Kicking sand around & silent wheel not so silent

[Mochi]

Ive just moved the gerbils into their new enclosure and they really seem to love it!!! I was finally able to put in a sand bath and a wheel on some platforms but there are a few problems. I have the Nitengal Silent Spinner- it was great when I first bought it but last night I had to take it out IT WAS SO LOUD. It was making a really loud whirring noise, I'm not sure if this can be fixed? 

When I woke up and put the wheel back in I noticed SO SO SO much sand in the bedding by the sand bath. I cleaned that out the best I could but I would rather not have to do that everyday.  

[Markpd]

Perhaps the sandbath isn't deep enough? How deep is it?

I'm not familiar with what bearing that type of wheel uses, do you know if it uses an actual bearing or just has the spindle running straight into the plastic?

[Mochi]

I did actually end up taking the sand bath out. It’s about 5 in. I think- They stopped rolling in the sand and they were just digging it all out was almost completely empty when I took it out. The wheel does have a bearing I think but it’s quite noisy I tried putting a little cooking oil on it but that didn’t work. XD. It might just take me awhile to get used to the noise again. I’ve had the wheel out for 6 months before this tank.

[mygerbilprince]

Maybe try a different wheel? I'm not sure where you're located, but the silent runner is pretty silent if you want to switch. Try a deeper sand bath or putting the sand bath in a larger container to catch the sand. What sand do you use? If the sand is very lightweight, it is more likely to spill out. Unfortunately, sometimes you just have to deal with the sand. My gerbils dig out the sand a lot and I just leave it in the cage. I have red sand which does make the entire cage look orangey red at times but I'm not sure how else to combat the issue.

[Markpd]

Forgot to say, if it does have a proper bearing and it's shot, you maybe able to replace it, although it will involve some possibly fiddly DIY and research for finding the right bearing.

Cooking oil won't be much good, I think it'll dry out and go sticky after a short time. Even if you used a proper oil, assuming the seal for the bearing is intact, the oil won't be able to get in anyway. If the seal is shot, dust and dirt will get in there and trash the bearing anyway.

[Thelodar]

Your sand bath might just need higher sides. I use a glass bowl (think fish bowl, but small). I'll attach a photo.

Not sure why your wheel is noisy. I have one of those wheels in each of my tanks (so 5) and they're all quiet unless they're hitting something. With a whirring noise it could be making contact with the lid of your tank, so check that. But you can try cleaning out the moving parts in case something is stuck in there and make sure everything is tight so there's no wiggle.

[Markpd]

Great and cute photo for a future photo competition

[Scott]

There are a few Niteangel models; is it the one below?

If so, it has sealed bearings, but some lube can be put into it. Cooking oil might make the problem worse, though. You need to use pharmaceutical-grade mineral oil.

First, disassemble the wheel so that all of the hardware is off except for the threaded spindle coming out of the wheel. Hold the spindle and spin the wheel; this'll confirm whether the noise is coming from the bearings or not. There isn't much you can do about the cooking oil except hope the mineral oil will displace it. Place the wheel facing down (spindle up) and drip some mineral oil into the recess around the spindle. Keep it upside down for  a few minutes to give the oil a chance to penetrate. You might also need to tighten the spindle, using a wrench on the one side and your hand on the other.

[Mochi]

Will Do!!