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Post by faelia on May 9, 2020 10:36:14 GMT
Hiya everyone! I am new to the forum. If you wanna skip my question is in bold below. I've never really looked for a forum online other than horses (which I own) but this place is fantastic!
I have owned degus for 12 years now. I originally had a lone male who was apparently super aggressive. Turns out he was just a smart boy and needed stimulation. I went and adopted two more degus to try give him company to see how it went. I was assured 10000x that they were male. Introductions over the following month went extremely well (heh). Well.. never take the store's staff word for it I guess. My own complacency and faith had me owning a further 11 degus. All beautiful. Oh my though. I sexed them and separated them good and proper and had three huge cages!
And gone through a million wheels lol.
I've ordered a few metal ones in a variety of colours from tictac wheels. They are in LOVE. However they are slippin' and slidin' around.
What would be a safe way to improve grip for a metal wheel?
Thanks and stay safe all!
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Post by bouncy on May 9, 2020 11:35:53 GMT
Wow! That was a very steep learning curve to Degus!
I've never heard of grip problems with the tictac wheels before, but you could try applying some grip tape to the running surface like the stuff for skateboards. Just make sure it's not too coarse. There are paint versions, but I'm not sure about toxicity.
It may be worth also checking a couple of things - how are your goo paws and claws looking? If the claws are too long, there will be grip problems. Also, how freely is the wheel spinning? I've given mine some maintenance over the years, and even had to replace the centre bolt because it was too short for me to add a stand. A drop of nut oil on the bearings works a treat, and it's worth checking the nut directly behind the wheel. Once or twice, I've made it a little too tight, then had a momentary giggle as one of my nutters tried to run normally! Degu fartlek is hilarious.....
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Post by moletteuk on May 9, 2020 18:01:20 GMT
Welcome to the forum I'm a bit puzzled about them slipping on the tic tac aswell. I only have the disgusting suggestion of not wiping them as often so the piddly crud gives some grip lol!
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Post by deguconvert on May 9, 2020 18:20:52 GMT
Hello, Faelia, and welcome to the forum! I agree . . . a very steep learning curve!! You've had a wonderful 12 years with them all, I'm sure! How many do you have now? What are their ages? We love photos! The handy thing about the tape that Bouncy suggests is that it will help to wear away toenails that are too long, if that is part of the problem. I'm sorry to say that I don't have additional ideas for you. At this moment at least. If anything does occur to me, I'll let you know.
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Post by savvy on May 12, 2020 0:10:01 GMT
Welcome to the forum. Apologies for being a bit late to this.
I have tic tac wheels as well but I have noticed that both my degus love to jump on and off when running which can give the impression of slipping from the wheel. It's almost as if the speed panics them slightly.
Please check that it isn't at a angle which may throw them off course when they are running.
And yes, I know, I spend waaayyy too much time degu watching, lol.
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Post by bouncy on May 12, 2020 11:43:55 GMT
Welcome to the forum. Apologies for being a bit late to this. I have tic tac wheels as well but I have noticed that both my degus love to jump on and off when running which can give the impression of slipping from the wheel. It's almost as if the speed panics them slightly. Please check that it isn't at a angle which may throw them off course when they are running. And yes, I know, I spend waaayyy too much time degu watching, lol. My Snoozy and Sneaky (and sometimes Sausage) like to do this, but not because they're frightened. I liken it to blokes in the gym on the treadmill, who take a breather by putting their feet to the sides of the belt! I guess it also means they don't have the unbalanced bit at the start getting it going and finding the right speed!
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Post by savvy on May 12, 2020 12:57:34 GMT
I think it must be a gender thing. Dixie does the 'taking a breather' bit, but Reggie hides when she does it. But she is still quiet new to using the wheel.
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