# Exercise wheel



## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

Should I get an exercise wheel or is it a waste of time? I seem to be reading that most rats do not have any interest in using wheels. What think you all?☺


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

I have 4 rats currently and only one never uses the wheel. You may not see them use it but IMO its worth getting but I have 3 girls and a boy. I also Foster and every Foster I have had loved their wheels. And In my experience silent spinners are the best.


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## lilmissy22 (Jul 21, 2012)

I would get one.i got 3 males and 3 female... 2 of my males love it they on it about all night long and 1 of myFemale run on it to. U can alway try It will give them something to do and with they little ball of energy


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

Hmmm, Ok I will get one hopefully tomorrow.


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

So I got a large size silent spinner last night. Cost me $39 bucks. When I put it into the cage last night, my girls were rather suspicious of it. Neither of them have as of yet used it. Overnight they piled toys, food, bedding, and everything else into it. :| I am hoping they will eventually use it.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I've never had a rat that cared for a wheel, male and female alike.


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

Sometimes it takes one to teach the group my girls had no clue about the wheel until one day they saw Yuki using yiy


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## aripatsim (Jul 26, 2012)

Well even if they never run on it they'll enjoy sleeping in it, I'm sure lol  And I've heard of rats that took weeks to finally use a wheel so it may take some time.

I'm getting my boys a wheel to put in their cage soon. I think they'd enjoy it.


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

If I put them on the wheel they have a fit. So I put their favorite yogurt in the wheel. Now Brownie has put her hands on the wheel and will lick the yogurt, so I maight be making some headway.


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

It is official. Neither of my rats has any interest whatsoever in exercise wheels.


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## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

DustyRat said:


> So I got a large size silent spinner last night. Cost me $39 bucks. When I put it into the cage last night, my girls were rather suspicious of it. Neither of them have as of yet used it. Overnight they piled toys, food, bedding, and everything else into it. :| I am hoping they will eventually use it.


Heh, same - I've put the wheel in twice, and while they both investigated, Toki seemed to take offence to it, and buried it as best she could. Daisy is slowly getting the hang of it, but has fallen a few times while trying to climb up the outside. I put it back in every week or so just so they can have another go at figuring out what it does - tends to keep them occupied for 15 minutes or so.


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

Yep, mine have tried to step on the outside of the wheel from one of the ramps. They too have fallen off, hehe.


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## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

I just tried putting it back in again, and Daisy spent a good 10 minutes trying to figure it out. Toki seemed to just watch from a distance, before deciding to go back to sleep. 

I'm sure they'll figure it out eventually.


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## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

I know gerbils are a little different but I had two pick up on the wheel relatively quickly and or did not. I left the wheel in 24/7. After 6 months, he started using the wheel.They aren't going to get used to it if you keep taking it out. Try leaving it in and give it a month.


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## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

Yeah, I've had hamsters before, and they take to it straight away. To be honest, I think that rats actually think a little more about what it could be, rather than just blindly running on it. The reason I took it out was that it seemed to be making Toki uncomfortable initially, but she seems to be getting better now.


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## skottiesgerl (Oct 3, 2012)

*wheel lovers*

We have only had our baby boys a week now but I purchased a wheel immediately... I was giving up all hope until last night... I came in and Kozmo Cramer was having a blast on the wheel..... I was so proud..

Leo on the other hand has not run on it yet but I think he will.


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## marcp1956 (Oct 12, 2012)

That is amazing. Both of my rats love the wheel and took to running on it the first day I put it in the cage.


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## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

Dusty: I just realized that you live in the same area as me.


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

I live in Halifax


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## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

Ditto


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## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

With Daisy finally growing up and putting on some weight (she's getting to the point that she looks the same as Toki while they sleep), I'm probably going to try getting a bigger wheel. The one we have at the moment is a medium size, that I think would work for Diasy, but not Toki. Going to need to do some rearranging of the cage to fit it in though...


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## cbickum (Jul 8, 2012)

My girls LOVE their wheel. It took them a week or two to realize what exactly it was, but now they run on it every night! I definiely think it's a worthy investment, just make sure to get one their li'l paws and tails won't get stuck in!


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

Alas, my girls will still have nothing to do with it. They avoid it completely, lol.


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## PrincessRat (Aug 22, 2012)

I have never had nor met a rat who liked wheels. I had read so many places and heard from so many people that rats just don't like wheels. When I came to this forum I found that some rats apparently do like their wheels but mine always just used them as a bed, a potty, or a food storage unit, or on one occasion I had a naughty little ratty girl chew her wheel to pieces, literally. It was a medium plastic wheel that had come with the cage I had at the time and somehow she completely tore it to shreds, she was 4 months old! So I won't waste my money on wheels anymore for rats, I don't know where some people get their wheel loving rats. I hope of your ratties don't end up using theirs eventually that you can end up selling it for a decent price because that's expensive for a wheel if you ask me. Around here a large wheel runs about $15 I'd say? And I thought that was spendy but maybe that's just because I don't see the point in getting a wheel. Haha. Good luck with the situation! 


-Rats are my life-


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## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

Well tonight I was sitting there, playing Xbox, when I notice movement out of the corner of my eye - Daisy has finally figured out the wheel! 

She's being quite cautious, and Toki seems to still be suspicious - so has a tendency to stop the movement when she can - but there's progress.


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## PrincessRat (Aug 22, 2012)

Oh good! Maybe it will all be worth the money after all! Good little ratties.


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## marcp1956 (Oct 12, 2012)

Rats are so different! Unlike your experience PrincessRat, I have never had a rat (only 4 total) that didn't like the wheel. And I don't know anyone else, face to face, that likes rats. Therefore, I have no experience outside of my 4 rats, 2 past and 2 present. I just assumed all rats love to run the wheel - I guess I was wrong.


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## vickivixen (Oct 15, 2012)

My girls never liked their wheel. When I had one boy he didn't run on it as far as I know,but I didn't have it in too long as he got too big for it. I bought a new cage which arrived yesterday and which came with a wheel, and as soon as I guy a replacement nut for it I will fix it to the cage. It's pretty massive so should do them throughout adulthood if it looks like they'll take to it.


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## Phoebe_22 (Aug 8, 2012)

I bought a wheel for my two girls, one of them ran on it for about two minutes and realised that she wasn't getting anywhere so gave up, the other obviously witnessed the whole shebang and didn't even bother with it. But if your rats do like it then that's great, one more thing to keep them occupied


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## PrincessRat (Aug 22, 2012)

marcp1956 said:


> Rats are so different! Unlike your experience PrincessRat, I have never had a rat (only 4 total) that didn't like the wheel. And I don't know anyone else, face to face, that likes rats. Therefore, I have no experience outside of my 4 rats, 2 past and 2 present. I just assumed all rats love to run the wheel - I guess I was wrong.


Just goes to show that rats truly do have very distinct and unique personalities and interests.


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