Appropriately sized wheels for chins

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Spodumena

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 29, 2016
Messages
89
Location
Manchester, UK
So the chin brothers have finally gotten used to out-of-cage playtime, and seem to really enjoy their exercise. I want to get them a wheel for when we can't let them out in their playpen. Now that they're used to it, they seem so disappointed when it's time to go back in...

I've read through a few threads on here about chin wheels; people seem to say that you can get away with a Silver Surfer wheel if the chin is 'small'. I'm wondering exactly what this means? One of the chins is about 570 grams and the other is just over 700 grams. They're both 10.5 months old. Will the 700 gram chin have a difficult time in the Silver Surfer?

The other consideration is that the cage doors are *just* big enough (I think) to fit in a Silver Surfer, but the Chin Spin seems like it would be too big and slightly overwhelm that level of the cage in any case.

I would like this to be a good investment for their cage (and future cages) but want to make sure I make the right decision. Any advice would be most appreciated!
 
My chin looooves his Chin Spin, was running on it within minutes of putting it in his cage. What type of cage do you have? I have a one level ferret nation and it fits pretty well if that helps.
 
More important then weight is the physical size of the chin, how long and how wide. I think the average chin is about 10-12" long, plus tail (I just measured Wicket and he is about 10.5-11" long, it's hard to measure, and around 650g). The smaller the wheel the more the chin bends it's back backwards to run on it, which is unnatural for a chin. Unlike other rodents chins backs arch upward and are not designed to really flatten completely or bend backwards, doing so will cause back injuries over time. 15" wheel is the recommended minimum size, so 14" is pushing it I think unless your chin is around 10" long or less. Also the silver surfer is only 4" wide, so narrow running surface if your chin is on the wider side. The chin spin is a little over 6" wide, the standard size metal flying saucer is just under 5" wide.

I have the metal flying saucer wheel for my guys, mostly because it was the only one sold in Canada, but also it allows them to run naturally without any bending. The standard size, which I have, is only about 14" but the way it's designed it's equivalent to a 20-22" drum style wheel.
 
When I was looking at wheels I ended up deciding to get the flying saucer. I was worried the chinspin was too big and that the silver surfer would be too small for future chinchillas.
 
I appreciate all the advice! Thank you!

I’m currently working with the Little Zoo Flight Cage (http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/little-zoo-flight-chinchilla--degu--rat-and-chipmunk-cage) It’s not as spacious as the ferret/critter nations, but we’ve tried to make the most of the space and make it interesting for them…

Here are some other photos of their current set up (hope this works - haven’t posted photos before… and I get the feeling they usually don't for first-timers!)
Second one is the bottom right corner where I'm hoping to install a wheel.

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[chins are snoozing away on their usual day-shelf, so couldn't be bothered to pose!]

I could be mistaken (perhaps I’ve misjudged from photos?), I don’t think a saucer is a possibility right now as it wouldn’t leave them much space to maneuver in the bottom level; they seem to jut out a fair bit. I also don’t think it’s available in the UK.

@ Amethyst - how do you recommend measuring a chin? I feel like they tend to be very much condensed down in a ball-shape. It is just nose to tip of tail when they’re in their general awake pose on all fours? [they look so much longer when they stretch after a nap] Or can I measure when they’re standing on their hind legs? I’ll have to try the next time they’re out for a run…

If the chins exceed 10” I’ll think about trying to source a Chin Spin. It’s a shame they’re so impossible to find in the UK. :(
 
Yeah the forum here seems to have issues with pic posting, the best way is to upload the pics onto a photo share site and link it.

I measured the standard size flying saucer and yes it is huge. It sticks out about 12" (30.5cm) from the wall of the cage and is 14" (35.56cm) wide, and you need a couple inches clearance on all sides so a chin doesn't get stuck. The cage you linked, you're right, I don't think you have that kind of room.

