Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Q & A => Topic started by: psycho_ash on February 20, 2010, 07:30:13 PM
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Hello!
I know plastic is bad for chins, and I am working on removing all of the plastic bits from Tia's cage. Here is my concern, though... her wheel is made of plastic. I really don't want to get rid of it, because I was told she loves it (I've only had a few days, but her former owner told me that she runs in it every night)... so what should I do?
Thanks!
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Well, sorta answered my own question... I found the metal Flying Saucer... they are $75... (55 euros) very expensive, but are they worth it? If they are, I will not hesitate to get one for my Tia, I hate her having anything plastic!
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my chinchilla loves his plastic wheel also :-\ he sleeps on it most of the time and i dont wanna take his favorite sleeping place awy from him
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Psycho_Ash -- I have the metal flying saucer and my Apollo loves it and its really fun to watch him run on it. However, some chinchillas have trouble catching on to it. It definitely takes some practice and bravery on their part. What kind of wheel does he have now? If she's an older chin and is used to a traditional wheel, you may want to consider getting the 15" chin spin from quality cages (assuming they ship to europe...). It is $45. Are there any chew marks on Tia's current wheel? If there are, you will definitely want to consider changing... and don't worry, I have limited experience with chins, but so far they have never complained about their old stuff being replaced with new better stuff :)
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Psycho_Ash -- I have the metal flying saucer and my Apollo loves it and its really fun to watch him run on it. However, some chinchillas have trouble catching on to it. It definitely takes some practice and bravery on their part. What kind of wheel does he have now? If she's an older chin and is used to a traditional wheel, you may want to consider getting the 15" chin spin from quality cages (assuming they ship to europe...). It is $45. Are there any chew marks on Tia's current wheel? If there are, you will definitely want to consider changing... and don't worry, I have limited experience with chins, but so far they have never complained about their old stuff being replaced with new better stuff :)
Oh, that looks excellent!! I'm actually not from Europe, I live in central PA, I just always put monetary amounts in dollars and euros because I know people from Europe are on this forum, too. There are indeed chew marks on her old wheel, so as soon as I get the money I am replacing it. I don't want her to go without a wheel though.
And yeah, I'd have to agree, she hasn't seemed too worried about me replacing her stuff. Actually, I think she likes it. She gets all excited and has to go check it out. It's very cute! ::silly::
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i have two chin spins [quality cage] and two ed spins and i love them both..
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My chins have never chewed on the plastic wheels....I prefer my metal chin-spin over the plastic silent spinners... but the plastic wheels are in my TEMP cage, so I just keep a close eye...as long as they don't chew the wheel, I don't see a real problem.
I had a chin that passed away in November that also loved to SLEEP in his plastic wheel. He was a big time chewer...but I never once caught him chewing the wheel.
Make sure there are other chewing options in the cage... lots of chew toys... and keep an eye....and otherwise, it's probably OKAY!
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everyone pretty much covered the basics but yes if she is chewing the wheel you should remove it right away because it can damage her digestive tract. ive heard lots of good things about the chin spin! also, i have a homemade wheel that is sold on ebay and the woman who makes them is actually on this forum, bloominhedgehogs :) its a tad cheaper than the chin spin, about 16' so won't damage her spine at all and completely silent! my boys love it. http://cgi.ebay.com/Chinchilla-Exercise-Wheel-16inch-Heavy-Duty-100-Steel_W0QQitemZ190375098844QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c533d79dc#ht_1097wt_1167
there is a whole thread about it in the topic "crazy loud wheel" in general topics. just another suggestion! good luck :::grins::
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everyone pretty much covered the basics but yes if she is chewing the wheel you should remove it right away because it can damage her digestive tract. ive heard lots of good things about the chin spin! also, i have a homemade wheel that is sold on ebay and the woman who makes them is actually on this forum, bloominhedgehogs :) its a tad cheaper than the chin spin, about 16' so won't damage her spine at all and completely silent! my boys love it. http://cgi.ebay.com/Chinchilla-Exercise-Wheel-16inch-Heavy-Duty-100-Steel_W0QQitemZ190375098844QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c533d79dc#ht_1097wt_1167
there is a whole thread about it in the topic "crazy loud wheel" in general topics. just another suggestion! good luck :::grins::
Wow, thanks! I will definitely look into that.
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if that is the wheel i had before my chin spins, when the chins sit on top of it, if they do and they poop it will get stuck in the ball bearings or whatever you call it, and the wheel wn't work unless you take all the poop out. it looks like the wheel someone else makes.. maybe this one is different, but i did want to mention it.
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i don't know what you mean by the poop gets stuck in the ball bearings?