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Chinchillas are smart, energetic rodents, with beautiful fur and a high strung temper.
These clever pets are fun to be around, and all they need is some love and plenty of exercise.
Here are the best chinchilla wheels to keep them happy and healthy, along with a selection and care guide.
The 7 Top-Rated Chinchilla Wheels
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
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Best Overall  |
| Click For PriceBuy On Quality | |
Runner-Up  |
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| Click For PriceBuy On Chewy | |
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| Click For PriceBuy On Chewy | |
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| Click For PriceBuy On Chewy |
Things To Consider When Buying Chinchilla Wheels
Here are the main points to consider before making the purchase.
The right wheel for your chinchilla is the one that gets the best advantages and dodges the pitfalls.
- Safety
A moving object naturally comes with a few safety concerns. Think about the pet’s movement inside the wheel as well as around it.
A smooth inner surface would be best to minimize the possibility of hurting the chinchilla’s legs.
There should be no openings where a hand or a foot could be trapped.
In addition, the outer surface of the wheel should also be free from protrusions or sharp edges.
The wheel should also be sturdy enough so that it doesn’t detach from its joints while the chin is using it.
- Size and Comfort
The size of the wheel should allow for sufficient moving space for your chinchilla.
Your pet should be able to run comfortably without having to contort like a gymnast. A tiny-sized wheel is also harder to handle.
Chin’s often fall-off as they try to pick up speed inside that confined track.
A wheel diameter from 12-16 inches is suitable, with a width of 5 inches or more.
The cage size would of course put some limitations on the size of the wheel.
That’s why it’s best to buy them together. It’s also wise to plan ahead for the time when your tiny chinchilla reaches adulthood.
- Material
Chinchillas love nibbling on anything around them, food or not. But ingesting the wrong type of thing could have detrimental effects on their health.
That’s why metal is the best material to use in the chinchilla’s whereabouts.
Following right after that, are hardwoods that wouldn’t be chipped off easily.
Plastic is the least favorite material, as it could be munched, and doing that is quite dangerous.
- Durability
Flimsy wheels are like tissue paper, they’re expendable. Durability comes with a set of good traits that you’d like to see in your pet’s stuff.
Durable wheels would be necessarily made from premium quality materials, have a sturdy build, and are well designed, they often attach snugly to the cage without a glitch.
- Noise Level
Pair a flimsy plastic wheel and a chubby adult chinchilla in a cage, and you’d get unbelievable noises. The material and build of the wheel, play an important part in keeping the noises down.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Chinchilla Wheels?
A wheel in a Chinchilla’s Cage isn’t just for the show. Here are the main Benefits Of Using Chinchilla Wheels.
- Keeps your pet engaged and happy
- Keeps your chinchillas alert and active
- Boosts the chinchilla’s health
- Eliminates the possibility of injury from erratic moving
My Chinchilla Rarely Uses Its Wheel, What Should I Do?
Normally, chinchillas jump on their spinning wheels as soon as they see them, and spend hours running tirelessly.
If one chinchilla shy’s away from exercising, then there’s a good chance the wheel is of wrong dimensions.
A wheel that’s too small and has a narrow running track, will probably be unattractive to a chinchilla.
Another reason could be a large chinchilla trying to get into a closed design wheel, only to realize that the openings are too tight.
The best advice in both cases, is to get a wheel of suitable size and configuration.
The 7 Best Chinchilla Wheels: Reviewed
Here’s a roundup of the 7 best chinchilla wheels in the market.
They were a bit hard to find, considering the minimum requirements for the size.
Most wheels come in diameters of 5-8 inches, which is half the comfortable diameter for an adult chinchilla.
- Sturdy build, made from metal and wood
- Wide track with a large diameter
- Quiet smooth spinning
- Sturdy build, made from metal and wood
- Wide track with a large diameter
- Quiet smooth spinning
- Open-wheel design for easy entry and exit
- Fully accessible for cleaning
- Replace or refund policy
- It’s a pricey item
- The ball bearing need changing after a while
This is a prime quality exercising wheel with a matching price tag.
The manufacturers themselves are first to admit that this wheel doesn’t come cheap, but they also brag openly that it’s the best.
It does check many boxes, starting with the large 15-inch diameter, which we do not see too often in wheels.
It’s also sturdy, as it’s made from metal and hardwood, so your pet wouldn’t chew on it as a pastime.
It’s an open setup, which provides easy access and easy exit for the chinchilla.
The track is wide and free from holes or protrusions, and that is a big plus when it comes to safety.
Moving on to comfort, we find that the wheel runs on two ball bearings, which makes for a smooth quiet spin.
The quality cage crafters wheel can be mounted on any type of cage, provided that it’s big enough to contain it.
- Sturdy and easy to maintain
- Open configuration
- Wide track
- Sturdy and easy to maintain
- Open configuration
- Wide track
- Less expensive than its peers
- A bit wobbly
- Could be noisy
- Still expensive compared to other options
The Felix & Fido wheel is built along the same lines of the quality cage crafters wheel, but it comes at a less expensive price.
There’s a tradeoff, of course, to reach that price point, and that has to do with the ball bearings.
While the pricier quality cage crafters wheel rests on two ball bearings, the Felix & Fido wheel runs on a single ball bearing only.
This makes it a bit more wobbly and not as quiet as the original.
- Easy to install in any cage
- Perfect for small or slim chinchillas
- Approved by the ASPCA for safety
- Easy to install in any cage
- Perfect for small or slim chinchillas
- Approved by the ASPCA for safety
- Moderately priced
- The 3.6-inch entry holes could be a bit tight for chubby chinchillas
- A bit difficult to clean-up
This wheel is perfect for young or agile chinchillas.
