Are Flyin' Saucer wheels okay for hamsters? 

  • When searching for a wheel, you'll come across a normal wheel and one that is called a Flyin' Saucer. The difference between these is that the hamster is running on top of this wheel as opposed to running in it. 
  • There are some negatives about purchasing a wheel in this style, one of the reasons is that some people will purchase the wrong size for their hamster. When you buy a wheel like this you'll need to get the biggest one possible otherwise your hamster will be curving their back too much and generally won't be able to run on it. 
  • Secondly, these wheels take up more floor space in your hamsters cage. This may not affect you if your cage is above the minimum, but if your cage is below the minimum this wheel will be taking up floor space that you could be using for more tunnels and hides. 
  • Thirdly, smaller species of hamster such as Roborovski have a tendency to fly off these wheels because they run so incredibly fast. This is obviously a risk that you're willing to take if you have a smaller specie of hamster. 
  • It has been recommended not to use these wheels for Syrian's because they are the biggest specie of hamster and would benefit from a big size normal wheel such as Trixie. Due to Syrian's being long this means they are more likely to be curving their backs and this is encouraged by using a Flyin' Saucer because they have to run on it and not in it. If you are going to use this for a Syrian you'll need the biggest size possible to prevent any back injuries. Imagine if you were going for a job while curving your back- this would be uncomfortable and possibly painful, and this is what your hamster is more or less having to do if they don't have the right wheel or wheel size.