Wheel

[MandyM]

My chin is 4 yrs old and I don't believe he has ever played on a wheel. At the request of my husband I bough him this wheel

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753360&lmdn=Small+Pet

The 12" one. I left it in there for about a week and a half and am positive he didn't use it. (I took it out cause it was taking up a lot of space in his cage.) He will put his front paws on it and thats about it. I saw another post about the chin spin, but the price is a little daunting if my chin won't use it. Would the one I bought be sufficent to determine if my chin will even use a wheel? If so how do I encorage him to use it? Just leave it in his cage?

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

That wheel is too small for a chin and it is made of plastic. He will soon ruin it by chewing it and when he finally uses it - it will break VERY soon. That wheel can not stand up to all the use chin use the wheel. It breaks very easily. Chin spins and the metal flying saucers are expensive but they last for a life time. So with that is mind they aren't that expensive. MOST chins eventually learn to use their wheel and when they do - look out. The chin will constantly be on the wheel when he is awake As far him getting use to the wheel, yes you have to leave it in the cage. Some take several months to finally figure it out. If the small 12" wheel took up a lot of space, the proper wheel will also. Is your cage really big enough for a chin??

 

[Jill of Beans]

All chins should have a wheel - and even if you never SEE them using it - it doesn't mean that they aren't. My boys - 2 of them were ALWAYS on their wheel - the other guy had a wheel (in his separate cage) and I swore he NEVER used it...that was until I ventured downstairs in the middle of the night....and CAUGHT him.

 

[CJR]

I swore he NEVER used it...that was until I ventured downstairs in the middle of the night....and CAUGHT him.

I don't know why that made me laugh so hard!

But anyway, yeah, pretty much every chin needs a wheel unless they are little kits or broken somehow. And if a 12" wheel takes up a lot of space in the cage... how big is the cage? ; Sounds like it may not be big enough for a chinnie. And a 12" wheel is way too small anyways - wheels that small force chins to arch their back in a really unnatural way and it can cause really odd and strange problems for your buddy. A 15" wheel is much much better!

Ps. Plastic is a bad choice too... sorrys, we aren't trying to judge you or anything, we are just telling you what is best for your chin friend to live a long, happy life!

 

[inzeos]

It took our first chin a few weeks to figure out her traditional wheel. I'm still not 100% sure she has figured out her new silver saucer... Hopefully she will as it was quite the investment.

 

[MandyM]

Thank you for all the advise. I think i'll be talking to my husband when he gets home about getting the chin spin. His cage isn't too small, he just has a lot of other stuff that he likes to lay in and run through. But i put the wheel back in last night and took something else out.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

Wheels like the ChinSpin which are pricey will last a very long time and are well worth the investment for the enrichment it will provide your chinnie. My girls use their wheel very often and sometimes they just use it to take a nap in which is OK too.

It is impossible to say whether your girl will like a ChinSpin based on your experience with the comfort wheel because they are so dissimilar, however, I will say that if after a few months of having a ChinSpin your girl does not use it, the resale value for a "like new" one is pretty much the same as a new one so you could always sell it (especially on this forum ) ). I really don't think you will want to though ).

 

[Ash]

The fact that every chin needs a wheel is more pet owner myth than actual fact. There are plenty of chins that do not have a wheel and do absolutely fine, and are still living and thriving and healthy. I have 3 cages, only 1 has a wheel and they sleep in it more than use it. The wheel is more of a security blanket for one of the females in that cage than anything.