Kaytee Run-Around Exercise Wheel, Mini, 4.5", Colors Vary

I have read reviews on the various sizes of these wheels, and I wonder how the pets survive in hones with people who are so incredibly ignorant.One review had GREAT advice - diameter means the space across the largest point on the circumference of a circle. So use a protractor or glassware, and trace a circe the diameter of the wheel you are purchasing.After doing this, measure your critter's spine/back from the base of its tail, if it has one, to the tip of its nose. The critter should fit INSIDE the the circle you have drawn. A healthy running wheel should keep the animal's back straight, not arched like a 'U' shape. This 4" wheel would be for robo hamsters or fancy mice ONLY. It is too small for anything else.These wheels squeak. Yes, that is what happens when you rub metal on metal, and that is clearly shown in the picture. If you were expecting silence, go bact to school and pay attention not only in "useless math" class, but also in your basic earth science class. There IS a solution to this noise. You would have to had taken some more advanced science classes that instructed students on the viscosity of liquids. Some ignorant person was "oiling" her hamster wheel - you MUST read this review for a laugh! Oil on the wheel of a PET no less. Oil is far too thin a substance. It is like pouring water on it and hoping it will stay wet. I recommend something not dangerous for the animal to lick, but also thick enough to form a goo that will keep the wheel from squeaking. For all of my wheels, - and I have fancy rats, ASF rats, fancy mice, long haired mice, degu, Teddybear hamsters, and robo hamsters, all having wheels - I use raw shea butter. It is not harmful to the animals, and the majority of them sniff it, and are not interested. The wheels should be cleaned with hot water and a light bleach solution at least once a month to keep bacteria from building up (that is what causes the odors). After cleaning (scrubbing) and drying (to avoid rust) the wheels, the shea butter should be reapplied. My wheels have lasted up to four years before they actually wear through from spinning on the metal.As another reviewer noted, these are a better choice than the solid wheels for cleaning purposes. The solid plastic wheels collect urine and feces daily, and should be cleaned daily. I know I do not have that kind of spare time, nor do I want to be bent over a sink washing wheels every day. The wire does NOT harm the feet of any critter I have owned if they are in the proper sized wheel, and the wheel is checked for chewing. The small cross whires CAN be lifted by a determined Degu. These can pierce the feet or other body parts. Clip them of woth a side cutting wire cutter, and file with a wire rasp. If the whole is more than one square large, and in the running area, sicard the wheel. Keep the stand as they do wear through.Can these show up delivered all bent and twisted? Packaging at Amazon has been getting worse and worse. Open your box, take a picture of how everything is arranged inside, THEN check your items. If it is bent, take another photo of just the wheel. I have done this and had my money refunded. The packaging of heaby items with items that can be punctured, bent, crushed or smashed is becoming more common. I would order the wheels separate from anything else, or photograph like crazy, and plan to spend some time proving that you are not scamming. There are too many dishonest or picky people out there so that it makes it harder for a legitimate case to be taken seriously. Keep after Customer service, and you will get your mangled wheel taken care of.I hope this review helps. I love my rodents, and wheel selection can make them ill if the wheel is too small. A noisy wheel is an easy fix. The metal can be bend so the friction points are different also - but that is too technical to write about here. ☺1/23/18: I have used these wheels for 5 years. They are only now beginning to show wear from metal on metal use. I recently read someone had a dwarf syrian hamster. Syrian hamsters are NOT dwarf unless they are a hybrid. Know your pet. The injured pet graphically displayed should NEVER have been in a wheel this small; ignorance brings harm to animals. Purchasing a smaller wheel because it is cheaper means you should not own pets. If you cannot afford the proper bedding, diet, and exercise for the animal, then you should not have one. This is a MOUSE wheel. Robo hamsters and dwarf hamsters have very small feet and toes and a different shape from a mouse - they should have a solid wheel that is washed regularly, not a wire wheel. Know your pet.

We can't imagine NOT having this wheel. Our two rats use it ALL the time! It was loud when on the cage bottom-- it is quieter zip tied to the side. When it gets squeaky, we oil it with vegetable oil. But, we have VERY happy, fit rats! They are so funny on this thing-- they do a lot more than run on it!

it works great, at first, but then it gets very loud. if you use chapstick on the part that rotates on the wheel, it will be silent then

It wasn’t sturdy but it was a good size for ferret or Guinea pig

Anchored this to a bird cage so my parakeets can use it.PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS ABOUTTHIS PRODUCT because I will not answer any.

