Papillon afraid of wheel

by milkyway Fri 12 Feb 2021, 11:54 am

So about a month ago I got my mouse a new wheel, and he's never used it or touched it. Now, that's fine, I really don't care, but he used to really love his old wheel, and this new wheel was pretty expensive and ALSO he's gotten really chunky (gave him too many treats one time oops) so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas?

by River Sat 13 Feb 2021, 2:14 am

How different is the wheel from his last one? If it's a huge difference like saucer vs. upright, maybe he just doesn't understand it yet.

If he's just afraid of it, I'd see about putting treats on it...since he clearly likes those. Laughing

by milkyway Sat 13 Feb 2021, 10:12 am

River wrote:How different is the wheel from his last one? If it's a huge difference like saucer vs. upright, maybe he just doesn't understand it yet.

If he's just afraid of it, I'd see about putting treats on it...since he clearly likes those.

Both upright, actually. He used to have the Kaytee Comfort Wheel but now has the Niteangel wheel. Also I did try putting treats on there but he won't touch them

by SarahAdams Sat 13 Feb 2021, 10:32 am

So he went from plastic to wood which I'm sure smells very different to him and he may not recognize what it is. Could you scatter a little soiled litter in it so it smells more like his old wheel? Put a little smear of peanut butter in it too? Sad to think of the little guy missing out on something he enjoys. Sad

by milkyway Sat 13 Feb 2021, 11:51 am

SarahAdams wrote:So he went from plastic to wood which I'm sure smells very different to him and he may not recognize what it is. Could you scatter a little soiled litter in it so it smells more like his old wheel? Put a little smear of peanut butter in it too? Sad to think of the little guy missing out on something he enjoys.

Actually it's the plastic Niteangel wheel! I will try that, thank you!

by Peachy Sat 13 Feb 2021, 12:36 pm

Is it the clear one? Any little traction bumps? I had mice that refused one type of wheel but accepted another. Couldn’t figure out why so I just gave the one she used back.

Cooking oil (like olive) tend to capture noses’ attention, so if your mouse isn’t going for normal treats it may be a good try to smear a bit of olive oil on the wheel and see what he thinks.

by Dee67 Sun 14 Feb 2021, 2:56 am

Figgus refused to use his wheel for a week after I washed it! He just had to reacquaint himself with it, probably pee on it a lot first

So perhaps Papillon is just in an adjustment period. A smidge of peanut butter 3/4 of the way up the wheel might work, as suggested. Good luck Thumbs Up

by Echoe77 Fri 19 Feb 2021, 7:37 am

I slowly replaced my wheels with the Niteangel ones. It took a while for them to figure out it was a wheel (and not a bathroom/bed/dining room). Once one mouse figured it out the others did too. Because the wheel is ball-bearing and silent it definitely seemed to confuse them. It moves a lot smoother than the Kaytee wheels and it took a while for them to get used to it. I really like my Niteangel wheels, they are silent/easy to clean, and the right size for mice.

If your mouse is avoiding the wheel he may have had a mishap with it, such as ran to fast and flung out. That happened to mine the first few times they tried it, until they realized the wheel keeps spinning after they stop abruptly. Now that they have adjusted to them, they jump on and off, switching wheels with ease. You may just need to bribe him if he's scared, or train him if he's confused.