Post by butsam on Mar 24, 2004 6:17:59 GMT -8
The inevitable happened...the gerbils chewed off the plastic lip that was holding their wheel on. I'm just glad one of them wasn't hurt!
Anyway, I had a clever solution to this problem, and I know it occurs fairly commonly, so let me share it.
I placed a washer (the round, donut-shaped, metal part, not a clothes washer of course) on then end of the wheel bearing (ie, the part of the wheel that sticks out in the middle to hold the wheel on). This gives them something they cannot chew off, and also keeps the wheel secure. Depending on how thick your wheel bearing is, you may or may not need to use non-toxic glue (such as Elmer's) to hold the washer in place. In my situation, it was a tight fit, but once I was able to get the washer on, it is on extremely tight, and won't budge, even without using glue. (The wheel I have came with the SAM CritterTrails 2 habitat.)
Just be careful not to put the washer on too tight, as this will restrict the movement of the wheel too much and it won't spin anymore! Find a happy medium so that the wheel doesn't wobble around, but yet it still spins smoothly.
Even if your wheel hasn't fallen off yet, but you think it is a possibility, I would put the washer on the end to discourage them from chewing...or rather, divert their attention to chewing metal, which they won't be able to break, rather than plastic, which they can easily break.
Sam
Anyway, I had a clever solution to this problem, and I know it occurs fairly commonly, so let me share it.
I placed a washer (the round, donut-shaped, metal part, not a clothes washer of course) on then end of the wheel bearing (ie, the part of the wheel that sticks out in the middle to hold the wheel on). This gives them something they cannot chew off, and also keeps the wheel secure. Depending on how thick your wheel bearing is, you may or may not need to use non-toxic glue (such as Elmer's) to hold the washer in place. In my situation, it was a tight fit, but once I was able to get the washer on, it is on extremely tight, and won't budge, even without using glue. (The wheel I have came with the SAM CritterTrails 2 habitat.)
Just be careful not to put the washer on too tight, as this will restrict the movement of the wheel too much and it won't spin anymore! Find a happy medium so that the wheel doesn't wobble around, but yet it still spins smoothly.
Even if your wheel hasn't fallen off yet, but you think it is a possibility, I would put the washer on the end to discourage them from chewing...or rather, divert their attention to chewing metal, which they won't be able to break, rather than plastic, which they can easily break.
Sam
