Hamster Wheels 2024

oakleythehamster said:
I'd actually never thought much about the smoothness of the wheel as being a problem, but it totally makes sense! Naturally have avoided them but really good to be brought to attention, I think I would avoid too, especially if there are other options!

I do wish there were more options for larger (28-30cm+) wheels! Especially on the more affordable side. I always prefer non-wooden from a cleaning perspective so then you're mostly left with the Trixie which I don't personally love from an aesthetics point of view (and reviews are quite mixed on whether quiet/silent or not). Niteangel ones are gorgeous but the most expensive.
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Agree with you there. I had the same dilemma. I actually prefer the wood wheels though and I plastikote them so they're wipe clean :) Raffy currently has a 13" wood one! I didn't need something that big but it was the only one I could get hold of at the time - and have to say he loves it and stands up and rocks in it. It was a Rodipet one. They don't make them any more. They're very similar to the Getzoo ones but those aren't cheap either. I have the trixie one in the playpen area. Agree about the aesthetics but hamsters do seem to love running in them! If you got a squeaky one you could always send it back!

So my go to's have been a wood/cork one plastikoted - or the 12" silent runner. But some people don't like the aesthetics of that either.

The £15 Pets a Home wood and cork one looks a good buy though - if it's to stand on a platform and if plastikoted!
 
Maz said:
Agree with you there. I had the same dilemma. I actually prefer the wood wheels though and I plastikote them so they're wipe clean :) Raffy currently has a 13" wood one! I didn't need something that big but it was the only one I could get hold of at the time - and have to say he loves it and stands up and rocks in it. It was a Rodipet one. They don't make them any more. They're very similar to the Getzoo ones but those aren't cheap either. I have the trixie one in the playpen area. Agree about the aesthetics but hamsters do seem to love running in them! If you got a squeaky one you could always send it back!

So my go to's have been a wood/cork one plastikoted - or the 12" silent runner. But some people don't like the aesthetics of that either.

The £15 Pets a Home wood and cork one looks a good buy though - if it's to stand on a platform and if plastikoted!
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I can't wait to use my plastikote then (arrived today, alongside my F10 - operation new hammy prep potentially underway in a few weeks ;)). You're really selling it if it makes a whole wooden wheel really wipeable! As I really do like the look of them too.
 
It'll never be as waterproof as a plastic wheel obviously but it really does help and I paint the cork as well. Although the Getzoo ones have replaceable cork running tracks (but they're not cheap). Also, with any of the silent wheels (whether wood or plastic) you need to be careful not to submerge the spinning part with the ball bearings in in water, or they can go rusty and seize up. But they're easy enough to wash without submerging that part.
 
Maz said:
I'm in two minds whether to add the 30cm Bucatstate wheel to the list or not. Looking at it, I think the slots at the back are just on the stand and visible through the acrylic, so the only slight negative is that it may not have the best grip to run on, being totally smooth. But then cork could be added. Personally I wouldn't recommend it as it is just because a hamster is likely to slide about a lot.
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I decided to add the 30cm Acrylic Bucatstate wheel to the list as well :) Reviews don't seem to raise any issues with slippiness even though it's a smooth running track. And the holes at the back are clearly just on the stand, but visible through the acrylic.
 
Thanks Loveyness. So maybe I should take it off the list again!
 
What a shame. I have heard people not liking them due to them not working after being washed. Perhaps that is one of the reasons there is not such a demand for them.
 
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I just read it again and it looks like they're still going to be making a 32cm one - but that is very large and maybe unnecessary and affect how much substrate you could get in a cage. Raffy's is 32cm and not too tall as screwed to the bars but can only get 17cm substrate in the wheel area with a 48cm tall cage (internal height).
 
For many years the go-to wheels for Syrians were the plastic Trixie 28cm one and the wood Trixie/Karlie 28/29cm ones. There were wodent wheels as well at the time but they didn't spin as well and were fiddly. They were ok. Then the silent runner came along and became popular, but was more expensive. Then wodent wheels got taken over, were changed a bit (maybe quality not so good) and now aren't available in the Uk. Alongside that, Rodipet and Getzoo in Germany had always had wood wheels but they were expensive. The Silent runner costs more because it's imported from the US, and likewise that's why the Niteangel wheels cost more.

But there is no need to buy an expensive wheel. Some of it is about what works for your set up. And some is whether you need it to be completely silent or not. With barred cages, I like attaching a wheel to the bars as it makes set up simpler. Otherwise you can need a platform for the wheel and that doesn't work so well with a curved cage base - although it's possible. Or you can just stand the wheel on the substrate and tie the stand to the bars, but some wheels are a bit heavy for that. With the Trixie/Karlie wood wheels though, you can also hang them upside down from the roof :) You just need a couple of large washers. Personally I'm not bothered what a wheel looks like or what colour it is!
 
