The Dangers of Hamster Exercise Wheels
A Running Wheel Can Cause Broken Bones or Even Death in Small Pets
Walk into virtually any pet store and there, on the shelf, pet owners will find running wheels and clear running balls for small animals like hamsters, gerbils, mice and rats. Peek in the pet store cage and there's a good chance the pet store mice or hamsters are running - often two or three at a time - on cage wheels.
But small animal running wheels and running balls for small pets should be avoided at all costs. Hamster wheels and hamster balls, as they're frequently referred to, are very dangerous, resulting in pet injuries so severe that often, euthanasia is the only option.
"Simply stated, exercise wheels and 'hamster balls,' as they're commonly called, are deadly. They can and will cause severe injuries that leave a pet owner with two choices: amputation or euthanasia," explained Dr. Michael Levine, DVM.
Why Are Small Animal Exercise Wheels Dangerous?
Exercise wheels pose many different dangers. Some exercise wheels for hamsters, mice, gerbils, rats and other small animals are constructed of coated metal and the running surface is a metal mesh or metal bars. While running, a hamster's foot, leg, nail or toe can become caught in the wheel, and the momentum creates sufficient force to fracture or even amputate the limb. Gerbils, mice and rats often suffer tail injuries as well, when their tail becomes trapped in the revolving wheel.
When multiple mice, hamsters or gerbils run on an exercise wheel - a frequent occurrence - this poses even more risk for injury, since the uninjured animal will keep running even if the other animal is caught in the wheel.
Some owners of small pets are led to believe that a running wheel with a solid plastic running surface is safer. This is not the case, especially since most solid plastic running wheels mount onto the side of the hamster or mouse cage.
"I've seen many cases where a gerbil or mouse tail or limb gets caught where the wheel mounts onto the cage. I've also seen fatal crush injuries with these solid plastic running wheels. The animal can become trapped and crushed between the wheel and the cage with models that mount directly onto the cage.
"Small pocket pets like mice, gerbils and hamsters will also try to climb on the slick outer surface of the wheel, and if another cagemate starts running on the exercise wheel, the animal that's climbing on the outside of the running wheel can become wedged between the spinning wheel and the side of the cage. It's a terrible, painful, frightening — and often, slow — way for your pet to die," Dr. Levine explained.
The Consequences of Running Wheel Injuries in Hamsters, Gerbils and Other Small Pets
Serious and life-threatening injuries due to exercise wheels are very common – more common than most pet owners realize. And unfortunately, a serious injury in a pocket pet usually leads to euthanasia since pet owners are not willing to pay for the specialized surgery that is required to heal a broken leg in a mouse, hamster, gerbil, rat or other small pet.
"If you allow your pocket pet to run on an exercise wheel, there's about a 7 in 10 chance that he will sustain a serious injury at some point in his life. When that happens, you will be faced with the following decision: let your pet suffer and die a painful death from shock and dehydration (dehydration since ill and injured pets often refuse to eat and drink); euthanize the pet; or take your small pet to an exotics specialist who can perform an amputation – the most common course of treatment for a rat, hamster, mouse or gerbil with a broken leg - for a price of about $1,500. There's about a 70 percent chance that you will someday have to pick between these options if you allow your pet to use an exercise wheel," Dr. Levine explained.
Alternative Exercise for a Hamster, Gerbil, Rat or Mouse
The best form of exercise for a small pocket pet is free-range exploration. Pet owners can set up a pet-safe room and allow the pet to explore this safe room for an hour or two each day. Pet owners can offer up cardboard mazes, fun toys like toilet paper rolls and PVC pipes, and other fun pocket pet activities.
Notably, pet owners should also avoid small animal running balls, also known as "hamster balls," which pose similar risks as an exercise wheel.
For more information on how to help an injured hamster, check out How to Care for Hamster Injuries.
Hamster Wheels Cause Injury and Death.
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