# Suitable wheel for a gerbil



## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

None of my other gerbils have ever like running on a wheel so I've never had to look into this! 
But Evie my little girlie loves her wheel and runs on it all the time, the one I gave her is this
Rat Wheels & Balls : Rodent Wheel Metal Fine Meshed Tread: 22cm (9") : www.EquineCanineFeline.com the place to buy all your Pet Products, Horse Products and Pet Supplies online

Is this ok for her though?
Or would a different wheel be better?

It's kinda hard to keep it in her tank because it gets covered in substrate a few times a day but I dont want to take it away because she enjoys is so much.


----------



## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

a solid metal one would be better, those mesh ones are nasty and could lead to bumble foot or broken toes


----------



## Guest (Jun 13, 2011)

Personally I don't like those wheels for anything, as toes and tails can get caught and cause some nasty injuries 

I don't have gerbils but I would probably suggest the Wooden Karlie wheel


----------



## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Om a gerbil forum Im on everyone seems to use those mesh ones, I dont use them because they are soooooo noisy, Ive got to keep my oh sweet where the rodents are concerned and being kept awake every night wouldnt be great


----------



## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

Oh no, I feel like a bad gerbil mummy now  I didn't realise they were extra bad for them. I thought the ones that had metal rungs were bad but not these mesh ones.
I'm going to take it out of their tank and get a new one asap.

Where would I get a solid mesh one from please?
I'd love a Karlie one because they look so nice but the gerbs would probably eat it!


----------



## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

I've been told mesh ones are fine because it's closer together etc x


----------



## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

Daynna said:


> I've been told mesh ones are fine because it's closer together etc x


That's just what I assumed.


----------



## Guest (Jun 13, 2011)

Daynna said:


> I've been told mesh ones are fine because it's closer together etc x


They are closer together but toes can still get caught


----------



## davidc (Dec 15, 2010)

thedogsmother said:


> Om a gerbil forum Im on everyone seems to use those mesh ones, I dont use them because they are soooooo noisy, Ive got to keep my oh sweet where the rodents are concerned and being kept awake every night wouldnt be great


I use a Silent Spinner. They are supposed to be silent, hence the name. But there is a reason Ebony is in the living room, well away from the bedroom and that is because of his love of the "silent" spinner - it makes a racket when he's on it! lol Some people do apparently have success getting quiet ones, or maybe my gerbil is just noisy. 



Daynna said:


> I've been told mesh ones are fine because it's closer together etc x


I had a fine mesh divider up in my tank. Sandy scaled it and got her hand stuck. If it hadn't have been such fine mesh, she wouldn't have got it stuck.


----------



## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

mesh is still capable of trapping toes and rubbing sores on feet and allowing bumble foot to set in, the only difference between rungs and mesh, is they cant snap their legs on mesh by putting a foot wrong


----------



## myzoo (Jan 13, 2010)

hiya found this it might be helpfull as ive searched the net and cant find anything solid all the safe ones are plastic but this may help  
this ones good totaly solid made by john hopewell

Solid Metal Exercise Wheel for Degus and Chins

or this
Gerbil-Safe Exercise Wheels


----------



## _Sara_ (Aug 15, 2009)

I would defiantly try and get hold of a wodent wheel, best wheel iv ever had. (Hamster has it as I don't have gerbils) They are super quiet and safe


----------



## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

I had a spare 8" Karlie wheel and gave that to Evie last night and she loved that too!
I am going to get some plasti-kote today to cover the wheel in so she cant chew it to bits.

Thanks for the replies everyone. That stupid wheel has gone in the bin now.


----------



## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

It's a shame you threw the wheel away as these types are probably one of the safest actually. All you would have to do is line it with cardboard to stop the gerbils feet getting hurt and it's fine. We don't normally recommend wheels for gerbils anyway, but some people do like to use them - The vast majority of people in the gerbil world who use wheels tend to use these and never once has their been a problem of any part of the animal getting caught. I suppose you could say there is an element of risk in everything we give our pets - wooden wheel - could have splinters and hurt them - plastic wheel - plastic can be ingested and prove fatal if it causes a blockage. Any toy that is in the tank has the potential to harm. Rung wheels of course are obvious as to why they are dangerous.


