# mesh wheels?



## sanctuary (Jun 23, 2013)

I wondered what everyone's thoughts were on mesh wheels?

On the hamster forum nobody likes mesh wheels as it can hurt the feet but I see mice on video's who love the mesh wheels as they can cling to it when it's still moving and have more fun on it.


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## athiena14 (Jun 20, 2013)

my mice seem to like mesh wheels more honestly.


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## sanctuary (Jun 23, 2013)

That is what I thought, I like the idea of them more for mice so think I will go with it


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## athiena14 (Jun 20, 2013)

my mice are weird though, they lay under them and run while laying XD


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## Nicola (Jul 8, 2013)

When buying a mesh wheel, try getting one with an arched bar that holds up the wheel (To prevent mouse from getting it's body stuck). 
I've never understood why hamster forums are so against mesh wheels, most mice prefer mesh wheels over other wheels as it is more comfortable and easy on their feet (Also a lot more fun).


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

Really any wheels that has holes there will all ways be the chance of a foot/toe/tail getting stuck and hurt however then I had hamsters as a kid I all ways had the metal bar type wheels and never had an accident so don't know how common wheel accidents Actualy are .


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

I don`t see any harm in the mesh wheels providing they are of the appropriate size, I would presume the accidents have occurred due to the wheel being too small or incorrect size for the size of the animal, bar spacing being another factor. I made up a prototype using the plastic base one gets on a spol of cds and surrounded it with ofcut piece of mesh but after completing and studying it more closely thought the diameter 12cm was still too small for the bigger fancier mice we have today.


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## YuukikoOgawa (Jul 26, 2013)

The only problem I've had so far with a mesh wheel is two of my does (usually Kahlua and Caramel) trying to use it at the same time.

One of them would start running and end up flinging the second one around at warp speed. I was also starting to get really concerned about someone's tail getting caught while they were vying for control.

They also tend to get squeaky after a while, so you have to get a dropper and some olive oil and oil the mechanism on it.

I started mine off with two wheels: the blue mesh one and the green saucer type. I ended up removing the blue mesh one recently, after they started burrowing underneath it and causing to drum against the wall of the tank (kept me up all night). Before that, they only used the saucer one for sleeping, but now they're using more since it's their only option until the blue mesh wheel takes a trip through the dishwasher.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Nov 19, 2012)

My does successfully use the wheel at the same time. Most I've seen on there at once is three, but they all run together and surprisingly it works out.
My mice enjoy climbing around the outside of the mesh on the wheel, also.

I've never seen any kind of small animal get its feet hurt by the mesh wheels. However, I have had a gerbil lose its tail to a metal rug wheel (looks like a ladder) when I was child, so those are not safe.


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