The 12-inch wheel and 4.5-inch wide track, are the most fitting dimensions for a smallish pet.
The track has entry halls that provide a fun way of getting in and out of the track.
It’s designed to make the chinchilla feel contained and protected.
It’s not surprising that this wheel has the approval of the ASPCA for that thoughtful design.
- Sturdy all-metal structure
- Extra-large diameter and track width
- Two ball bearings for smooth spinning
- Sturdy all-metal structure
- Extra-large diameter and track width
- Two ball bearings for smooth spinning
- It’s a quiet wheel
- Non-chewable material
- Easy to clean
- Comes with a fast-shipping option
- Needs some adjustment to attach to the cage without rattling
- A bit expensive
This all-metal wheel is another wheel that really got our attention, and from what we hear it’s also quite popular among many users.
The main attraction is the fact that it doesn’t contain any wood or plastic parts at all.
Odor and stains wouldn’t stick on it, and routine cleaning couldn’t be easier. Also, with the absence of any chewable materials, you can rest assured that your pet wouldn’t ingest anything it shouldn’t.
This wheel is pretty large with its 15-inch diameter, so it would fit a large strapping chinchilla with ease. Furthermore, it’s the only wheel with an extra-wide 6-inch track.
There’s no axle in that huge wheel, so the chinchilla can move naturally, without having its tail getting caught in any protrusions.
These are remarkable features for safety and comfort. And to add one more feature for even more comfort, this wheel spins quietly and easily.
- Simple open design
Affordable price
Various colors
- Simple open design
- Affordable price
- Various colors
- Easy to install
- Fully accessible for cleaning
- The materials are a bit flimsy
- A curious chinchilla could chew on the wheel
This wheel is a bit smaller than the Exotic Nutrition wheel, as it measures around 12 inches across, instead of the 15 inches that come with the latter.
This size is still convenient for chinchillas, especially if they are not too big.
The desigin is rather simple, and it’s intended as a practical and affordable wheel for your high-strung pet.
It comes in a wide assortment of colors, which might not impress a chinchilla greatly, but it’s aesthetically pleasing for you. Always a good thing.
- Safe and comfortable
- No center-bar or axle
- Dual ball-bearing for a silent spin
- Safe and comfortable
- No center-bar or axle
- Dual ball-bearing for a silent spin
- The frame can be taken apart completely
- Easy to clean and sanitize
- Optional fast-shipping
- Affordable price
- The material could be chewed on
- Doesn’t attach tightly to the cage
This 12-inch closed-design wheel makes your chinchilla feel safe, contained, and comfortable. The best feature of this wheel is that it doesn’t have a central axle or bar.
This seemingly innocent structure could cause plenty of injuries. The axle occasionally trips the chinchilla, or it could catch its tail, which is painful to any animal.
The quiet spinning of a chinchilla’s wheel is always appreciated, and this one is as loud as a whisper, thanks to the dual ball bearings mounted in the backplate.
They’re made from stainless steel, so you wouldn’t need to change them frequently.
Cleaning a closed-configuration wheel is usually a challenge, but that’s not the case here.
The Exotic Nutrition silent Runner can be completely disassembled for a thorough cleaning, then it can be put together again in a jiffy.
Metal and hardwood are preferable over plastics for any object the chinchilla comes in contact with. They tend to munch on things.
This wheel comes at a highly affordable price though, so if your pet isn’t big on chewing its surroundings, then you should definetly consider it.
- Safe and contained spinning
- Rugged build
- Quiet performance
- Safe and contained spinning
- Rugged build
- Quiet performance
- Tail-safe considerations in the design
- Easy to get in and out
- high-strength stand
- Attachment clip for cage mounting
- Open design wheels are easy to clean
- Comes in various sizes and colors
- It’s a budget-buy
- Needs frequent oiling to avoid a squeaky sound
- Plastic isn’t suitable for pets who like nibbling on objects
This is the most economic product on this list. And it worth noting that this is not at the expense of its quality or functionality.
Kaytee Wheels come in several configurations to fit specific needs.
A previous Kaytee wheel in this product roundup focused more on being extra quiet and providing an overall richer experience for your pet. This one is more about being affordable and practicable.
FAQs
- How big should a chinchilla wheel be?
To make sure that the chinchilla wouldn’t have to bend and squeeze itself inside the wheel, it should be 12-18 inches, with a running track of about 5 inches.
- Are chinchilla wheels safe to use?
If a wheel has the right dimensions, is solidly mounted to the cage, doesn’t have gaps, and made from a non-chewable material, then it’s safe for use.
- Are chinchilla wheels noisy?
Some of them are notorious for making noises, while others are quiet as a whisper. It depends on the materials, mounting, and balance.
- How to clean chinchilla wheels?
First of all, choose a material that wouldn’t stain or retain bad odors. Simply stated: don’t use wood.
When you clean the wheel, remove all the solid wastes with a rough brush. Then, use mild soap and water to sanitize the wheel. Dry it thoroughly once you’re done.
Conclusion
The best exercising wheel for your energetic chinchilla is certainly the Quality Cage Crafters 15″ Chin Spin Chinchilla Wheel. It’s a premium wheel that’ll keep your pet engaged and happy.
It’s a large wheel measuring 15 inches across, and the running track is just as wide.
It’s a quiet wheel, with the dual ball bearings that minimize friction and allow for a smooth spin.
The materials are rugged and durable, and it’s highly unlikely that any nibbler could get a bite of metal or hardwood.
Several brands tried to imitate the Chin Spin design
