Wire bars and mouse feet

Question
QUESTION: Hello. We have 3 little girls and were recently given a wire wheel. This wheel has tiny little squares, not just bars across. The mice seem to ADORE this thing. They choose it over their solid plastic wheel. I prefer it because it doesn't get as yucky, but I want to make sure it is okay for their feet.

Thanks so much for your opinion!

Denise

ANSWER: Dear Denise,

The standard mouse wheel for most of mouse pet history has been the metal bar wheel.  These sturdy wheels are made of metal bars 1/2" apart.  The mice are so quick and agile, their feet hit every bar with no missteps.

The older ones had little or no room between the legs of the wheel and the wheel itself, thus allowing tail injuries to occur.  As a child I had a pet mouse Tippany who had got his tail in the way so many times it was kinky.  But on later models there is up to an inch of space between the two wheel components.  By the way, the tail doesn't have a lot of nerve endings in it, so it didn't hurt him much.

At the same time, the open plastic wheel came into play as another safer version of a wheel.  The plastic is easier to clean as well.  But the mice are stepping not on little bars but on little ridges on the plastic surface.  As you have noticed, they don't like this as well.

Although some people do worry about the possibility of a mouse getting squished even in the newer wire wheels, I have had many mice for many years and have never seen anything like that happen.  I also actually find the wire wheels safer when there are multiple mice.  When a mouse loses the battle of who is going which way on a crowded wheel, the wire bars ensure that she will stay in place, holding on, while the wheel spins.  Many mice seem to like this.  With the open plastic wheels, there is danger of a mouse spinning out, even if she is simply going too fast on her own, and landing on the ground, quite possibly injuring herself.  

The mesh wheel that you have not only allows the mice to hold on, its tight grid provides multiple and safe footholds.  Some mouse enthusiasts are afraid a mouse could misstep in a metal wheel; the mesh greatly lessens that possibility.

I give my mice any wheel that fits into their cage, except for the old ones that clipped tails.     The bar wheels (now they come in more cleanable plastic too) definitely hold more allure for them, though any wheel provides lots of fun and exercise.  The main difference between the open, solid wheel and the bar wheel is that with the first, you have to clean it a lot because their urine and feces collect in them.   This mess on the plastic can make the cage quite stinky-- which of course is easily fixed by cleaning the wheel more often.  

The short answer is:  The mesh wheels are extremely safe, and more comfortable than the open solid plastic ones.  My advice is, however:  Let them have both!  The more wheels the better.  I've even had mouseholds with one wheel per mouse, and they loved it that way!

Squeaks n giggles,

Natasha

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks again for your great answer! I do recall years ago I had a hamster that sadley suffered a broken neck in the old kind of wheels you spoke about. So glad they have improved upon them!!

I wanted to follow-up because I told my friend of your response and she said I need to worry about some kind of foot disease mice get--I can't recall what she called it--but said the mesh/wire can cause it and is the reason people should steer away from wire cages. Any knowledge about that? By the way, my girls have 2 wheels in their house and 1 in their playground, and they just love it. I also love to watch them play wheel wars. It is so funny when one gets a little ride while the other works out.

Have a great day!!  

Answer
Dear Denise,

Thank you for your kind words.

I haven't heard of a mouse foot disease by name, but it is indeed a bad idea to give mice a wire flooring as their only option.  It's actually pretty easy to imagine.  While they are quite capable of walking around on the wires, it really isn't very comfortable to sit on or sleep on.  You will probably not see a mouse hang out or sleep in its wire wheel like you might in a plastic one.  What is good for exercise and climbing is not appropriate for all the time.  It wouldn't surprise me if there is a specific condition with a name that this causes.  Certainly their little toes would have to constantly be curling over wires instead of walking flat like they are made to do.

A wire floor must be mostly covered with a piece of cloth, a thick layer of hay, a plastic floor, or anything else that the mice will feel comfortable on.  This is true of the multi-level cages as well.  

Thank you for your concern for mouse toes!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha