![]() The hamsters neither preferred nor avoided wheels that had small "speed bumps" installed along the running surface to provide environmental enrichment. Hamsters showed no preference between a relatively uniform running surface made of plastic mesh and a surface made of rungs spaced 9 mm apart, although they did prefer the mesh compared to rungs spaced 12 mm apart, most likely because of the wider space between the rungs allowed their legs to slip through. Preferences Ĭhoice tests with Syrian hamsters ( Mesocricetus auratus) have shown that they prefer larger wheels the animals chose a wheel diameter of 35 cm (14 in) over 23 cm (9.1 in), which itself was preferred over 17.5 cm (6.9 in). The earliest dated use of the term "hamster wheel", located by the Oxford English Dictionary, is in a 1949 newspaper advertisement. Hamster wheels allow rodents to run even when their space is confined. Most of these devices consist of a runged or ridged wheel held on a stand by a single or pair of stub axles. Wooden Hamster Wheel, size 33cm Like other rodents, hamsters are highly motivated to run in wheels.Ī hamster wheel or running wheel is an exercise device used primarily by hamsters and other rodents, but also by other cursorial animals when given the opportunity. For the Australian television satirical comedy series, see The Hamster Wheel. This article is about the exercise device for rodents. ![]()
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