Affordable wheel for chinchilla

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ktschopp

Active member
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
40
Hi, so I am hoping to get a chinchilla soon and I know a wheel is a must. However, I’m having trouble finding one for an affordable price. Everyone raves about the Chin Spin but that retails for $120 and I just can’t afford that right now on top of buying everything else for the chinchilla. I’d like to get one eventually but in the meantime I’m looking for an affordable wheel for my
Chin. I don’t want one made of plastic and I know they need to be about 14” in diameter. I’d appreciate any help!
 
Check out the flying saucer type wheels. They take up more floor space in the cage but a decent one is about half the price of a Chin Spin.
 
If you check out Esty they sell homemade style drum wheels for cheap. Just keep in mind they can be noisy depending on what they use for bearings in them. 14" is the absolute minimum, I really suggest at least 15" for most chins. Their backs don't bend backwards like most rodents, so the bigger the wheel the better to avoid back injury.

Chins don't actually need wheels, unless the cage is very tiny and the chin never comes out to play, so if you can't get a safe wheel it's better to just not have one at all. It's like a kid having a swing set, it's fun and they enjoy it, but it's not actually required. You can always just save up for the wheel you want for later. You don't say what age the chin you are planning to get is, but you don't want to give a wheel to a kit under about a year, they often don't know when to quiet and can over do it (even some adults can't have wheels for that reason). So if you are getting a young one they you may have time to save up.
 
Thanks for the advice! I’m adopting a chin who is about two years old and yeah I think I will just get a flying saucer soon and then save up for a decent wheel for the future
 
My chins actually love their metal flying saucer, they get more use out of it then they ever did the drum style wheel (like the chin spin) they had before. They don't just run on it, its also a slide, launching/landing pad, and a swing. You may not need a different wheel if you get the actual steel flying saucer wheel it's good quality (I've had mine almost 6 years and it's still like new), unless cage space is an issue or your chin can't figure it out. The flying saucer can have a learning curve, some chins catch on right away, others it takes time to figure out.
 
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