It's official, wild rodents love wheels as much as caged

[t0m]

So I came across this article and thought it was both fascinating and also really quite encouraging. Basically scientists did an experiment over several years to see whether or not wild rodents (mostly mice and voles) would use an excercise wheel when given the chance. It has always been assumed that using an excercise wheel is a type of behaviour which comes from being in captivity, but this research turns that assumption on it's head! Basically, wild rodents love running on excercise wheels just as much as captive rodents, probably because it's fun!

I guess this won't be a surprise to most people who've owned rodents, but I thought it was fascinating nonetheless. I always suspected that there was more going on than pure excercise when my boys use their wheel, so it's nice to have it confirmed 'by science'

Check out the article, it's really fascinating: www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2014/may/21/wild-mice-exercise-wheels-behaviour-stereotypy-neurosis?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

[ninestone]

Interesting article, thanks for posting! I've noticed our Kate seems to enjoy running a lot more than Caroline. I guess some animals just enjoy running more than others, like people!

The cute picture of the dormouse at the top reminded me of this video. This little guy is really sawing logs!
youtu.be/DlS3w1GGE8g

[reesesturtles]

Such a simple experiment. It amazes me it took so long for a scientist to set it up. The funny thing is, they even found a snail using the wheel, haha! Now I want to place different size wheels around my home for the chipmunks and squirrels to use.

[cheekygerbil]

How cool 😊