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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June 27th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Do they have to have a exercise wheel?
January 14th, 2007 at 11:32 am
The flying saucer wheel is not 'squeaky' like normal wheels but as you know chins can be quite heavy footed so I would say you can hear them using it. My girls are down stairs and if I'm awake upstairs I can hear them jumping around. Mind you my cafe is a metal parrot cage so noises may be a bit louder. On the whole yes I would say you would hear this wheel being used but its still a great way for a furball to burn off those extra raisins us humans force them to eat.
January 13th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Vanessa,
Thanks for the info on the flying saucer. It does look like a great way to get chinchillas to exercise. Do you find that it is noisy? If it was in the room next to the one you sleep in, would it wake you up?
January 13th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
My two girls have a 'flying saucer wheel' and although I had to get it from America and it was expensive, if you love your chinnies it's well worth the expense. This wheel has been ergonomically designed for a chinchilla's spines and I have to admit even my 'lazy' chin loves having a jaunt.