Hamster Wheels - Best Practices

If you are considering becoming a hamster owner, then you should know that owning a hamster wheel is a must. In order to give your hamster - and you - the best experience possible, there are four important characteristics that you must pay attention to when you purchase your wheel.

First, a hamster wheel should not have any openings on its inside surface, meaning that it should not have any open rungs or any sort of open grating through which your hamster's foot could fall and get caught. Think about how fast your hamster will be running; if there is an opening in which its foot could slip through, then it could break his leg. This would be a serious injury (for your hamster, and likely also to your cash flow). 

To avoid this situation, you have two options: the first is to simply purchase a wheel that has a solid running surface. If you already own a wheel, then your second option is to weave cardboard through the rungs and attach it securely to the running surface of the hamster wheel so that there is a solid surface on which your pet can run. Hamster wheels are relatively inexpensive, so I recommend that you purchase a wheel with a solid surface at the outset.

The second important characteristic of a hamster wheel is its size. It is all too easy to get a wheel that is too small for your pet cricetid. You will know that the wheel is the right size if, when your hamster is running at full speed, his back remains perfectly straight, and the only parts of his body that make contact with any part of the wheel are his feet. If your hamster has to arch his back when he runs, or if his back rubs against the center spindle, then the wheel is too small. You must get a larger wheel or you risk damaging your pet's spine.

The third characteristic of the hamster wheel has to do with you and your comfort. Since hamsters are nocturnal creatures, your pet will use his wheel the most during the night - when you and your family are probably trying to sleep. Thus, you want to find a wheel that rotates quietly. To test it in the pet store, give the wheel a hard pull to get it spinning rapidly, and pay attention to how much noise it makes - note especially if there is any squeaking. If the wheel is packaged so that you cannot easily spin it, then ask the pet store associates to open the package for you so that you can do this test before you make your purchase. The pet store should willingly accommodate your request, since anyone who purchases a hamster wheel should ask for this.

Fourth, you must purchase one wheel for each hamster that you own. You cannot expect that the hamsters will share, and they each need to get sufficient exercise.

In conclusion, then, you now know the four criteria for choosing a hamster wheel. First, it must have a closed surface; second, it must be sized appropriately for your pet; third, it must not make any noises that would disturb you or your family's slumber; and fourth, you must purchase one wheel for each hamster that you own.