The flying saucer is a hamster wheel created by Ware Manufacturing. Unlike the regular silent spinners or comfort wheels most of us are used to, the flying saucer exercise wheel comes in a shape of a saucer (hence the name) and it’s a lot of fun watching your pet run on it. I got a 7.25 inch flying saucer for my winter white Russian dwarf hamster a while ago and I am happy to report that it’s an excellent wheel. Here’s a photo of my hamster, Oatmeal, on the wheel.

How does the flying saucer work?

Instead of explaining how it works, here’s a video of the wheel in action. The hamsters look absolutely hilarious running on it:

As you can see in the video, there are ridges on the saucer to prevent your hamster from slipping. Like any good hamster wheel, Ware’s flying saucer has a solid running surface which allows your hamster to run safely on it. There are also “legs” for the wheel so you won’t need to buy a separate wheel stand.

Pros and Cons of the Flying Saucer

After using it for some time, here’s what I like about the flying saucer:

• It’s pretty quiet for a hamster wheel
• Easy to train your hamster to use it
• Better for your pet’s spine than the normal wheel
• Solid running surface so hamsters cannot get their feet trapped in spokes
• Fun to watch your pet run on it
• Inexpensive
• Roborovski and other small dwarves won’t fly out of the wheel when using it
• My hamster sometimes sleeps under the wheel which I think is really cute <3

Here’s what I didn’t quite like about it:

• Needs a completely flat surface on the cage floor
• Takes up more space than regular wheels
• It’s very light and there’s no way to fix it down so it might slide across the cage when hamster uses it

Overall, I think it’s an excellent wheel and a fun accessory to have in your cage. The wheel comes in three sizes and I recommend the 7.25 inch one for your dwarf hamster instead of the smallest option so that your hamster will be comfortable running on it. The wheel also comes in three colors: purple, blue, and green although the color is sent randomly. You can get it here from Amazon.

This post is contributed by Nature Girl from Critter Corner. She also has a really cute blog on sleeping hamsters at http://www.sleepinghamsterzzz.blogspot.com/

Review of SuperPet RunABout Hamster Ball

My dwarf hamster Mickey enjoys running in his hamster ball. Hamsters sometimes get very frightened if they are put in a round sphere, but he doesn’t mind it, occasionally stopping and looking around instead of digging at the sides to try to get out, which is mistaken by hamster owners as the hamster running around in glee. I purchased the hamster ball a few months ago, and was interested because it is a glow in the dark version. I am sure children get a kick out of this part, but I don’t really think the average hamster owner lets her/his hamster run around in the dark, which is what this requires. Anyway, this is what the ball looks like.
The ball is a dwarf hamster size, but it looks like it comes in larger sizes too.

The cap that goes on the ball is softer plastic and therefore easier to break, and when I accidentally dropped the cap on the floor it confirmed this.

Otherwise, the ball is pretty good in shape and the crack did not pose any danger to the times when I put Mickey in the ball – meaning, it did not get loose or open up once.

There are good-sized slits in the hamster ball, but the hamster claws and legs did not get stuck in here once. My other hamster ball had to be disposed of because of this problem – the holes were big enough for his legs to become trapped and he could not enjoy the hamster ball time.

My hamster had a very easy time rolling around, and the ball has great lightweight plastic that makes for easy rolling. As for the glowing part, I was a little disappointed. In dim light, it did not glow.

I think the whole reason people buy this particular hamster ball instead of the plain kind is because of the whole “Glow in the dark” thing, but you really must leave it under bright light all day to “charge” it, then make sure it is completely pitch black in order to see the glow effect. Even then, it barely shows up.

Plus, it could be frightening to an animal inside a glowing ball because he could not see the outside part and he could be a bit upset and scared. So while this is isn’t really a hit with the glowing thing, the hamster ball is still very good quality and nice for hamsters.

What is a Wodent Wheel?

Wodent wheels are safe running wheels for hamsters and other rodents. They are supposedly quieter than regular wheels and safer because they have a solid running surface. According to the manufacturer, Transoniq, these wheels were approved and recommended by the ASPCA during their Seal of Approval Program (1999 – 2006).

Wodent wheels come in three sizes: Junior (8 inches diameter), Senior (11 inches diameter) and Wobust (12 inches diameter).

I’ve read a lot of good reviews about Wodent Wheels by other hamster owners so I decided to get Juniors for my hamsters. The photo at the side shows Oatmeal the winter white dwarf hamster posing with the unassembled parts 😀

Here’s a photo of an unassembled blue wodent wheel junior:

Here’s what it looks like assembled, it was pretty easy to put together:

More wodent wheels from the manufacturer’s web site:

Are Wodent Wheels better?

I would say yes! I thought my regular wheels were already pretty quiet since they don’t make squeaking noises, but the Wodent Wheels were even quieter when used by my dwarf hamsters. I specify dwarf hamsters because when my Syrian uses it, it isn’t really quiet (although still better than a regular wheel).

Also, because my regular wheels are on plastic stands, they’re much lighter and tend to get toppled over by the more active hamsters. My Syrian hamster topples her regular wheel a lot because she’s much heavier than the dwarves. With Wodent Wheels, the stands are made from steel so it’s impossible for a hamster to push it over 😀

Although I’m using the Wodent Wheel Junior, it’s big enough for my Syrian and she seems to prefer it over her regular wheel. I just tried replacing the Wodent Wheel with her regular wheel again and she wouldn’t run on it (was trying to make a video). When I put the WW back, she went on it immediately o.O This is completely based on the preferences of one hamster though.

Any negatives?

The smallest wheel is 8 inches wide so it’ll probably not fit in smaller cages (i.e. Crittertrails or Habitrails).

Also, they aren’t available everywhere so you’ll have to get them online. International shipping can get really pricey.

You have to take them apart to clean them well, some people don’t like that but I don’t think that’s really a big deal.

Where to get Wodent Wheels

The cheapest way to get these wheels would probably be to get a group of people and buy a dozen directly from Transoniq. However, if that’s not possible, the wheels are available here on Amazon US. If you are in the UK, you can find Wodent Wheels on eBay UK

Transoniq also has a list of online dealers in the US as well as international dealers if you are in other countries.

If you are in Singapore, you can get the Wodent Wheel Junior at Hamster.sg