One of my rats died because of the exercise wheel.

Last night, we had a casualty. :tears:

This is what happened. I had 9 female rats in a 10gallon tank from 2 separate litters. So, some are around 3 weeks older (and bigger) than the others. The first litter was born on 12/8, the others 3 weeks later. I was watching this whole thing happen (I just like watching them run around for some insane reason - I spend more time with them than I do on the snakes). Anyway, these crazy rats decided to run a marathon on the wheel... 6 rats all at the same time! They keep on piling up on top of the other, running over their sisters, some getting flung all the way around like they are in a ferris wheel. It was hilarious to watch. But then one of the rats tried to get off the wheel right at the time that the other rats managed to turn the wheel really fast, so the rat got stuck on the wheel post and broke her neck! She was still alive but really injured. So, i put her inside the rat hide. The other rats were in there and they just huddled together like normal. I checked up on her about 5 hours or so later and she was still good but couldn't move much. But then, this morning, I saw her "buried" in the opposite corner of the tank. She passed away sometime in the night. I find that really interesting that the rats would take a dead rat and bury her in the corner. That is the 2nd time that happened to me. Our first female breeder passed away unexpectedly and all the same, the other rats buried her deep under the substrate in one corner.

I found out that the wheel can really injure a rat if a bunch of them use it at the same time. I went to the store and looked at other alternatives for the wheel and I found this:
http://www.petdiscounters.com/Flying...els-p8564.html
at PetSmart. It claims to be the safest wheel, but I don't see where the poop/pee would go through. I know I've only had 1 casualty in the 3 months that I've had ASFs, so the wheel I have is relatively safe, but I really would hate for it to happen again.

She must have died not too long before I checked up on them this morning because she wasn't stiff yet and she didn't have a smell. So, I fed her to our western hognose who only eats p/k.

:( I'm sorry for your loss. I remember my mom telling me about something similar happening to a rat she had as a kid.
Rather than the when you have, you could probably use one with one side completely closed and the other completely open, like the one in this picture: http://www.bitsforpets.com/images/su...ster-wheel.jpg
I had those for the rodent pets I had as a kid.

Slatted wheels are too potentially dangerous for any animal, they should be discontinued. The solid wheels are the best, and the Silent wheels even better. :) Especially when you have 6-8 going at the same time.

As for messes, well...you just have to soak the wheels from time to time in hot water. I have a scrub brush on a long handle just for cleaning mouse things. :)

We had this happen to nearly a whole litter of mice during the summer. They just never seemed to realize how to do it safely. We were using a mesh wheel, and it looked like they were trying to jump out and they get caught by the crossbar leading to a broken neck. Since that litter we dont offer wheels anymore, and since we only breed ASF's and rats now, it isnt that big of a deal. We bought a big wheel for our rats, and none of them will ever use it, and the lab tanks we keep the ASF's in arent big enough for a wheel.

if u dnt wanna buy a new wheel jus take a paper towel roll, cut it up the side and weave it in and out of the bars

They will chew up the plastic ones.

Sorry to hear about your loss. I don't have any problems with the wheels. Sure you will have a freak accident like you explained every once in a while. To me, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Mike

My girlfriend told me about a similar problem she had once. So my solution for my ASFs wire wheel was to simply bend the metal legs out as far as I could without breaking the wheel. I probably only extended it by about 1/2" but I definitely feel that it is safer now! Even if one of them stuck their head out, the spacing seems like it wouldn't allow for a broken neck.

Sorry to hear about that.

I agree they will tear through the plastic wheels in no time. I bought a bunch as I was SICK of the sounds of them running all night long and purchased the silent ones... they ate through every one of them.

Bruce

Weird... I guess ASFs have sharper teeth, cause I have a ton of the silent wheels in with my mice and not a mark on them. :)

You just might not have many biters in your collection, I have a few that will eat through anything made of plastic and will even chip some ceramic bowls.

This is why when I keep them I just keep them in a smallish container with food, water, and a hide. I let them keep eachother company and, while there isnt much space, it's dark and usually quiet. No wheels or anything that they could get injured on, just the things they need to survive.

But I don't breed, so whatever.

I agree with Mike, I think the benefits far outweigh the risk. So, I had an extra wheel lying around. It was a small size so I didn't use it. I put it in there to encourage the little ones to use it while the big ones go on the other wheel. It is that multi-colored wheel which is flimsier than the chrome colored one, so I was able to pull the wheel posts a little farther from the wheel. I couldn't do it to the chrome one - it is very much sturdier and even if I could bend it, it is too close to the ground that bending it would probably cause the wheel to touch the floor. I'll wait and see if this problem re-occurs. Hopefully not! I really love these little buggers! I guess that's an unforeseen benefit of owning a hognose who eats only p/k.

I am so sorry for your loss. I have seen the silent wheels at PetSmart and think they would be good, but you would have to clean them. I try to have one extra of everything so that when things get dirty, i transfer all of the rats to the clean tub. then i let the dirty stuff soak in a very very mild bleach solution.

Sorry about your loss with the rat. Try thinning out the crowd and give them plenty of things to hide in, like paper towel and toilet paper tubes, things to munch on and gnaw and keep them busy so you don't get 6-7 rats trying to run at the same time.

Mine only really pile on like that right after I clean their tubs, which shows me they are stressed and trying to "run" away that stress.

I've kept wheels from breeders and grow ups successfully, but it takes more work to keep them busy with other things to avoid problems. My breeders seem to really not care one way or the other, since they are usually too busy taking care of babies, but the grow ups are a pile of trouble and need a lot to do as they mature to feeding size. :P

I have 27 ASF in one tub They have two hides anything i can give them to chew on and two wheels. I also have breeders in 4 other tubs with wheels. I got one of those silent spinners and I hated that thing I would have to clean it twice a day to keep it clean.

I know 27 in one tub is too many I need to build a second grow out tub.

I am sorry about the loss you suffered. I hang my wheels from the lid and I have not had any problems. I had one incident that was very minor, I have not noticed any more issues since hanging them up.