There are several things to consider when buying a wheel for your chinchilla. First off, you'll need to get one that is much bigger than the kind you've probably seen for hamsters. And because of the size of the wheel and the weight of a chinchilla, we recommend getting a metal wheel rather than a plastic one. Metal will also fare better since chinchillas won't hesitate to chew plastic.
From a safety perspective, we highly recommend that the part where the chinchillas run be solid. That is, there shouldn't be any gaps for a chinchilla's feet to slip through.
Unfortunately, many chinchilla wheels are quite expensive. It took us a while to find a reasonably priced wheel that met our needs. We use the 15" model in the picture below. We've hooked it on to the sides of our cage and use a few zip ties to make sure it stays in place. Our one complaint is that this wheel can be noisy.
One product that we haven't had a chance to try, but that looks promising is the exercise saucer. It looks interesting because it provides an unobstructed view of your chinchilla.
For more information and pricing details, check out Quality Cage Company. Note that we are not affiliated with this online store and we haven't purchased anything from it. They just happen to carry the wheel we use.
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I found a great metal wheel about 8 years ago. I don't recall how large it was, but at least 15 inches. I at first fear it was too big, but it prooved great until "Rocky" used it so much the metal things it rotated on wore through! I also NEED to replace it! Rocky is totally blind and it is her means of communicating when she wants me to do anything for her. Her two male companions over the 8 years I have had her have passed on and she is alone in the dark.
I bought the first wheel at a feed store! It is my experience that there is a good place to by less expensive and sturdier stuff for any kind of animal. Farmers and folks who don't have time for froo froos won't bit for that awful useless plastic stuff.
However, I have not seen the metal wheel in quite a while. Perhaps I could order one through a feed store? I am open to suggestions, but that place is also one location to check out.
Kathy