How to Select the Right Hamster Wheel for Your Hamster

Gone are the days of the squeaky loud hamster wheel that made so much noise that you wanted to kill the hamster running in it. Those were the days of the old metal hamster wheels for those of you who are wondering. You should never, I repeat never use a metal hamster wheel that has the openings between the metal spokes for your hamster to exercise on. First of all these type of wheels are loud and annoying but more important than that your hamster friend can get seriously injured on one of them. Their legs and paws often fall through these type of wheels and the hamster suffers an injury from this. So please do not use this type of wheel for your hamster or other small animal. The wheel in the photo above is the type of wheel you should obtain for your hamster. It needs to be made out of plastic with out any openings for your hamsters feet or legs to fall through. Many hamsters and other small animals were injured by the old type wire wheels.

When Was The Hamster Wheel First Invented

Hamster wheels are used by hamsters and other small animals for exercise. In case you're wondering its believed that the hamster wheel was invented around 1949. That's the earliest date one can be found for sale for hamsters in a New York Newspaper.

The new solid plastic wheels are safer for the hamster because if they do slip or fall their paws or legs won't fall through a hole and injure your hamster. A lot of the new hamster cages for sale come with the wheel already installed in the hamster cage.

Hamsters Can Run Five To Six Miles A Night On Their Exercise Wheels

You should know that its not unusual for a hamster to run 5 - 6 miles in a single night on their wheel so yes unless you just love hearing the hamster run on its wheel you will want one of the new quite wheels that you won't hear as the hamster runs.

If you give a hamster a chance it will use an exercise wheel and the exercise wheels are really good for the health of your hamster. Hamsters can and do develop diabetes and heart disease if they are given to much food or foods high in sugar. Hamsters that have the right diet and a exercise wheel will live longer than hamsters that do not so yes your hamster does need a exercise wheel and a good diet of the right foods. Below are a lot of our Hub Pages on hamsters. I suggest reading them all so you'll know exactly what to feed your hamster and take care of it.

Its very important for your hamster to get daily exercise. The diet of your hamster is also an important part of your hamsters life and your care of the hamster. You'll need to provide your hamster with one of the new exercise wheels that are quite and safe for your hamster.

Hamster Wheels Need A Solid Floor

Your hamsters wheel must have a solid floor. The old wheels like the one in the photo below are what caused injuries to many hamsters. So go with one of the new hamster cages if you can with the solid plastic wheel already installed and you'll have a safe, happy, and healthy hamster.

Some Hamsters Will Need Encouragement

Some hamsters though not all will need to be shown their wheel. You just simply place the hamster in the wheel and see what the hamster will do. If the hamster appears not to know what to do you can gently start the wheel spinning to encourage the hamster to start moving the wheel on its own. I bet before you know it your hamster will be spinning the wheel and will appear to be running for its life. Do you know that some hamsters run 5 - 6 miles a night on their hamster wheels.

keep In Mind Hamsters Are Nocturnal

You need to know and understand that your hamster as are all hamsters are nocturnal and your hamster will be up all night while your sleeping. And no there is no way for you to change your hamsters life style. You should spend at least thirty minutes a day with your hamster if at all possible. You need to spend time with the hamster to get it used to you and be your friend. Give the hamster treats but don't overdo it on the treats. Ideally your hamsters treats should not amount to over 10 percent of your hamsters diet though you may need to go with a higher percentage if your working and training your hamster. My hamsters favorite treats are cucumber slices, strawberries, and sunflower seeds. I slice the strawberries up in very small easy for the hamster to handle pieces.

Different Size Hamster Wheels For Different Hamsters

If you look at the two hamster cages below you'll notice a size cage for dwarf hamsters and a size cage for Syrian or larger hamsters. Your dwarf hamsters will need one size wheel while the larger hamsters will need a larger hamster wheel. I try my best to provide my hamsters with their particular needs. If you can do this you'll have a safe, happy, and healthy hamster. Keep in mind that you can not keep two Syrian hamsters in the same cage or they will fight and seriously injure one another. Some will fight to the death.

