Are barred wheels still safe?

by latte.the.hamster Sat 18 Apr 2020, 2:04 pm

so i was on the forum and i see that a lot of people agree that mesh wheels are safe for mice, just wanted to know if the opinion still applies or if it has changed? Confused

by Robin~ Sat 18 Apr 2020, 4:35 pm

I personally steer away from both mesh and barred wheels. While mice can't get sores on their feet like hamsters, they can still easily get a toe/leg caught in the gaps. Solid wheels get rid of these issues and have some nice silent options if that's something you'd want. Smile

by Peachy Sat 18 Apr 2020, 6:15 pm

All wheels have their pros and cons. In my opinion, mesh wheels are safe and as long as I can find them I’ll use them. They offer grip support for multiple users and are easier to clean. They’re also loads of fun!! I’ve offered two-three wheels to a group of five-seven, and most of them all chose to pile onto the same wheel. Multiple mice piling onto a solid wheel doesn’t work out too well! Laughing

I have a mesh wheel in with my colony and my male gets a few different types. He enjoys his saucer and loves to spin himself on the mesh. Won’t touch a comfort or silent spinner.

by milkyway Wed 13 Jan 2021, 1:41 pm

Barred wheels are a big no for me. However I don't an issue with mesh. It's a problem with hamsters, but mice aren't nearly as obsessive with the wheel as hamster so it's not as harmful. But personally I'm only okay with the mesh wheels that don't have the support beams on the side. What I do disagree with is the sticky about wheels encouraging exercise balls.

by M O U S E Fri 15 Jan 2021, 9:41 am

From what I've seen, most people say no to barred wheels and some are okay with mesh. I personally have a saucer and a mesh wheel. However, the other day I noticed something concerning with my mesh wheel I hadn't noticed before. My wheel has a metal pole going in between the wheel part which the stand connects to to hold it up. I hope that description makes sense... anyways, one of my girls was running on it and my other girl wanted to run too. She kept trying to get onto the wheel, and as the pole spun around with the wheel, I realized mice can get smacked in the face or paws with it. So along with getting hit if another mouse is running on it, they can always get their tails/paws stuck. From now on I think I'll stick with my saucer wheel.

by River Fri 15 Jan 2021, 3:30 pm

^ If you do decide to use a mesh wheel, they make some without that bar. The bar poses more of a safety hazard than the mesh itself.

I think all wheels are a pain to clean no matter what they're made of. Silent spinners are the most silent option I've used so far (go figure) but they can be poorly made and the 6.5 is too small for my current boys weirdly long tail, so we use a saucer.