noises and wheels

[ameliagolwitzer]

Ive had my chin for about a month now. Im trying really hard to make him as happy as possible. Sometimes he makes those barking noises in the middle of the night if his wheel fell off or something but other times i dont know if hes lonely or what! He only sees and plays with me most of the time. During the day when im at school i usually leave my stereo playing softly in the room next to his so he doesnt get sad and has something to listen to. Is there anything i can do to accomodate him more? Also his wheel is SO LOUD. its hard to sleep sometimes because of it. Are there any kinds of wheels anyone knows about that are quiet or close to it? Mine isnt loud when i spin it with my finger but i think his weight on it just makes it scrape against his base. Help please!!

 

[chechinchillas]

It's okay to take the wheel out at night if it's keeping you awake. You can put it back in the cage in the morning. If it squeaks, you can put a little olive oil on it where it connects in the center. What kind of wheel do you have that "falls off" ?

 

[halfstache]

I have two of these and think they are great. I don't know of a wheel which is completely quiet, but these are quiet enough for me.

http://flyingsaucerwheels.com/

 

[ameliagolwitzer]

Well I'm not sure what kind of wheel I have exactly. But it is 12' diameter and on the back it has a piece with two holes on it that go over the base part and connect like that just by putting the top of the base through the holes. My chin weighs it down so the wheel must scrape on the base or something

 

[Godofgods]

I have two of the same wheels. If they are working correctly then they should be very quite. If they are making noise to the level of keeping you up, then their is something wrong with it.

The most likely cause is needing the bearing replaced. They can get dirty and worn over time. The wheel has two barrings. On at the top, under the dust cover that you can see. And the other is at the base of the wheel where it connects to the long metal rod.

Replacing them is very simple. The wheel comes with instructions on how to do it. And I'm sure the site has them too. Also a single bearing is only like $2-3 dollars, so its not an expensive fix. Alls you need to do it is a screw driver, and a 1/8 hex key that came with your wheel. (they also sell replacements for 75 cents.)

I would try that to fix your wheel. Its usually the problem. As for it falling off, I'm not sure what your talking about. If its put together and attached to the cage correctly, theirs no way it can fall off unless the cage caves in on itself or something.

Parts
Bearing Replacement

 

[Cuddlebug]

A 12 inch wheel is not big enough for a chinchilla. It causes them to arch their backs unnaturally. You need at least a 15 inch wheel. Your chinchilla is better off with no wheel than to have one that is too small and falls apart.

 

[clb]

Is this a plastic or wire wheel? Also agree with what cuddlebug said about the size. There are chin safe wheels such as chin spin, get the 15 inch size. There is the saucer too if you have the room for it in your cage.