Quick Fact For You

The Roborovski Hamster from Mongolia and Northern China is only about one and one half inches when mature. These small hamsters are showing up in the American pet trade but if you keep them you'll need a cage made for them or they will just simply walk out through the bars of cages made for larger hamsters. And these little guys need hamster wheels made especially for them. They really are an interesting hamster that can be a lot of fun to keep.

You need to keep in mind that you need the right size wheel for the particular size hamster that you have. The same hamster wheel that works for a Syrian hamster will not work for a dwarf hamster. Neither will a wheel for a dwarf hamster work for a Syrian Hamster. So when you buy your hamster wheel or cage be sure to consider this. Things like this are why its so important for you to continue your research all the time about your hamster and your particular type of hamster. This is also a good reason to keep a journal so you can refer back to the journal later for much needed information about your hamster.

Where You Place Your Hamsters Cage Is Important

In case you don't know hamsters were born to run. Every night in the wild hamsters travel miles in search of food so yes your hamster does need a wheel and no its not being cruel to it. Your hamster must have exercise and the hamster wheel is the ideal way for your hamster to get much needed exercise. Believe it or not but if provided with other forms of exercise hamsters prefer the wheel. I bet that once your hamster starts running on its wheel that you'll be amazed at how long the hamster will stay on the wheel running. If you have a noisy wheel I promise you that your hamster will keep you awake at night unless it is in a room that you can shut off to block out part of the noise. Its for this reason and the fact that hamsters are nocturnal animals that your hamsters cage should not be placed in a bedroom. If you do you'll later regret it and have to move the hamster elsewhere. So pick a good spot for the hamsters cage to start with. Your hamster needs to be kept between 60 - 80 degrees. You don't want to keep the hamster anywhere colder than 60 degrees and you don't want to keep it any where warmer than 80 degrees.

Hamster Balls As An Alternative To Hamster Wheels

You may want to consider getting a hamster ball as an alternative to a hamster wheel. I have hamster wheels in all my hamster cages and I also like to put my hamsters in hamster balls because some hamsters love it. You should know that there are hamster balls in all sizes and its important that you get a hamster ball the right size for your hamster. Some hamster balls are made for dwarf hamsters while some hamster balls are made for large hamsters like Syrian Hamsters. You need an uncluttered area for your hamster to be able to move the hamster ball around. If there are a lot of obstructions in the floor the hamster will not be able to move around easily. I have one large male Syrian Hamster that loves being in a Hamster ball. He will walk it all over the house following me around the house.

Hamsters Can Get Diabetes And Heart Disease Just Like You

In case you don't know two of the diseases that hamsters can get are diabetes and heart disease. This is the reason you should never make your hamsters treats over 10 percent of its daily diet. Yes I know if your training and working with your hamster you may have to. But on a day in day out basis you should limit treats to 10 percent of the hamsters daily diet. Exercise is also very important for your hamster. An a hamster exercise wheel and a hamster exercise ball are both great safe ways for your hamster to get exercise.

Wash Your Hands. keep Your Hamster Healthy

Any time before you touch or work with your hamster you should wash your hands thoroughly to the elbows and you should repeat this after touching or working with your hamster. Your hamster can catch the cold or flu from you and if your hamster is a carrier of salmonella you can catch salmonella from your hamster. Not all hamsters carry the disease but some do. So for your and your hamsters safety wash your hands with warm soap and water.

Hamster Wheels. Which One Should I Get

Ideally you should buy a hamster cage or habitat with the hamster wheel already installed. Some times though not always it can be very hard to install a new hamster wheel in an existing cage. Its for this reason that I suggest getting a cage that the hamster wheel is already part of the cage.

You also need to be sure that you get a hamster cage and a hamster wheel that can be used by your particular sized hamster. Dwarf hamsters need small wheels and Syrian hamsters need large wheels.

Thanks For Reading My Hub Page On How To Select The Right Hamster Wheel For Your Hamster

When I first started keeping hamsters information on hamster wheels was hardly available any where. It was through trial and error and over forty years of keeping hamsters that I was able to come up with the information here about hamster wheels. I consider my self an authority on hamsters and I hope you find the information helpful. Please feel free to post your comments, tips, suggestions, or questions below. And thanks for reading.