Pros and cons about wheels or flying saucers??

[chinnmyheart]

I would like to know what the pros and cons about having wheels or flying saucers??

Everyone input appriciated..:thumbsup:

 

[InkedupTara]

I have both a chin spin and flying saucers. I love the saucers. I feel they are safer and all but one chin figured them out. The one who didn't, got a chin spin. Both are not very loud, when secured well to a solid cage. I have Ferret Nation cages, and with the saucer we drilled holes through a board and mounted the brackets for the wheel thru the cage and wood and it really makes the wheel basically quiet. I do have one chin who has figured out how to make it loud though.

Both wheels are a great investment and will give your chin one more thing to play with, for hours and I am sure they would appreciate either.

Oh and to add, i dont have any negatives to add to it. My chins love their wheels and when put in the cage correctly, there isnt much of a risk, except over heating in younger chins and I have heard of chins getting stuck under the Chin Spins, but mine are not low enough for anyone to get stuck.

 

[Maggie:-)]

Before i got the chinspin maggie would jump out of the cage onto my shoulder as soon as i would open the door. Which was cute but sometimes annoying if i was in a rush to just change her food or something. Now that she has the wheel she isnt so crazy about trying to jump out. She still likes to come out but she waits till i let her out instead of acting like a lunatic escaping as soon as the door gets opened.
I think she gets all of her extra energy out on that wheel so i think it was a great investment. However it is the noisiest? Thing ever!! I dont think its the actual wheel making the noise tho,i think its the way she runs on it,she kind of jumps and seems like the noise is from her feet slamming down on the wheel.

 

[chinnmyheart]

Thanks. Appriciate your commets

 

[AZChins]

I have had chins get injured or killed by wheels. I do not use them and never will, I will never recommend them. It's a fast moving, heavy object in a enclosed space with an accident prone small animal and I can't accept the risk of the things that could happen with them.

 

[jess32247]

I have had chins get injured or killed by wheels. I do not use them and never will, I will never recommend them. It's a fast moving, heavy object in a enclosed space with an accident prone small animal and I can't accept the risk of the things that could happen with them.

Yikes.. sorry that happen to your chin. I think wheels are important for them and that they should have them. Even though my girl gets play time every day for a couple hours, I still plan on getting her a wheel.

There are many risks to chins, like falling in there cage and getting hurt, but that doesn't mean someone should keep them in a single level cage. Just a thought.

 

[AZChins]

Chins will not miss a wheel if they have never had one and will make sure to get enough exercise without one. Ranchers and larger breeders do not use them and their animals are well cared for and do not have issues with chins not getting enough exercise.

I've be caring for chinchillas for many many years and have done my absolute best to reduce risks and keep my animals happy and healthy. And, I do not believe that a wheel is necessarily a part of that nor should anyone be forced to supply their chins with a wheel or be considered to be a bad chinchilla owner.

 

[Vcchinchilla]

:kiss:I've mounted my chin spin just barely scraping the floor because I heard and saw them come flying out on purpose or not I don't know
and both mine (boys) love it and also looks like they take their um.... sexual? frustration on it for sure

I wanted the saucer the most but didn't have the money for it if they didn't understand how to use it

 

[chinnmyheart]

Thank you all for putting you opinions on here.

 

[Dawn]

I use the flying saucer in both of my cages, I like the fact that there's nothing for them to "chew" apart, that they allow the chin to run naturally (horizontal, rather than vertical) which I also think is better for their backs, and that they are easy to clean (non-scented baby wipe) & no way for them to get entrapped by them.
Pricey-Yes...but well worth the money as I've had mine for several years now and it still looks & functions like it's brand new.

 

[kittypoop]

My chin loved his but then started chewing the sides even when he had tons of chewtoys available so i had to remove it.

 

[Maggie:-)]

Susan, i am sorry to here that Something bad happened to your chins from using the wheel. But can i ask what happened to kill the chin?!

 

[ticklechin]

I have been on the forums since 2000 and the wheel issues from the 1000s of chinchillas that have used them can be counted on one hand, one recently by a newbie owner and then those is the distant past. There are by FAR more cage bar injuries so why not just get rid of cages also. Or wood, fleece and hay because all can cause injury.

 

[AZChins]

Well, if you ever had a chin die in a wheel, you'd be scared of them, too. It has been very traumatic for me and very emotional. I don't think it is right for people to not know the risks about wheels...especially the flying saucer. I don't want anyone else to have to unnecessarily sit in the waiting room of the vet's office watching their animals dying of a head injury.

And, The chins have gotten hung up in the wheels, stuck on the sides of the wheels and have fallen off or been slung off the wheels sustaining head injuries. They move fast, they are heavy and the chins don't stand a chance if something goes wrong. I've had several really bad things happen on them and have had deaths. I hate to think that's it's just me. No one talks about it much when there is a problem.

 

[ticklechin]

Why breed if chins can die from that, why have two chins together if they can die from that, cages, ledges, outside playtime they can die from that, make kits that get malo and they can die from that, having a wheel in a cage is NOT owner neglect, the way you make it out to be. If you are so worried about chins dying from stuff cease and desist all of the above. The way you put it maybe chins should have stayed in the wild where there are no death wheels, death cages, death fleece, death playtime, I mean really its just being dramatic, the risk of a wheel.

 

[lauralynne]

Points made about pros and cons. There is a debate section with a wheel thread already, so if you feel the need, add to it there.

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26359