finished with the treat he jumped back up and tried it again! He ran on it for a few seconds and then jumped off and tried it one more time. B-B his girlfriend was a little confused on what the heck he was doing, but I think he likes it. It is really quite.

posted @ Monday, May 19, 2008 4:10 PM by Jennifer Snyder

NOTHING in your chinchilla's cage should EVER be plastic. It is toxic to them when chewed and tiny fragments can severely damage the GI tract. If you aren't willing to invest in safe accessories for your pet, please don't get a chinchilla, because clearly the cheapest options are not the safest. THANK YOU!

posted @ Wednesday, July 16, 2008 9:36 PM by Amanda

Where did you purchase the plastic wheel?

posted @ Thursday, July 17, 2008 2:45 PM by delraywaddell

I purchased it online. I feel sort of guilty singling out the website, as they do have quality products...this just isn't one of them

posted @ Thursday, July 17, 2008 2:51 PM by Jennifer Snyder

I agree with Amanda regarding plastic and chinchillas.This goes for keeping an eye on how close they are to a wall, curtain dresser, pillow or anything else they can get their hands on, as they will chew it. The plastic chin wheel did not last long, and now it is trashed.

The wheel they use now is great. It is pricey, but it will or should last forever. It is also safe, easy to clean and gives them great exercise. I would recommend saving up for the flying saucer wheel. I am currently saving up to get the wheel for my other chinchilla cages.

posted @ Thursday, July 17, 2008 2:55 PM by Jennifer Snyder

oh and for the good wheel (the METAL one) and other great chinchilla products I recommendwww.chinchillas.com. Below is a link to the wheel page.

http://www.chinchillas.com/estore/detail.aspx?ID=19

posted @ Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:28 PM by Jennifer Snyder

The Silent Spinner is horrible for a chinchilla. It is too small for them to run with a complete stride, it is plastic which means they can chew it, AND it is not sturdy/does not attach well to the cage. I know of a few people who've had that wheel fall onto their chinchilla while they were running on it. The only appropriate chinchilla wheels I've found are the Quality Cage flying saucer, Quality Cage Chin Spin, Edstrom wheel, and a Silver Surfer. They are all very sturdy metal wheels that are large enough for a chinchilla and aren't dangerous like the plastic wheel.

posted @ Wednesday, July 23, 2008 6:17 PM by Frank

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