Worried about possible wheel injuries...

by Jlenches28 Thu 09 Jan 2020, 2:05 am

Hi everyone, maybe i am being an overworrisome helicopter mouse mommy,
But i would never be able to forgive myself if i didn’t ask you all.....
I recently got three new mice to befriend my 4th. Two are babies and GO NUTS on the mesh wheels. They flip each other over and try to get on while the other is running and their nose gets bonked by the wire bar that runs across the wheel (i hope you know what i mean). They climb all over them and it’s hilarious to watch but also petrifying.
My fear is that somehow one of their necks are going to get caught, their noses are gonna get cut....etc etc etc.....
I took both mesh wheels out for the night after watching them earlier, but not one mouse has used the saucers (they never ever use them).
Anyone hear or know of mice getting seriously injured on the wire mesh wheels?
Am i being crazy, and i should let them have fun and figure out the mesh wheels, or should i invest in different ones?
Thanks in advance!!!!
Kindly,
Jenn

by Nicolademee Thu 09 Jan 2020, 5:17 pm

There's going to be people who disagree with me but ultimately I wouldn't provide a mesh wheel ever. A lot of people say they're perfectly safe for mice, but the possible injuries such as broken limbs/toes, the bar on the side going very fast and the easy possibility of smashing into a head or tail.. It's just too much of a risk for me. I always use solid wheels, such as the Silent Spinner or Wodent Wheel. It can make it less fun for the mice as they can't do loopty-loops, but ultimately I find the risk of injury more important than doing loops. I would get maybe a 8" or 11" silent Spinner, the bigger the better, so all the mice can safely pile in with the possibility of injuries being substantially reduced. You could get a 6.5" but I think your mice would like the bigger ones so they can run together

by Robin~ Thu 09 Jan 2020, 6:50 pm

Hello!

I agree, I’m not a huge fan of mesh wheels—in addition to what Nicolademee said, they can be loud, especially at night!

I suggest getting at least two 8-12” (6.5” is a bit too small IMO) solid wheels (since you have two “running” mice)—unfortunately the only Silent Spinner that comes in this size is the 10”, which is prone to snapping. Some other options are the 9” or 12” Silent Runner, the 8” or 12” Comfort Wheel (if you don’t mind a little noise), or the Carolina Storm Express Wheel.

by Peachy Thu 09 Jan 2020, 7:31 pm

I only use mesh wheels and have done so for nearly a decade. Mice are pretty smart and they tend to learn to slow down to let others off/on or to simply come back later. IMO, the level of fun my mice have on mesh wheels tops the small risks of injury. I could never not offer one, they’re hilarious!

The chances of injury aren’t really much different than compared to other wheels either. We’ve seen plenty of injuries around here, but none have been from a mesh wheel. We’ve had mice fly off saucers and mice get toes caught up between lose pieces on a Silent Spinner. There’s no 100% safe wheel option.

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