Goosemoose Pet Portal

Ok, so the stupid Wodent Wheel holds ick in it.  But the stupid boys leap on the SP wheels and break them.  Soooo....

Anyone tried the Stealth Wheels?  They have a 12" one, but they are made for Suggies, but I think it'd be ok for rats.

http://www.atticworx.com/atticworxproducts.htm (http://www.atticworx.com/atticworxproducts.htm)

I figure if they hold up to Suggies, the rats should be fine.  The boys would be able to "ride" the outside of the wheel then.

I saw someones sugar glider cage that had these wheels in it.  They looked perfect for rats!  They are ultra quiet too!  She had tried the wodent wheels also and said that these were great compared to the wodent wheels.  Did you notice that you could put those nail trimmers in there too?  I bet those would be awesome to put in there for a little while sometimes to file the nails down. ;D

Yup, they claim to be ultra quiet - Suggie people LOVE them.  The nail trax things go on the outside, so they can stay on for a long time unlike the Wodent Wheel thing.  It's a narrow spacing (1/4" square) and since the Martin's wires are ok to live on, I think this should be safe to run on.  No center deal to hang up on.  They can ride the outside.  It won't hold anything in (ahem to my pooers and stashers) And I figure if they can hold up to the Suggie running and leaps, they should hold up to my (admittedly) fatter but much lazier rats.

Tho' yeowch on the cost.  Which is why I want to see if anyone else liked them.

The cost is why I just went ahead and ordered a wodent wheel.

Those look nice but they are pretty expensive. I heard sugar glider people love them, though. If you have the money to spend, why not get it?

I agree, they look nice, but is the running surface mesh?

You could always try to make a bucket wheel first, I remember that being really quiet (search: Hedgehog bucket wheel) and relatively cheap too. I'm actually going to try to make one.

I have two Stealth wheels in my FN, and love love love them!! They are very quiet and very smooth. The mesh is more like a soft plastic and I have not had any issues with any toes getting caught. NO more listening to raisins going round and round, the holes are just big enough for them to fall through :) For me, well worth the $$

Big enough for raisins to fall through? Is the mesh 1/2" or so?

I'm really interested in getting one now, I've got to save my money... Or beg my dad! I don't even know if my boys will run now though.

I tried a bucket wheel YEARS ago and if 1/2 lb females could break it in 2 days, my fat boys will have it in pieces.  Not trying them.

Here's my issue.  The rats at home have Wodent Wheels that are working just fine.  It's just, they are noisy, a pain to clean, they aren't as fun (they LOVE to play on the outside also).  But they get the wheel to run in.  And since I like the fact my adult males are thus active, I think it's a thing that MUST be in the cage.  For the price of a Stealth Wheel, I could buy rescue 3 wheels.

But the other side - Tim and Johnny have an SP mesh.  It's not real sturdy with their fattness running.  But, at least it's exercise and maybe they'll tone up some.  They will NOT get in a Wodent Wheel.  So they have to get a new wheel, sigh.

So, right now, I'm looking at ordering 3 Stealths.  Yeowch on the price.  But really, I've not seen any bad reviews on the wheels, and I've looked up how Suggies use them, and lord are they abusive (even if small) of their wheels.  Like running full speed (errm, my rats aren't that fast) and then LEAPING in it to start running again.  Geesh.

I imagine hedgehogs way much more then a rat, so I'm not understanding how one could break... it was a long time ago, but I'm remembering in being a really sturdy wheel. *shrugs*

I'd love to get a stealth, put I don't want to invest in something I don't know my boys will use.

MiniMuffin I know the boys you have were OBSESSED with their wheel when they were still here.  You could always go buy a super pet wheel from petco and let them try it out for a day or two and then take it back and get your money back to make sure that they still like the wheels. 

Then invest in the stealth if they do like it.

My girls were rotten girlies who could ruin a metal water bottle cover :)  But, the wheel was not in my mind worth the effort to put it together and such when I can order one on a stand (big deal to me always) - because yes, my time is the cost of the wheel.

Now, if I had unknown wheel status - a 40 dollar wheel is a waste.  But I have major wheel junkies.  Who break the cheap SP wheels.  And break the Silent Spinners.  So I'm now into an SP and WW and both have problems for mine, so I think it's time to go "eek" and spend the money when I give up and buy it.

I have four boys (paired up in 2 different cages) who are all avid wheel-runners. I have also been thinking about getting a couple of stealth wheels for them. They are beating the tar out of their mesh wheels (the 12 inch SuperPet kind) and I'm forever putting them back up...even in the middle of the night!

