Wheel training

[rodentman]

ie just moved my hamster in to a new cage but the problem is that her old cage didnt have a wheel and she has been in the new cage for a month and she still hasnt figured out how 2 use the wheel

[rodentman]

can some one help me PLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ladyjosephine]

Be patience, It took one of my boys over 3 months to figure out how to use a wheel.

And please take notice of the fact that almost everyone on this board is either American or Canadian, so it can take a while before you get an answer because they have to sleep and work too

[rodentman]

thanx

[hamwolf89]

well its normal, dont sweat it.
but since the hamsters most sorce of exercise cant be used now make sure he gets almost jst as much.
More tubes
or outside playtime! weeeeeee
(sry im hyper)

[Die Fledermaus]

rodentman said:

can some one help me PLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL Nobody in the U.S. or Canada is awake at just before 6 AM on a Sunday morning! I suppose it is about 11 AM in Scotland? What part of Scotland, may I ask?

Some wheels some hamsters are less likely to use than others; in most cases regardless of the wheel it takes awhile for them to figure it out. But be sure it is wide enough for the ham so that there is no bending in the back, and be sure the wheel has a solid surface.

What kind of wheel do you have??

With mine they easily figure out and use Comfort Wheels, but those things wear out kind of fast. Silent Spinners are prone to breaking with hams (OK with gerbs and mice though). Wodent Wheels a lot of people like, as apparently do the hams.

[Die Fledermaus]

hamwolf89 said:

well its normal, dont sweat it.
but since the hamsters most sorce of exercise cant be used now make sure he gets almost jst as much.
More tubes
or outside playtime! weeeeeee
(sry im hyper)

;D

[rodentman]

yeh i think i need 2 buy a new wheel

[rodentman]

& im not sure what type of wheel it is but i think its a ferplast. and when i thed to see if she'd fit inside she bit me realy hard.
(p.s i live about 15 miles away from Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland)

[Die Fledermaus]

The diameter of a Syrian hamster wheel really should be 8.5" minimum.

I suppose she bit (very rare from my experience with hamsters) as she was scared of it. Never force them to do something. On the rare occasions when I got bit it was also my fault for doing something wrong. Except on one occassion when the poor ham was ill and dying.

[rodentman]

awwwwwwww, how sad

[pinky]

zouave said:

Silent Spinners are prone to breaking with hams (OK with gerbs and mice though). Wodent Wheels a lot of people like, as apparently do the hams.

I could see where a Syrian's weight would stress the hub of a Silent Spinner, but I've had no problem with the SS that Fuzz (Chinese hamster) uses. I would guess that dwarfs would be easy on the SS too.

I looked into a Wodent Wheel, but the smallest size is still so big--too big for Fuzz's aquarium.

[Die Fledermaus]

I take all Silent Spinners and reinforce the back hub area with epoxe glue. That prevents cracking in most cases, although I still would worry with a big Syrian. But they work fine with the mice, Spiny mice, gerbils, and drwarfs.

Male mice and dwarfs poop in them alot, which is typical.

SS wheels are often too small for Syrians anyway. I can use the 'large' size of those metal mesh wheels; the medium size works with gerbs, although they can also use large.

When placed correctly hanging from the mesh top, SAM Lightning wheels are just fine for gerbils.
They have to be tied off, of course, with wire ties. I also usually put a ten pound barbell plate on them to steady the wheel.

[rodentman]

hello we're kind of going off topic here

[Die Fledermaus]

hello I'm the one who decides that and we are not. Advice on the best type of wheel is entirely relevant.