Trixie 61011 Running wheel, plastic, ø 28 cm (Assorted)

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Banjanin, S., and Mrosovsky, N., 2000, Preferences of mice, Mus musculus, for different types of running wheel, Laboratory Animals, 34: 313–318. Hibbert, Clare (2004). Looking after your pet Hamster. Smart Apple Media. p.32. ISBN 9781583404331 . Retrieved 21 June 2020.

All Wheels below 6.5″ should be banned, this size is only suitable for a Roborovski hamster, anything smaller is not suitable for any size of hamster. Try and decide whether a saucer or wheel is the better design for your hamster. Remember that a larger hamster would require a bigger flying saucer, which could take up a lot of room in their cage. Therefore flying saucers can often be a better choice for smaller hamsters, but it really is up to you. Leaflet No. 62 - Pets, accessories contrary to animal welfare" (PDF). TVT (in German). Germany . Retrieved 21 June 2020.

Choice tests with Syrian hamsters ( Mesocricetus auratus) have shown that they prefer larger wheels; the animals chose a wheel diameter of 35cm (14in) over 23cm (9.1in), [2] which itself was preferred over 17.5cm (6.9in). [3] Rhodes, J.S., Gammie, S.C. and Garland, T., Jr., 2005, Neurobiology of mice selected for high voluntary wheel-running activity, Integrative and Comparative Biology, 45: 438-455. This article is about the exercise device for rodents. For the Australian television satirical comedy series, see The Hamster Wheel. Wooden Hamster Wheel, size 33cm Like other rodents, hamsters are highly motivated to run in wheels. Cages which are too small to accommodate at least a 6.5″ wheel should be banned. This wheel size is only suitable for a Roborovski hamster (the smallest type). A cage that is too small to fit a 6.5″ wheel can not provide a suitable environment for any species of hamster.

Coutinho A.E., Fediuc S., Campbell J.E., and Riddell, M.C. 2006. Metabolic effects of voluntary wheel running in young and old Syrian golden hamsters. Physiology and Behavior 87: 360-367. Hamsters showed no preference between a relatively uniform running surface made of plastic mesh and a surface made of rungs spaced 9mm apart, although they did prefer the mesh compared to rungs spaced 12mm apart, most likely because of the wider space between the rungs allowed their legs to slip through. [2] The hamsters neither preferred nor avoided wheels that had small "speed bumps" installed along the running surface to provide environmental enrichment. [2] A related exercise device, the hamster ball, is a hollow plastic ball into which a pet can be temporarily placed. The ball allows the pet to freely roll around on the floor to explore and exercise while preventing escape.Despite seeming like a fairly simple item, hamster wheels come in various designs and styles. Here’s what you need to know before purchasing. Size of Your Hamster The majority of hamster wheels are made from either plastic or metal. Metal is obviously a stronger material and is far more durable than plastic, but it is also harder to clean. Wooden wheels are also available and usually the quietest, however, they require varnishing to prevent stains and don’t last as long. Stands/ Fitting A related exercise device is a running disc. This is a rotatable shallow bowl, or slightly concave disc, which is set an angle to the horizontal. [40] Some commercial refuges for caged rodents have a disc mounted on the roof at a slight angle. The rodents run on the rim of the disc in a similar way to running in hamster wheels.

Captive animals continue to use wheels even when provided with other types of enrichment. In one experiment, Syrian hamsters that could use tunnels to access five different cages each containing a toy showed no more than a 25% reduction in running-wheel use compared to hamsters housed in a single cage without toys (except for the running wheel). [14] In another study, female Syrian hamsters housed with a nestbox, bedding, hay, paper towels, cardboard tubes, and branches used a wheel regularly and benefitted from it as indicated by showing less stereotypic bar-gnawing and producing larger litters of young compared to females kept under the same conditions but without a wheel. [15] Laboratory mice were prepared to perform more switch presses to enter a cage containing a running wheel compared to several meters of Habitrail tubing or a torus of Habitrail tubing. [16] Reebs, S.G.; Maillet, D. (2003). "Effect of cage enrichment on the daily use of running wheels by Syrian hamsters". Chronobiology International. 20 (1): 9–20. doi: 10.1081/CBI-120018329. PMID 12638687. S2CID 21925891. Dunlap, J.C., Loros, J.J., and DeCoursey, P.J. 2004. Chronobiology: Biological Timekeeping. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland MA. Beaulieu, A.; Reebs, S.G. (2009). "Effects of bedding material and running wheel surface on paw wounds in male and female Syrian hamsters". Laboratory Animals. 43 (1): 85–90. doi: 10.1258/la.2008.007088. PMID 19001065. S2CID 22308514.a b c Sherwin, C.M., 1998, Voluntary wheel running: A review and novel interpretation, Animal Behaviour, 56: 11–27 Raichlen, D. A., A. D. Foster, G. L. Gerdeman, A. Sellier, and A. Giuffrida. 2012. Wired to run: exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling in humans and cursorial mammals with implications for the 'runner's high'. Journal of Experimental Biology 215:1331-1336. Morin, L. 1978. Rhythmicity of hamster gnawing: Ease of measurement and similarity to running activity. Physiology and Behavior 21: 317-320 Rayner, Matthew (2004). Hamster. Milwaukee, Wis.: Gareth Stevens. ISBN 9780836846171 . Retrieved 21 June 2020.

Try to also choose a wheel with a solid running surface. Classic rung designs can actually be harmful to hamsters as their feet can be easily caught between them while running. Special Features Most plastic wheels tend to be incredibly squeaky and noisy, and given hamsters can run up to 6 miles in one day, the endless rattling can soon become a living hell. Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 1949, p. B20/4 (advt.), referenced in Oxford English Dictionary, Draft Additions, Sep. 2007, under entry “Hamster.” Hamsters are protected by The Animal Welfare Act, it makes owners and keepers responsible for ensuring that the welfare needs of their animals are met. These include the need:A cage that is too small to fit a 28cm (11″) wheel should not be advertised as being a suitable cage for a Syrian Hamster. Meredith, Susan (2000). Hamsters. Tulsa, Okla.: EDC Pub. p.30. ISBN 9780794507961 . Retrieved 21 June 2020. Tierärztliche Vereinigung für Tierschutz ( TVT) recommends wheels should be at least 20cm (8″) for Dwarf Hamsters and at least 30cm (12″) for Syrian Hamsters, since smaller diameters lead to permanent spinal curvatures, especially in young animals. “ The research also found that hamsters use their wheel for an average distance of 8.3km per night. Choice tests with mice have also shown a preference for larger wheels (17.5cm over 13cm in diameter) and a preference for plastic mesh over rungs and over solid plastic as a running surface. [4] More acrobatic species, such as the canyon mouse ( Peromyscus crinitus) and the deer mouse ( Peromyscus maniculatus) can develop preferences for wheels that force the animals to jump, such as square wheels or wheels with hurdles along the running surface. [5] [6] [7] Use by animals [ edit ] An ocicat on a running wheel Meijer, Johanna H.; Robbers, Yuri (2014), "Wheel running in the wild", Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 281 (1786): 20140210, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0210, PMC 4046404, PMID 24850923