How to make a wheel for a hamster with your own hands?

Hamsters - very cute and unpretentious in the care of pets. With the right content, they do not give their owners almost any trouble. Because of their small size, hamsters are kept in cages or in special small houses. However, do not forget about the natural needs of the animal in sufficient physical activity. In order to allow the pet to be active, various attractions are installed in the dwelling of the house hamsters. The article will discuss how to make a wheel for a hamster with your own hands.

Hamsters, by nature, are nocturnal rodents. Under natural conditions, the animals run long distances in order to feed themselves. Hamsters kept at home are deprived of this opportunity. In addition, there is simply no special need for self-searching and obtaining food, because the owner ensures timely and adequate feeding to the pet.

But despite the favorable conditions and satiety, hamsters still need to periodically receive physical activity. This is necessary not only to entertain the animal, but also to maintain the health of its cardiovascular system. Regular physical activity stimulates the metabolism and metabolism of the rodent, helping to keep the muscular system in good shape.

And in the conditions of a small cage it is necessary to give the hamster the opportunity to move, because it is not safe to let him go for a free walk. Due to the small size of the animal is not very noticeable, and it can be accidentally injured. But also other pets can be dangerous for hamsters: cats, dogs, large parrots.

A convenient and safe solution to this problem is to install a running wheel directly into the pet's home. Hamsters pretty quickly understand how to use it, if they wish, they can get on the simulator at any moment and run.

The only downside is that Hamster refers to nocturnal animals. That is, its activity in most cases falls on the time of day when we are accustomed to sleep. Therefore, active nightly runs can disturb the inhabitants of the apartment, if the wheel creaks or publishes a knock.

Before you start making an attraction for your pet, it should be at least in general terms to figure out what should be the wheel for jogging.

• The attraction must be suitable in size. The animal should not be closely inside, otherwise it will not be able to move comfortably. Too huge dimensions of the running structure are also undesirable. Hamster will be very hard to twist the wheel legs. For an adult Dzungar hamster, a diameter of 14-16 cm will do. The animals of the Syrian breed should better make the attraction bigger, since they are larger. For an adult individual, the diameter of the circle must be at least 20 cm.
• The width of the treadmill is also important. If it is not wide enough, the hamster will periodically fall and may be injured. For individuals of small and medium size, it is better to do a simulator 5 cm wide. For larger breeds, a track width of 7-8 cm is recommended.
• Running wheel should be easy to spin. Otherwise, the animal will get tired quickly and may lose interest in its attraction.
• It is necessary to ensure that the pet does not hurt his paws during class. It directly depends on the material and surface structure of the track. If you decide to use mesh materials, then ensure that the cells are as small as possible. Otherwise, while running, a hamster's foot may get stuck in them. Also, the simulator should not have sharp notches or bumps that the hamster may stumble over.
• The treadmill inside the wheel should not be slippery. Therefore, a smooth plastic surface should be pasted over with a thick cloth. For her pet can cling claws.
• At installation of a wheel it is necessary to take care of its reliable fastening. The animal moves on the track rather intensively, and the shaky design can tip over while it is running. Therefore, the treadmill should be attached to the bars of the cage or put on a solid and stable support.

Materials needed: a large plastic bottle of a round shape, a nail, a dowel with a diameter of 1 cm, a strip of thick fabric.

Step-by-step instruction:

• measure 7-8 cm from the bottom of the bottle and cut it at this level;
• in the center of the bottom of the cut-off container, make a hole and insert into it the head of the prepared nail;
• insert the nail into the dowel;
• glue the surface of the bottle with a thick cloth;
• Attach the home-made wheel to the bars of the cage with a dowel.

For the manufacture of need to prepare a strong needle, a sheet of cardboard, glue, ruler, scissors.

The course of work includes several steps.

• Using a compass, draw two identical circles on the cardboard and cut them out. They will serve as walls on both sides of the walkway.
• On the circles with scissors make 2-3 square or round windows. Their dimensions should be slightly larger than the size of your pet. Through these holes the hamster will be able to wade inside his running wheel.
• Cut a long strip of 5-7 cm wide from the remaining cardboard. This will be an amusement track.
• Glue a strip of cardboard between the two circles. Allow the glue to dry and seal the parts well.
• Determine the center of the circle and pierce both walls with a spoke in this place.
• The resulting wheel can be put on a support or attached to the wall of the house or cage with a flexible wire.

For the manufacture of the simulator you will need: a cylinder from a computer system disk (hard drive), a tin bank of the desired diameter, metal glue, flexible wire, a file, a piece of fabric material.

Production of a running attraction:

• The first thing to do is to remove a metal cylinder from a faulty hard drive; to do this, open the disc cover and carefully remove the part;
• cut the tin container at a distance of 6-7 cm from the bottom, file the edges with a file.
• cut a strip of fabric across the width and length of the treadmill and paste over the inner surface of the tin container with it;
• to make the construction as silent as possible, you can glue the circle of fabric and to the bottom of the can;
• take a metal cylinder from the hard drive and glue it exactly in the center of the round wall of the wheel;
• After the parts are firmly connected, the running wheel can be attached to the cage bars.

Video on how to make a wheel for a hamster with your own hands, see below.