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The bowl is way too small, he is running at a weird angle

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Instead of a big bowl like that you can go to a baking supply store and buy a giant metal cake mold that has a flat bottom and round sides.

That is wayyy to small

I hope you don't mind: I used your idea with the ball-bearing to construct a wooden wheel ;) ruclips.net/video/xSrqFbSrzjo/видео.html

Do you by any chance know what size lazy Susan parts you are using?

For the life of me i cant understand the small hamster cages, small wheels and plastic products made for chinchillas that are unsafe sold at pet stores. Why cant they make a damn metal wheel for our beloved chins?! Sheesh!

You should looking for Unflexal if you'd like to get best workouts guide.

I tried to make a wheel out of lazy susans, but the bearing is designed for load perpendicular to the wood surface, not for load from the axis. What i am going to do is using two tapered roller bearings and bolt on a wedding cake pan. i will let you know the result.

You're the best :) Building this tonight for my degus

Can I get a list of all the parts needed?

The chin seems to be running at an awkward angle. Not sure that's good for them. Eventually stress injury can occur when this happens.

Suggestion: instead of the deep salad bowl shape, I had very good results with a 3-4 gallon or 13qt sized oil/utility drain pan or "feed pan" and was able to mount it nearly straight vertical due to the flat bottom. They cost around 10 dollars on average, but I've seen them as low as 3.50 on sale from time to time.. The lip is anywhere from 3.5 to 4 inches, so plenty for the chins in width, and they are approximately 16 inches in diameter. We used an old circular saw blade glued to it in the back as a reinforcement washer if they seemed flimsy at all, and they are almost silent - the only thing you hear is the tapping of their little feet as they run on it, I had to build more than one because my boys would fight over who got to use it first and literally push each other off of it. I even made a more portable version that they can use out of the cage during playpen time and sometimes they go so fast I worry they will be flung off of it or get "maytagged" if they slip. But they seem to love it immensely. One of them even chirps contentedly whilst jogging on it, as though he were singing "tra la la tra la la" as ne strolls ...

Great idea but im having trouble finding the right wheels...can you advise?

Very good idea. I use a plastic wheel instead of a metal bowl, is too heavy. The plastic wheel is 28 cm diameter and is enough for the moment. Indeed is no more noise in the house, the wheel run smoothly, chinchilla can run freely. Thank you.

Unfortunately I am now on my third set of bearings for this design after the first two sets wore out and became very loud. Until I get some more patience for this problem solving I think I'm going to throw in the towel for now. At least they've got a good year out of it so far.

This is great :) I really hope I'm handy enough to be able to create something like this! I think I would use a more flat dish, however, more like the ones made by Shelfridges who make the £80 flying saucer wheel. A couple of my chins have those and they're great, but so expensive! So I'll give it a go making my own. :)

Yes you are correct. It is the largest Blanda Blank bowl they do...36cm across the top rim diameter. But you could use a large & deep cake tin if you can find one. As of 30 October 2013, my design is still working well, The chillers are running every night.

Thank you! This is wonderful.

Hiya, If it helps it took over 3 months for our older Chilla to sit in the bowl and she only runs occasionally in it. The younger one was in it running from 1st day...they seem to have different personalities...regards

Hi, Sounds like your on to a winner with your design. regards

Thanks for this! It effectively solved my dilemma about the slight outward angle of the lip of the bowl - slanting the mount is going to be much easier than altering the bowl, and gives a more sturdy distribution of the weight with a larger surface. Well done!. I had also seen a solution using a "lazy Susan" bearing, but it is much noisier than the skate, and is not as free spinning.

I just found a large 10 quart bowl with a flat bottom at the pet store (for x large type dogs) which would be usable, I think, and only about as deep as a regular wheel since it isn't as high as a salad bowl on the sides to prevent it being easily spilled. (I got the idea because I had a large dog with a water dish like that before.) Gonna try this as well as one using a modded caster that bolts onto the dish in a square pattern rather than a single hole too.

Whoops message cut off. They've never had a wheel before. Thanks for the great design. I used the same size bowl which I think is a great size. Thanks again!

Alright. It's assembled and mounted. It supports the weight well. Now just to train them to run in it :). They've never

Yes it is possible for them to get there mouths in the gap behind the dish to nibble the rubber of the skate wheel. I have just realised why they don't on ours. They can't reach it! We have the dish mounted a good height up off the floor, with a front shelf at that level onto which they jump to access the wheel. Therefore they can't reach the back from the floor, nor reach down from above... you have made me realise that this is an important point. Have it mounted up with front shelf. Thanks

Yes it is possible for them to get there mouths in the gap behind the dish to nibble the rubber of the skate wheel. I have just realised why they don't on ours. They can't reach it! We have the dish mounted a good height up off the floor, with a front shelf at that level onto which they jump to access the wheel. Therefore they can't reach the back from the floor, nor reach down from above... you have made me realise that this is an important point. Have it mounted up with front shelf. Thanks

Yes it is possible for them to get there mouths in the gap behind the dish to nibble the rubber of the skate wheel. I have just realised why they don't on ours. They can't reach it! We have the dish mounted a good height up off the floor, with a front shelf at that level onto which they jump to access the wheel. Therefore they can't reach the back from the floor, nor reach down from above... you have made me realise that this is an important point. Have it mounted up with front shelf. Thanks

Won't the chinchillas chew on the rubber of the skate wheel? Shouldn't that be enclosed to prevent that?

Thanks Fred. Sorry my voice is sooo boring, but I'm happy that your excited. A baking tin would be as good or better, but its finding one to buy! Anne above may know of the elusive shop. Anyway hope your project goes well, & would love to see your finished product... Geoffus

I saw online people also make chinchilla wheels with a galvanized feed pan. However I'm not in a cow country and a quick search on google showed that this bowl is easier to find. I'm excited.

Alright. I've got my list and am off to the hardware store. I'll keep you all updated. Thanks Geoffus for the great idea.

I tried to find a cake pan like you describe, and think it is the best way forward. I turned to the dish as a last resort. Yes, I think you need a bearing or some sort; a skateboard type would be good, as it supports the bolt across a good proportion of the bolt. However you might get away without using a bearing. Try thickening up your cake tin on inside and outside with a disk of wood or some washers, and do the same to the support bracket. You may find the tin turns freely with no sloppiness.

Very helpful video. Do you think if you used a cake pan with flat sides it would be simpler to make because you would not need to have a slanted mount? I have a cake pan that is 14" diameter and 4" deep. I am also going to try to build another with a cake pan that is 16" diameter and 3" deep. I like the idea of using a roller skate bearing or a skateboard bearing because it is quieter than a Lazy Susan Bearing. Thank you for the idea.

Thank you for your kind comment back x8archangle8x... it had to be done, as I felt sorry for the creatures full of energy with nothing decent to run on.. I can live with myself again conscience clear... and my daughter thanked me... got to keep the teenagers happy! Geoffus

Thank you for your kind comment back x8archangle8x... it had to be done, as I felt sorry for the creatures full of energy with nothing decent to run on.. I can live with myself again conscience clear... and my daughter thanked me... got to keep the teenagers happy! Geoffus