I can't quite tell from the pictures on the website -- what are the options for attaching the stealth wheels? I can tell that there's an option to get the stand, but are they also able to attach to the side of the cage on the bars (parallel to the bars)? Or, can the bracket/frame thing be used in that sort of upside-down way that allows me to attach the SuperPet wheels so that they're perpendicular to the side of the cage?

I'm just trying to find out what options there are before I cough up for two of the stealth wheels.

Thanks  :balloon:

From their FAQs:


If I had the money I'd invest in one for my degus!

Well, this is why you have parents who think the ratties need pressies for being good rats.  We'll be giving the wheels a rat trial here and will give further review.

For the REAL reason my dad is the one ordering these - I just showed him the site that maybe...  He HATES the Wondent Wheels.  HATES them.  But knows the rats need their wheels.  So bam, a possible fix so they got ordered within 2 minutes of my dad seeing the site.

I saw a link to a strange wheel, I think it was here a while back, it was a metal wheel that looked like a UFO or something.  If I recall correctly, it was  mounted horizontally as well.  Was like $70 or $80, anyone remember it?

I think you're refering to the Flying Saucer  (http://www.chin-chillas.com/exercisewheels.htm) wheel, which is a favorite among chinchilla owners

Yeah, the Flying Saucer.  Pricey, but well worth the money.  I haven't heard from anyone who has used it for rats though.  Now that my chins have all passed on I think I will put in the FN and see if Ruby is interested.  She used to run all the time in the Coast.

I would really like to see a clip of someones rat running in a stealth wheel.
Would give me a better idea as to making the investment.

These wheels are well worth every penny!!

I have them for my sugar gliders and they stand up to the abuse they dish out well! lol. I used to have the Wodent Wheels and I HATED them with a passion as they were impossible to clean properly.

My two rattie boys love their Stealth wheel. Jingles always was a wheel runner, but a slow runner. Troika never touched the old wheel. Once I upgraded them to the Stealth, Jingles really started running and every once in a while Troika will give it a spin. They are easy to clean and when the rats run in it they super quiet! (Now, the gliders on the other hand,  ;D) I've never had issue with toes being caught either. They really are a great wheel!

I just set up a stealth wheel for my girls and it's amazing! Absolutely silent, seriously worth the money! :heart:

Well, absolutely NO complaints on the Stealth here for the rats.  The FN crew loves them, since they can monkey on the outside again unlike the Wodent Wheel.  Plus, my dad doesn't complain about the noise of the Wodent Wheel.  Tim and Johnny's wheel actually rolls now, since they'd warped their SP wheel.  Johnny has PT now and he can haul himself with his front legs in the Stealth and get going sort of with the mesh and since it's well balanced design, it does roll for him so he feels productive, so he'll keep trotting/hauling himself some.  Good physical therapy :)  Actually, when you pick him up, he's "smushy" in the hind end, but his front (to about his ribs) tho' he's squishy fat, he's got some pretty decent tone for a PT rat.

Wow, that sounds really nice! I'm also curious to know if the rats would like that flying saucer wheel. It has a different feel to it and it wouldn't cause wheelie tail.

Oh, and diabolique, when my mesh wheel starts creaking I just take a q-tip with some unsalted butter on it and rub it over the joints. Since it's unsalted the rats don't lick at it for too long (they do some, but it's a very small amount of butter) and the wheel is quite silent for about a month before it starts making noise again!

wow... I really want one of these, but, with shipping, that price will kill me. Maybe when I'm out of university.

the Stealth wheel looks great. I love my Silent Spinners, but they are so easily broken (by me, not the rats!!).

I tried a Flying Saucer. My rats did not figure it out, so I took it out and it is now getting good use with Nefarous's chinchillas. It would have been a bad choice for rats anyway, because it was not powder coated.... the pee smell would have been awfully difficult to get rid of.

One of the best wheels I've ever seen is the Crittertrail Extreme Revolution (17" I think) that Squeeky bought on sale when a store closed down. It was designed to be a complete living environment for really small critters like hamsters. Squeeky removed all the tiny hamster tubing, leaving her with a wonderful big wheel. Even the largest male rat can get into the entrance holes and get a good workout. It is really quiet, too. I have tried to find one in a store or on line, without success. (Well, there was one in the UK that would have cost $100 to ship to Canada!! :o)

So I'm going to order a Stealth wheel with the stuff to attach it to the side of the cage. I am so glad to have another option (there was a really great wheel invented by someone who died without giving away his secrets of construction)