Quality Cage, the company that sells the Chin Spin, I think does ship worldwide, but I completely understand not wanting to pay high shipping costs.

The measurements for a chin I was talking about is from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail (the chins butt), not the tip of the tail. Measuring them is a first for me, so I don't have a specific good way to do it. What I did was have Wicket on my desk and had a ruler standing next to him and lured him into a more upright/standing position. He was sleeping when I grabbed him out of the cage so he wasn't awake enough to run, lol. It's not an exact measurement, more of a general idea. You could also try measuring when they are stretched out sleeping especially if they sleep against the cage bars. Or try measuring when they are in the cage and lure them up into a standing position. Thinking about it more, you might actually be able to get away with the 14" for chins up to 12" since that still gives them 2" of stretch room.

Another option for a wheel is to make your own, there is a good video showing how, and it's from the UK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmbAApN0o6M&app=desktop. If you are handy that would be a much cheaper way to go. I would go with a 15" or 16" oil drip pan/feed pan instead of a salad bowl in the video though.
 
Odd, the photos come up on my computer, but not on anyone else's it seems. Not too important at this stage anyway!

Thanks for taking the time to measure the flying saucer, Amethyst. And for the link. Definitely not handy enough to make my own wheel. We can manage shelves, tubes, and hammocks, but I think a wheel would be pushing it!

Going to try to measure Milo this week, but at the moment I don't think he's actually bigger than around 9 inches. Perhaps still growing a bit though…
 
I have a couple more followup questions I was hoping people might have some advice on.

After a bit more research I managed to find a UK based wheel-maker! It seems like she's only been doing it for a couple of years, but has great reviews on facebook so far. Fingers crossed the chins take to it and it holds up! The company, Tic Tac Wheels, does both 14" and 16" metal wheels and ships worldwide. I think I can squeeze in a 16" just to be safe for their backs... will just involve moving the upper level shelf a wee bit.

We're expecting the wheel this week but I wanted to ask (mostly because I'm paranoid about them overrunning or losing a lot of weight, and at nearly 11 months I don't think they're quite fully grown yet...?):

Normally I weigh the chins about once a week, should I be doing it more often when we first put the wheel in to monitor them more closely? I've read that a chin's weight can fluctuate 15-20 grams daily. So what qualifies as a drastic weight change? And if there is a bit of weight loss do I wait a week to see if it stabilizes, or do I take the wheel out, or try to immobilize it for during the evenings or something so they're not overdoing it and hope the novelty wears off after a while...?

Silly questions to be asking when it's not even installed yet, but I'd like to be prepared! Any advice appreciated!
 
Well at 11 months they should be old enough to not have issues with overdoing it on the wheel. However even full grown adult chins sometimes get carried away, if you notice them running all the time, not eating or drinking, or really sleeping, then that can be a problem. Most chins don't have an issue, just some become obsessed.

It's not the fluctuation you need to worry about, it's steady loss. If they are down 15-20g they should have gained that back or steady the same, it shouldn't be a 15-20g loss every weigh in. Once a week weighing should be fine, but if you notice a sudden drop, like from 570g to 520g from one week to the next, weight every couple days for a little bit to see if it's just bad timing on the weigh in or actual weight loss. I think a 5% weight difference from weigh in to weigh in is normal, 10% loss though is cause for a closer look.
 
Wheel or Saucer?

Hi Everyone! I have a deposit on two baby chins and am getting their cage ready while I wait out the next few weeks till they old enough to leave mama. I was going to get a 12" wheel for them, but came upon an article that said 12" isn't big enough for chins as it can hurt their backs. The article recommends getting a 14" wheel or saucer. I have found a few 14" wheels and even 16" wheels. I'm thinking, the 16" wheel would be best, to give the chins plenty of room for running without hurting their backs. The cage I have is 23" x 21" x 31" (LWH). So, there is room for the 16" wheel, just want to know if that would be too big a wheel, or best choice?
 
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