----------



## Guest (Jun 15, 2011)

GerbilNik said:


> It's a shame you threw the wheel away as these types are probably one of the safest actually. All you would have to do is line it with cardboard to stop the gerbils feet getting hurt and it's fine. We don't normally recommend wheels for gerbils anyway, but some people do like to use them - The vast majority of people in the gerbil world who use wheels tend to use these and never once has their been a problem of any part of the animal getting caught. I suppose you could say there is an element of risk in everything we give our pets - wooden wheel - could have splinters and hurt them - plastic wheel - plastic can be ingested and prove fatal if it causes a blockage. Any toy that is in the tank has the potential to harm. Rung wheels of course are obvious as to why they are dangerous.


Can I ask why you don't recommend wheels for gerbils?


----------



## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

HI yes - the reason we don't particularly recommend them is because the ideal housing for gerbils is a tank type one. It should be filled around 3/4's of the way which should give them around 10-12 inches of substrate to allow them to be able to dig adequate tunnel systems and burrows. Unless the wheel is suspended from the lid (which would take up a fair bit of room anyway and leave a much smaller amount of space for substrate) it would just be buried anyway so wouldn't be of any use. If someone has a tank topper that might be a better option for a wheel as leaves more space(but again the compulsion to bar chew on the topper could happen). Another reason we dont recommend them is that a lot of gerbils can become addicted to them very easily - normally as they have not got enough substrate in which to dig. If the gerbil is spending a large proportion of its time on the wheel then its pretty much addicted and the wheel should only be offered for an hour or two each day.


----------



## Guest (Jun 15, 2011)

GerbilNik said:


> HI yes - the reason we don't particularly recommend them is because the ideal housing for gerbils is a tank type one. It should be filled around 3/4's of the way which should give them around 10-12 inches of substrate to allow them to be able to dig adequate tunnel systems and burrows. Unless the wheel is suspended from the lid (which would take up a fair bit of room anyway and leave a much smaller amount of space for substrate) it would just be buried anyway so wouldn't be of any use. If someone has a tank topper that might be a better option for a wheel as leaves more space(but again the compulsion to bar chew on the topper could happen). Another reason we dont recommend them is that a lot of gerbils can become addicted to them very easily - normally as they have not got enough substrate in which to dig. If the gerbil is spending a large proportion of its time on the wheel then its pretty much addicted and the wheel should only be offered for an hour or two each day.


As I don't have gerbils this is very interesting, I haven't heard this before. So what makes you say a gerbil is "addicted" to his wheel rather than choosing to play on it?


----------



## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> As I don't have gerbils this is very interesting, I haven't heard this before. So what makes you say a gerbil is "addicted" to his wheel rather than choosing to play on it?


If they were choosing to play on it, they would play on it for a while and then go and pursue another activity. Staying focused on that one (highly energetic as well) activity for long periods of time shows that there is some sort of compulsion there. It's like when gerbils dig aimlessly in corners or bar chew for hours on end - people now see this as a "normal" behaviour when in fact it is completely the opposite. With gerbils most stereotypical/compulsive behaviours all occur due to inadequate housing at some point - whether it be when they were pups or in their current accommodation.


----------



## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

I havent actually heard it put like that but I do thnk Crusty was addicted to the wheel, he barely stopped to eat and lost loads of weight, I have hamsters, mice and rats who all choose to use their wheels on and off but Crusty never left his, the other two boys in the tank werent that interested but maybe thats just because they never found it empty long enough to use it. He doesnt have a wheel now as its too noisy anyway and he plays with his friends now. I find the other info far more worrying though, Bart and Homer came from far less than ideal circumstances , they have a lovely tank and they still do the frantic corner of the tank scratching (Bart more than Homer)


----------



## Guest (Jun 15, 2011)

GerbilNik said:


> If they were choosing to play on it, they would play on it for a while and then go and pursue another activity. Staying focused on that one (highly energetic as well) activity for long periods of time shows that there is some sort of compulsion there. It's like when gerbils dig aimlessly in corners or bar chew for hours on end - people now see this as a "normal" behaviour when in fact it is completely the opposite. With gerbils most stereotypical/compulsive behaviours all occur due to inadequate housing at some point - whether it be when they were pups or in their current accommodation.


