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[nattack]

For those of you that have them (plastic or metal) how long did it take your chin to adjust?

I got my chin one but he just sulks because I took away his old wheel when I put him in the new cage.

I feel bad because it seems like when I let him out he's more interested in finding his old wheel and running on it then he is exploring o.O; I don't feel that he should be running on his old wheel though as it's one of those mesh ones Petco sells that are too small. It was a temporary buy as his wheel before that broke.

[jmdebb]

i do not have one, but i have heard to many times that with the flying saucer they do take some time to learn how to use it.

and may i just make a small comment without coming off wrong, plastic is not safe for chinchilla...it can cause a blockage and then kill them...it doesn't always have to happen, but it can and it does... so i just wanted to tell you in case you got the plastic one...

jean

[dianah]

my chinchi took a few days before he showed us that he can run on it - he was sniffing it and climbing on the metal bar rather than getting on the wheel for the first few days. once he got on it, at first he ran quite slowly and for short periods but got better at it.

fluffy worked it out really quickly - she was straight on it. the babies never had any problems, though they did quite often run all three at the same time, not necessarily in the same direction!

they all love it!

though.. sorry, i think i remember seeing a picture of your flying saucer - is yours the plastic one? if it's the one i'm thinking of, what is the diameter? just thought it looked a little smaller than mine so maybe it's a bit harder to work it out if there's less surface?

[nattack]

No offense taken. I know chins and plastic are taboo... Mine just isn't really much of a chewer. I think I'm lucky in that he seems to prefer the texture of wood and has a lot of it.
I didn't pay for the wheel he has either...But when I can afford to I'd really like to get him a nice metal wheel like a chin spin or the real saucer

My chin doesn't go near the thing. >.<;

[dianah]

no no no! that's not what i meant! i'm not having a go at plastic - my chins have a water bottle that has a plastic fitting but it's the only one that doesn't drip and because they're not interested in eating it, i can use it.

i just wasn't sure whether the pic i saw was your wheel, that's all now i know it is, it definitely looks smaller than the one i've got - mine's 14 in diameter (i think) so maybe it's just that it's a little small for him? it could be that!

[jmdebb]

ya know, i see this question so many times, and i know people have "helped" chins learn how to use it, but i just can't think for the life of me how..

[nattack]

I'll try measuring it to see just what the diameter is...I feel like he should be ok though if he can just figure it out.



the "temp wheel" was awfully cramped  ...and super loud

I've tried spinning the saucer when he's in the cage to show him it moves. The only other thing I could find was placing him on the wheel and holding a treat out so he'd walk towards it. But he's not big on being handled yet, and I don't want to make any negative associations.

*plays the waiting game*

[dianah]

the temp wheel is really quite dangerous as well, with it being made out of mesh, it's very easy for them to get a paw caught in a gap and broken.

is there space to move the saucer wheel somewhere else in the cage? he might think it's in the wrong place

[nattack]

Yeah the fact that it was mesh was a huge concern to me when I saw that in his cage. I'd never buy something like that >.<;

I've tried moving it to the bottom area of the cage, hoping he might jump on it when he goes up to the top. I have seen him touch it and spin it...and I've been able to get him to climb onto it with treats a few times. I also tried fastening it to a piece of wood in case it was moving too much when he jumped on it.

Still no running though

[dianah]

jumping on is good! he might start running on it, give him time.

[AnnieHank]

I bought a cheap plastic flying saucer back in January. They don't chew it but they haven't figured out how to run on it either; they use it as a seat! It's been over 6 months, so I'm wondering if there's any point in spending a lot of money on the metal one?
I've also tried encouraging them onto it with treats and spinning it gently when they're standing on it, to show them the movement but they just jump off. Is there a way to teach them to use it?
I reckon the upright style wheels might be easier for them to figure out but I've also heard that it's not good for their little backs to be in that curved position long term, has anyone else heard that and is there any truth in it?

[dianah]

i had an upright wheel when chinchi was little and he liked to stick all his wooden toys in it and run with them. i got him the metal flying saucer when he got bigger and it took him a couple of days of investigating before he showed us that he could use it.
fluffy has learnt to use it very quickly, same with the babies.

you can use upright wheels as long as they are at least 15in in diameter.

i do think however, that the metal flying saucer is a lot sturdier (i have three now) than a plastic one and perhaps that makes a difference. as light as chins are, 600g running on a thin sheet of plastic might feel a little unstable?