Wheels

by Peachy Fri 08 Apr 2016, 5:31 pm

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What kind of wheel should I get?

There are many different kinds of wheels on the market today. Every mouse deserves to have a wheel in their environment. Since they are cooped up in a small tank (compared to how they would be in the wild) they need a wheel to get their exercise. When selecting a wheel, safety is the key. I will go into that a little more below with each individual wheel. After that you need a wheel that best fits your needs and you need a wheel that fits the size of your mouse. A mouse should not be cramped in their wheel. Their back should be flat when running and they shouldn't have to hold their head high so their nose doesn't hit the wheel. Small wheels can cause or aggravate "wheel tail." This is when the tail of the mouse curls up over the back to an extreme, and it can lead to spine injury and eventually cause stiffness and arthritis. When in doubt, get a bigger wheel. As long as your mouse can make the wheel spin, it isn't too big. When selecting wheels, know that they all have their pro's and con's. Select the wheel you think is safest and most functional for your mouse.

Straight crossbars and support bars

Don't get a wheel with a cross bar that goes all the way through the wheel. This can cause injury to your mouse's tail, neck, and back.

Wheels that have straight support bars (like the one in the picture below) are also dangerous because the mouse may get caught between the bar and the wheel. Support bars that are arched (like the one in the mesh wheel picture below) are much safer.
Wheels with bars- wire AND plastic

Wheels with bars can cause serious injury and be extremely deadly for multiple reasons. For example, while one mouse is running on the wheel, when another tries to jump on she may get her head caught in between the two bars while it's spinning. This can break your mouse's neck and/or back. Mice may also fall through the bars while they're running. This is especially dangerous when there is more than one mouse per environment. Plastic bar wheels are also not ideal because mice can devour these in a matter of days and they don't spin well.
Mesh wheels

Mesh wheels are much safer than barred wheels because they leave no room for feet to fall through, and they can also be extremely fun! Some mice enjoy hanging on to the mesh and spinning upside down. Mesh bars are also very comfortable for a mouse to run on compared to the barred ones, because they leave no room for mice to fall through.
Saucer wheels

Saucer wheels are the safest wheels on the market to date. There is little risk of tail or limb injuries and those that are concerned about "wheel tail" needn't worry with these wheels. A mouse can run in his/her natural form in these wheels. More than one mouse can run on these wheels without a risk of one getting caught, stuck, or hurt because of design. Some brands of saucer wheels even have a built in house, which is great for single fancy bucks. Many owners like to build stands out of popsicle sticks. This opens up more floor space for other toys! View this thread for an example of a popsicle stick stand: http://www.petmousefanciers.com/t360-quicksand-bedding#3458
Comfort wheels

A very safe wheel is the comfort wheel. They can be attached to a cage or left on a stand. These wheels are very comfortable for a mouse's feet and it eliminates almost all of the risk that other wheels have. There are no bars or open parts to get caught in. The down fall to these wheels is cleaning and silence. These wheels get really gross fast! Cleaning them isn't that easy, compared to mesh wheels. In addition, these wheels can get quite noisy. They are very quiet for a little while, but after the mouse has broken it in (only takes a couple weeks) they rattle a lot louder than any other wheel. This can be fixed by following this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zcKk5nNYCc&app=desktop
Silent Spinners

Silent Spinners, contrary to their name, can become quite noisy. They might be quiet at first, but they often loosen and rattle with age. Silent spinners are safe by design, yet they have a flaw. Some Silent Spinners have a gap in the wheel where the 2 main pieces of plastic come together. If the 2 main pieces of plastic loosen, that gap becomes a large hazard. It can catch a mouses tail while running (there are reports of this happening). As the mouse runs, the tail gets in the gap and then wedges between the 2 main pieces of plastic. Usually the gap itself is fine (though small mice can get feet caught in there while running), but it can catch the tail easily if it loosens at all. This can cause major damage (including tail amputation) and pain to the mouse. If you purchase one of these wheels, check this potential gap to insure the plastic lines up with no gap. Also check it regularly as they have been known to loosen in time. If you wish to have a wheel similar to this, you may want to consider Comfort Wheels.
Enclosed CritterTrail/SAM wheels and Orbit wheels

These wheels can be hazardous with more than one mouse. If both mice run at different speeds, one mouse may flop around in there while the other one runs. A mother with babies in a wheel like this can be very hazardous. The mother will get running much faster than the babies. Because she is so much bigger, the babies will go flopping all over the place, possibly causing injury. The babies will find it difficult to get out, if not impossible, because it is in motion.

There is minimal ventilation in CritterTrail wheels. It is best to have open ventilation, especially when exercising. Mice also can get filthy in these wheels, even if they are cleaned daily. The pee has no where to go other than splattered all over, including on the mouse. Lack of ventilation and filth can cause serious illness.

Mice can also get their tail and feet pinched between the wheel and side.
Wheel/ball combo

This is similar to the CritterTrail enclosed wheels. I don't recommend them for more than one mouse. All enclosed wheels have the same hazard and that's one mouse can spin the other around and it will not be able to get out. The ball wheels also have very limited ventilation and make quite the mess. Please refer to the Critter Trail/SAM cage wheels above for additional info on this wheel.
Run about balls

Lastly I would like to add a small comment on the run about balls even though they are not technically wheels. These balls can be a whole lot of fun for our little guys! It is great exercise and gives them a chance to see new surroundings. I recommend that when using these balls that you tape the lid on. You obviously always need to supervise them when running around in there, but the lid can pop off so fast and your mouse can be gone in a flash! I've found that many of these balls have loose lids. This is very disappointing since the ball only has 2 functions, to roll and stay closed. However, many times it can't even stay closed. If you add just a touch of clear tape to the lid on two sides it will stay closed. Also be sure that there are no stairs around for them to fall down. Your mouse can seriously injure itself if it falls down the stairs! These balls have limited ventilation. Try to limit the time your mouse is in a run around ball to around 5-10 minutes. Letting them run in it for shorter time frames but more often is a great solution. Make sure you clean the wheel after every use. These wheels can get messy quickly. After cleaning, dry them fully before using them again.

by Squeekhart Thu 15 Feb 2018, 6:20 am

Thank you for this article. I've had many mice through the decades, most of whom lived in the old Habitrail main cage (with the huge red wheel attached that is like the Comfort Wheel, but sturdier and quieter).

I followed advisement and got a larger Comfort Wheel in my aquarium. It was super loud, and I followed the advise of the youtube video you linked, on how to fix the noise issue. It was fairly easy to fix, and the wheel went from being ridiculously clangy to nearly silent. (I can hear paw pattering and a mostly silent whoosh when they are on it.) It does not seem as if it is going to last too long, as it kind of is lopsided after a month of use; but at least they are very cheap on Amazon. Thank you!

Wheels

Wheels

What kind of wheel should I get?

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