Now that is very interesting, it sounds like they are similar to Degu's there as once a Degu learns a behaviour due to inadequate living accommodation they will tend to continue it even if the initial problem is solved


----------



## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

The wheel has now been removed for good! 
I was a little worried about everything that's been said so I have taken it out and Evie isn't bothered at all.
It was hard to keep it in anyway as it was just getting filled with substrate.

The girls are in a 3ft tank with corner shelves (only one I could get my hands on in my area) and it is filled with a mixture of megazorb and cardboard they have shredded plus boxes, tubes and wooden toys buried in there.
Evie still scratches at the sides of the tank a few times a day....why is this?
They come out for playtime every single day and have a big living space.


----------



## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

thedogsmother said:


> I havent actually heard it put like that but I do thnk Crusty was addicted to the wheel, *he barely stopped to eat and lost loads of weight,* I have hamsters, mice and rats who all choose to use their wheels on and off but Crusty never left his, the other two boys in the tank werent that interested but maybe thats just because they never found it empty long enough to use it. He doesnt have a wheel now as its too noisy anyway and he plays with his friends now. I find the other info far more worrying though, Bart and Homer came from far less than ideal circumstances , they have a lovely tank and they still do the frantic corner of the tank scratching (Bart more than Homer)


This is exactly it - when they do the behaviour and it impacts on their "normal" behaviour (and health) like this it shows that what they are doing is a compulsion rather than a playtoy.
What you describe of Bart and Homer is now unfortunately fairly typical in a lot of gerbils - they wouldn't show that behaviour if they were brought up in tunnels and burrows or in the very least had a proper nestbox. Once they start the digging, even when they have deep bedding at a later date they still show the corner digging behaviour.


----------



## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

purple_x said:


> The wheel has now been removed for good!
> I was a little worried about everything that's been said so I have taken it out and Evie isn't bothered at all.
> It was hard to keep it in anyway as it was just getting filled with substrate.
> 
> ...


Sounds like they have a lovely life with you  I think we posted around the same time :laugh: so the answer to your question is in what i have written in my last post!


----------



## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> Now that is very interesting, it sounds like they are similar to Degu's there as once a Degu learns a behaviour due to inadequate living accommodation they will tend to continue it even if the initial problem is solved


It really is quite sad as something as simple as providing a good amount of bedding when the gerbils are being brought up by mum can basically eliminate most of these sorts of behaviours. As most gerbils in petshops are supplied by commercial breeders who don't tend to give them this sort of environment you can see how this sort of thing is seen as the norm, as most pet gerbils will have originated from similar places. :thumbdown:


----------



## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

GerbilNik said:


> Sounds like they have a lovely life with you  I think we posted around the same time :laugh: so the answer to your question is in what i have written in my last post!


Thank you for the reply.
So it's nothing I'm doing that's making her do the 'digging' against the glass, that's good to know.
They didn't have the best 6 or so months of their lives at the start. Started off in a pet store in a 30cmx20cm tank, then went to someone who kept them in a wire cage then given to a rescue.
I try and give them the best life I can, I love them to bits


----------



## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

No it's nothing you have done. Providing you give them as deep substrate as you can, this will at least help to alleviate the behaviour but unfortunately not stop it completely.


----------



## Guest (Jun 15, 2011)

GerbilNik said:


> It really is quite sad as something as simple as providing a good amount of bedding when the gerbils are being brought up by mum can basically eliminate most of these sorts of behaviours. As most gerbils in petshops are supplied by commercial breeders who don't tend to give them this sort of environment you can see how this sort of thing is seen as the norm, as most pet gerbils will have originated from similar places. :thumbdown:


Yes it is sad indeed, that is one reason I won't use pet shops that sell animals let alone buy one from a pet shop lol.
If people stopped buying from petshops it wouldn't be profitable to sell animals so they would stop.


----------

