Wheels...Wheels...Wheels

[Godmother]

Most of my rats love wheels, and the young ones keep them spinning all night long.

xxchelle, I bought a Flying Saucer once. At first my rats were afraid of it, then they used it to store food. They never figured it out. Maybe just as well, because they are not powder coated.

So the Flying Saucer went to a home with chinchillas, who enjoyed it.

 

[SQ]

then they used it to store food.

Didn't know that ... glad they finally used it :laugh4:

 

[froxen]

One of my boys uses the wheel as his own personal litter box - he won't go anywhere else! I always have to clean out his poops before the other boys jump on to the wheel for a run. :doh:

 

[fenshae]

My roommate's girls LOVED their wheel and would be up until all odd hours running on it (and it made this eerie, unnerving whirring noise that would freak you out if you didn't know what it was!) right up until they got old and lazy. I also had a friend who had a big ol' squishy male who ran on his wheel right up until he was on his death bed.

My girls used their wheel as a hammock. Never saw anybody run in it, but they LOVED to sneak in and sleep in it....I think because it required some precarious balancing and it made for a fun game for the other girls who would stretch up and grab hold of the wheel and give it a good "wheel of fortune" spin while somebody was inside. :laugh4: Priceless.

 

[Moon]

I don't think rats have the weight required to get a saucer style wheel going. It is most certainly a chinchilla thing.

Never saw anybody run in it, but they LOVED to sneak in and sleep in it....I think because it required some precarious balancing and it made for a fun game for the other girls who would stretch up and grab hold of the wheel and give it a good "wheel of fortune" spin while somebody was inside. :laugh4: Priceless.

LOL that is too funny.

I have only had three really solid wheel runners. Lucille (RIP), Peaches and Josephine who picked it up later on in life. But even when I had a wheel for non runners I was encouraged to keep it as it still counted as "enrichment"... they used to stash food, toys and spare blankies in it, LOL

 

[Godmother]

The best wheel I have ever bought is the Stealth Wheel, sold from a sugar glider site down in Oklahoma.

http://www.toandfrogliders.com/FileHier ... hWheel.htm

The wheel is REALLY quiet, it is durable & safe, and it suits all sizes of ratties. It is big enough for large males and light enough that young rats can spin it very fast. You can buy it on a stand or get it with a mount on the side (bolts onto a cage or playpen). And it comes in lots of nice colours!

I've had one in my playpen since last summer, and I just bought another one to put in my soon-to-be CN that will house my six young ratties.

 

[Godmother]

My freestanding Stealth Wheel arrived, and I love it! Donna let me know that Mainely Rat Rescue sells these to raise money for their rescue, so I will buy my next one from them.

It's the best, and it comes in lots of colours.

 

[jorats]

Oh wow... Godmother, I'll need pics!!!

 

[Godmother]

I wish I could oblige, but I just dropped all the ratties and their Stealth wheel at the rat-sitters last evening and will be going away for vacation. Nag me when I get back and I will post a photo of the ratties in it. They adore it. Come to think of it, I have a photo of Caramel in it the first night she came home....

The free-standing one looks very similar, and the stand is sturdy. Raylene gave it a good initiation while I was packing up to take them to the sitter's. My free-standing one is a bright shiny red!