Yes, as long as the hamsters are happy that's the main thing! This info is great! I'm a bit worried about Socks being tumbled off the wheel, but he's not very small, so should be OK.
 
Hamsters are very good at negotiating wheels so I wouldn't worry about that. Sometimes they will leap from a wheel while it's spinning (for fun I think). That is mainly with open wheels rather than enclosed ones with holes - they tend not to leap out of those and seem to like being enclosed. They like the open ones too and quickly become very deft and experienced at when to get in and out. If it's an open wheel, just make sure there's nothing hard or sharp in the immediate vicinity in case they decide to jump out.
 
Can wheel bearings be replaced? There is a You Tube video that uses a fidget spinner as a bearing, but the coat hanger stand looks a bit tricky to do. Very clever though, approved by the maker's hamster too!
 
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Maz said:
Hamsters are very good at negotiating wheels so I wouldn't worry about that. Sometimes they will leap from a wheel while it's spinning (for fun I think). That is mainly with open wheels rather than enclosed ones with holes - they tend not to leap out of those and seem to like being enclosed. They like the open ones too and quickly become very deft and experienced at when to get in and out. If it's an open wheel, just make sure there's nothing hard or sharp in the immediate vicinity in case they decide to jump out.
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Little acrobats!
 
Socks Mum said:
Can wheel bearings be replaced? There is a You Tube video that uses a fidget spinner as a bearing, but the coat hanger stand looks a bit tricky to do. Very clever though, approved by the maker's hamster too!
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Yes they can. Some companies sell replacement parts. You really do not need to worry about Socks. I think he is going to be so happy with a wheel and that will help to reassure you. A wheel is one of the most important things to a hamster and he will be very happy when he gets one. :)
 
Yes some bearings can be replaced. I think Tom's pet creations sells replacement bearings for the silent runner. I've never needed to replace the ones on that wheel as it's simply avoiding dunking the centre section underwater and then they don't go rusty. The wood trixie wheels I don't think you can get replacement bearings and the Niteangel ones I don't know - I think you can but they might be expensive due to import costs.

I saw the fidget spinner home made wheel :) There are quite a few tutorials for home made wheels - including bucket wheels - some better than others. We have a couple linked on here. It's on the diy section - maybe you saw the first one? :)

www.thehamsterforum.com

Silent hamster wheel using a fidget spinner

Here's another home made hamster bucket wheel. This one is silent by cleverly screwing a fidget spinner to the back (child's toy). It also looks to be a safe construction but uses pvc pipe for the stand instead of a wood stand. This one does seem to need a drill as a definite. With silent...
www.thehamsterforum.com www.thehamsterforum.com

www.thehamsterforum.com

Home made hamster bucket wheel

I'm just linking this youtube tutorial. I think it's Erin from Erin's Animals, but the channel is called "Something Animals". It just shows how incredibly simple it is to make a hamster wheel! And having had a few wheels that have a bolt going through the centre onto the stand I can relate to...
www.thehamsterforum.com www.thehamsterforum.com

There are also some that use the centre part of an old hard drive from a computer for the ball bearings :)
 
Maz said:
Yes some bearings can be replaced. I think Tom's pet creations sells replacement bearings for the silent runner. I've never needed to replace the ones on that wheel as it's simply avoiding dunking the centre section underwater and then they don't go rusty. The wood trixie wheels I don't think you can get replacement bearings and the Niteangel ones I don't know - I think you can but they might be expensive due to import costs.

I saw the fidget spinner home made wheel :) There are quite a few tutorials for home made wheels - including bucket wheels - some better than others. We have a couple linked on here. It's on the diy section - maybe you saw the first one? :)

www.thehamsterforum.com

Silent hamster wheel using a fidget spinner

Here's another home made hamster bucket wheel. This one is silent by cleverly screwing a fidget spinner to the back (child's toy). It also looks to be a safe construction but uses pvc pipe for the stand instead of a wood stand. This one does seem to need a drill as a definite. With silent...
www.thehamsterforum.com www.thehamsterforum.com

www.thehamsterforum.com

Home made hamster bucket wheel

I'm just linking this youtube tutorial. I think it's Erin from Erin's Animals, but the channel is called "Something Animals". It just shows how incredibly simple it is to make a hamster wheel! And having had a few wheels that have a bolt going through the centre onto the stand I can relate to...
www.thehamsterforum.com www.thehamsterforum.com

There are also some that use the centre part of an old hard drive from a computer for the ball bearings :)
Click to expand...
The silent runner bearings are very easy take out & put back in again, I’ve never had to replace them even after the wheel’s been used by several hams but I do take them out, give them a good clean, oil them & put them back in if they get a bit stiff. It also makes it a lot easier to clean the back plate if it gets really grotty, just take the bearings out & pop them back in after washing.
Exotic nutrition have a video that shows how to remove & replace bearings.

 
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