I wonder how many of these negative reviewers have actually used this wheel, or just spewing out the old urban legends that have been around for the last few years regarding metal wheels? These wheels are comfortable for the hamster being coated with a soft plastic, They are mesh not slated bars like the ones from the 60's & 70's. I have two robo hamsters and a Russian dwarf and all have been using these wheels for the last year and there has been no bloody feet, no broken toes, nothing. The wheel is quiet and is better than a silent spinner. If it squeaks put some veg or olive oil on it and it stops. I find it so hard to understand why people rip a product apart when they have obviously never used it. Blood feet, missing toes,ripped off tails. Please. Those lies have been around for years. Reminds me of the story of the guy who picks up a nice looking lady, spends the night with her, wakes up in the morning in a tub filled with ice and a kidney missing HAHAHAAHA. You guys need new material. How about their head got chopped off, or the wheel suddenly spun out of control and caused the hamster to blow up!! Oh wait...I better stop I'll start giving them ideas. Look, the wheel is safe and secure. If your hamster gets injured look around the habitat it could be something else. The wheel is a good price and my hamsters seem to love it and will not use the silent spinner in the habitat at all. You pet knows what feels good to it better than you do.

This is absolutely the best thing you can buy for small birds. I have two parakeets and a parrotlet and all the love this wheel. It has a sort of mesh design, where they can clamp on and stay secure as the wheel moves. The birdies really get their minds engaged when they see how their weight causes the wheel to move. Know that they are not going to use it like a rat would, tho. It's more of a one or two revolutions per birdie movement kinds of thing.They climb on different parts of the wheel, see how it causes a spin, then test out the test of the wheel. They all love it! As a simple word of caution, I chose to limit wheel time to one birdie at a time. It is, however remotely, possible that a birdie could knock his head if he were paying on the bar part while another was spinning the wheel. However, when it's one birdie at a time, that's not going to happen. If you want to let multiple birdies use the wheel, just be sure to supervise play time, because when they are all doing different things a birdie might get hurt not expecting a bar to come his way.All in all, this is awesome for birdies. If you've been looking for a wheel for your birds, look no further! The bars that bisect the wheel are great because the birds move around on them and get excited when that causes rotation. Also, the open design allows them to freely move in and out of the wheel as they please. Have fun!

Absolute rubbish! It's dented, a bar broke which could hurt my chinchilla! Tho it couldn't hurt her because she can't even run on it because it falls of the bars! It doesn't fit right and I'd assume there should be something that holds it on which is missing! It also has marks on it! This is new? I don't think so!

The wheel that arrived is not the same as in the picrure. The bars that support the wheel come down on both sides not just at the back in the centre of the wheel as in the picture. This makes the wheel redundant if you have an oversized pet due to weight problems as we do as it will not fit between the supporting bars when running in the wheel. Very disapointed as this was the main reqason for choosing this wheel.

This is the second of these wheels that we've purchased and both are fantastic! The first was for our rescued degu, who is obsessed with his. It's not noisy for a wheel, it's the typical noises, but now and then I add a dot of (food grade) oil to the metal pieces where the wheel is held on by the stand, because it starts to squeak loudly. And because he's galloping on it so fast, we screwed it to a board in the bottom of his house, just for peace of mind. It's super easy to remove the wheel from the stand for cleaning and then replace it. He has been using it for a year now, daily, for MANY hours a day. It's nice to see him so happy!The second wheel we just bought for a rattie we recently rescued, she's a bit unsure of it yet (plus her energy isn't yet 100%) but she's improving every day so it won't be long before she's running on hers as well.

I was watching my little mouse running on the wheel, happily, until her foot got caught and she ended up landing in an awkward position. Scared the crap out of me cause I though she broke her leg. She managed to get herself loose and ran into her house. For people purchasing this product please cover the mesh wires. I used textured construction craft paper so that she can still have a good grip when running.For noise level it's pretty loud but if you coat the holes with candle wax it should do the trick.Update Nov 21, 2019So I purchased another and got a blue one this time.This one came with chipped paint and wobbled. =/A bit of bending here and there fixed the wobble and if you see in the pictures the mesh wire were it doesn't align, that one section where it's poorly joined is where my mouse's tiny toe hooked on to and got stuck. (luckly she didn't break her leg)My last picture shows the modifications I did to make it safer.

Theres going to be folks who disagree with the use of these wheels due to the metal grid and potential injury. However, it is the cheapest metal wheel available and can be easily modified using duct tape to create a smooth yet gripping surface for rodents. The one issue I have is that the axles can dry up and cause God awful screeching but adding some veggie oil to it helps for a week or two before the next cleaning.