# Mouse Wheels



## Sdaji (Oct 4, 2008)

Hi all,

I'll apologise in advance for bringing up a topic I'm sure you've had before.

What models of mouse wheel are good? The 'classic' type with the bars are great for killing your mice and/or giving them nasty tail injuries, neither of which I desire for my animals while unsupervised.

I bought one which I thought looked good judging from online pictures, and it certainly was... although I looked at it and said it looked like it would rapidly wear out, which it did (many of you will be familiar with it, it's the one which says it's suitable for white mice on the box - perhaps it was my coloured ones which wore it out within a few short days).

The saucers are pretty cool, but they're also expensive, and I'm not willing to fork out $30 per wheel if they're only going to last me a few days or weeks. The last time I bought a saucer was over 15 years ago, and it lasted about a week. I have hundreds of mice, the enclosures are large and by most peoples' standards have a lot of animals in each (sometimes over 20), so these wheels will get almost constant use.

I could make my own saucer-type wheels which would not wear out quickly, but I'd need to use metal parts. Is there a reason the commercial models don't use metal? Is it simply that since it only needs to work for ten minutes to be sellable and metal would cost a few cents more, they just use garbage which will last a week or two?


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## sommy (Mar 1, 2009)

I use silent spinners.
They're not completely silent but unless you are keeping them in your room (like me  ) that shouldn't be a problem. the come with a stand but your can also attach them to wire cages. I'd give them 7 or 8 out of ten.


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## Sdaji (Oct 4, 2008)

Roughly how much do Silent Spinners work? Are they saucers? Wheels? How long have you had yours in action?

Or rodent building (yes, we're fortunate enough to have a dedicated insulated building just for rodents) is noisy enough with the sounds of hundreds of rodents. You couldn't sleep in there with or without wheels!


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## sommy (Mar 1, 2009)

Silent spinners are wheels, I think they come in different sizes (not too sure). I have had mine for just under a month. Umm, it NEVER gets stuck it can always be turned or spun. However ever so often it can star making a noise like every tenth turn but that can be sorted out by just giving it a quick spin with your hand.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Ca ... 5P_023.jpg


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## Sdaji (Oct 4, 2008)

Thanks for the link, it looks pretty good, and very safe. My only concern is that it looks a little small (although that mouse does look quite large). I see there are different sizes, I'll keep an eye out for someone selling them in Australia.

Cheers


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## Peteyandthegang (Jan 20, 2009)

We use silent spinners, saucers, or whatever else we manage to get our hands on. The saucers are my and the mices faves


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## sommy (Mar 1, 2009)

In the picture it does look too small for that mouse but they fit my mice like gloves. 
If you cant find them in australiia I think pets at home ship if you order over the net (i think), thats if you dont have pets at home where you are.


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## Peteyandthegang (Jan 20, 2009)

I assumed the creature in the pic was a rat  :lol:


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## sommy (Mar 1, 2009)

Come to think of it, it probably is a rat. Because that is the largest type of silent spinner and i have the medium size and its more than big enough for my mice and that wheel is too small in the picture.....
I'm with petey, i think its a rat too!


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## Sdaji (Oct 4, 2008)

Oh, so it is! I must have just taken a quick glance at it and thought that since it was Siamese it was a rat. We don't have Siamese rats in Australia, but Siamese mice are common.

We don't have 'Pets at Home' in Australia (that I'm aware of). I think I might have a go at making my own metal saucers. Maybe I can market them; Sdaji's Super Spinning Saucers. Okay, maybe not, but at least I can build them to last!


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## sommy (Mar 1, 2009)

:lol: Why not eh? I'd buy 'em!


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## Vivian (Apr 17, 2009)

hi

my english isn't so good so i hope you understand me 

in my mousery i youse only weehls of "Holz" (wood?) 
it is verry importent for me, because all my toys and houses are woodent.

i like it natural  and my mices too.

my mouse cage was selfmaid and 1,40 m x 0,60m x 1,00m with tow Etagen (storys!?) 
and on every story one weehl with an Durchmesser (aperture ?) of 27cm.

Vivian


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## sommy (Mar 1, 2009)

Wow! thats a big cage 

Your English is good, where do you come from?


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## Angelmouse (Oct 3, 2008)

Sound lovely to have it all natural but doent it start to smell of mouse wee :? I have found that with wooden toys I have to throw them away after a few weeks co's they stink so much, no amount of washing them gets the smell out as it is soaked in. I use only plastic stuff so I can wash it or the ends of toilet/kitchen roll that can be thrown away


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## Vivian (Apr 17, 2009)

im from germany :mrgreen:

the cage is for 20 (-30 when i use my two 100x33cm storys) appropriate to the mices..

it's verry funny to see the mini-babys (2 weeks old) when they run and jump throw it :lol:

all my natural toys and houses are save an they doesn't smell much

(sorry i have to fumble for words)

i paint my things with coulour or oil, which aren't dangerous or deadly for my mices (to oil-impregnate / waterproofed )

like "linseed oil" or evan "toy lack" for baby toys....

so i can clean it with worm water and it doesn't smell so like normal woodent materials.
i clean it 1x in the week and had no problems with it.

also the storys..

lg vivian


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## Angelmouse (Oct 3, 2008)

I might just have to try that one, coat the wood in linseed oil, would another type of oil work? and do you have to keep coating it as I would imagine it does wash off after a while? And dont the mice like the taste of linseed oil?


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## Vivian (Apr 17, 2009)

> And dont the mice like the taste of linseed oil?


 :mrgreen: 
this you have too test it self ;-)

my mices don't nibble ore painted materials than normal materials.. but the nibble generell not so many.

after cleaning you have too imprignate it once more, you can use ather oils, but it must be easy to digest.  of coures.

and if you colourt with the lack, it works al long time... but if the lack come off, you can clean it 1x with a scratch brush and coloured the thing new ... ready...

of courese plastik is not so complicadet, but i think that that isn't many work .... and if you use some slaves, so they will be nibblet more at this things than your houses or, toys ...and isthe cage big enough (	the more the merrier) than they have more too done and dont smell so.

my bucks live in 80x40x40cm aquarium at time and they dont smell i think... the get all the same things like me does, and ok i have too clean them toy more than the things from my does, but it isnt so bad, like 4 bucks in an 60x30x30cm Aqua.. (4 bucks at time in the same auqarium..the are adult, but at time they arent in breading aktion, so the team works ;-)

and with the best beeding (einstreu granulat), they are not so bad for my nose ;-)

lg vivian


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