The purpose of the article is to tell the reader how to make a running wheel for a chinchilla with your own hands. This is an active animal, so he needs to move a lot. To bring a little variety to the life of a rodent, its housing must be equipped with the mentioned simulator. Further in the article it will be described from which materials and improvised means it is better to make this toy.
Basic requirements
The main thing is that the simulator is of high quality and safe. Therefore, before making a running wheel for a chinchilla, you need to study the following requirements:
- It is unacceptable to have chips, cracks and pointed edges on the wheel parts.
- The toy should be light.
- Mount the wheel better on the cage.
- Material, if the accessory is made of wood, it must first be cleaned of paint and varnish, and then sanded. Thus, it will be possible to eliminate chips and other defective places.
A properly designed running wheel has suchbenefits:
- low noise when in use;
- lightweight;
- lack of vibration;
- presence of reliable fastenings and internal serifs.
Hard Drive Toy
Before you develop your own chinchilla wheel from the mentioned item, you need to prepare the following materials and tools:
- wide and light tin container;
- upholstery material (such as cotton fabric or cork rug);
- duct tape;
- hotmelt;
- wire or nylon ties;
- screwdriver;
- metal cutting scissors;
- marker.
If there is no damaged or old hard drive, this part can be replaced with an engine from the drive.
Assembling a running wheel from a hard drive
To make a toy, you need to follow these steps:
- Remove the screws and remove the cover from the hard drive. The main thing is not to forget about the screw hidden under the label.
- Remove all screws holding the mirror plate.
- Remove the spindle - the motor that makes the mirror discs rotate. This part is attached to the device with three screws, so you need to unscrew them first to detach it from the frame.
- Cut off excess tin. To complete this step, you need to draw a circle of the desired diameter on the material with a marker.
- Cut out the container from the tin with scissors along the marked lines. Do not forget about measuressafety: wear protective gloves on your hands, as this work can cause injury.
- Find the sharp edges of the workpiece.
- Mark the center of the container.
- Mark the location of the spindle, and then fix the part with hot glue. Check the alignment like this: take the installed element of the future treadmill and spin the wheel. In this case, there should be no unbalanced movement and jerks.
- Sheathe the inner walls of the tin container with a protective coating (for example, a cork rug).
- Fix upholstery with duct tape or glue. It is better to use the first consumable as it is easier to remove if you need to replace a damaged coating.
- Secure the toy to the cage with nylon ties or wire.
Making your own hard drive running wheel is an easy task. The result is a silent ride that chinchillas will love.
How to make a plastic wheel: step by step instructions
The body of the toy can be made from plastic items. In this case, you will need a round box for storing discs (for 50 pieces) and an expansion dowel with a straight hook. From the tools you need to prepare an awl, drill, sandpaper and a jigsaw. To make your own chinchilla wheel from these materials, you must follow this method:
- Measure 5 cm from the top of the plastic box.
- Draw a straight line around the circumference of the tank with a marker.
- Sawjigsaw the box along the marked line.
- Make a hole in the center of the container. At this stage, a drill equipped with a 6 mm drill will come in handy.
- Make small holes with an awl around the entire circumference of the box, the distance between which should be about 5 mm. The main condition is that punctures must be made from the outside of the container.
- Smooth the roughness with sandpaper and eliminate irregularities.
- Insert the dowel into the center hole made earlier.
- Fix the finished running structure to the cage wall with zip ties.
Pan Wheel: Manufacturing Technique
This option is a simple and quick method, thanks to which you can make your own attraction for a chinchilla. In this case, you will need an aluminum pan. The width of the planned wheel is 15–17 cm, so half the height of the container will have to be cut with a hacksaw. So that the animal does not get hurt by sharp edges and burrs, they need to be sanded with sandpaper.
When the preparatory work is completed, in the middle of the aluminum circle (the bottom of the pan) you need to make a hole with a diameter of 30–50 mm. Then it is necessary to insert a bolt of a suitable size into it and fit the tensioner roller or bearing. It is desirable to insert a mesh wheel inside the resulting running wheel. The result is an excellent chinchilla trainer. In the photo, the homemade product looks quite presentable (the picture is shown below).
Cardboard wheel: instructions for making
To decorate the chinchilla house with thisitem, you need to prepare first:
- corrugated cardboard of sufficient density;
- thin sleeve;
- scissors, utility knife and ruler.
Before you start assembling the toy, you need to prepare its parts. First, cut out two identical circles from cardboard. On one of the pieces it is necessary to cut wide holes through which the chinchilla will enter the running wheel. The next step is to make small rectangular cuts along the entire circumference with a knife, retreating from the edges by 5 mm. Then you need to cut out the base and wall, and then make a path. When creating the last part, remember: it is necessary to make special protrusions on each side, the size of which must match the dimensions of the rectangular holes.
To assemble a chinchilla wheel with your own hands from prepared cardboard pieces, you need to follow this plan:
- Fix the track between the circles so that its protruding parts fit into the rectangular holes.
- Make a slot in the wall and attach the base to the received part.
- Insert the metal sleeve into the hole.
- Put the wheel on the hub.
- Put jumpers on both sides to prevent the toy from coming off.
The advantages of this simulator are simple manufacturing and low price. However, the chinchilla can chew on cardboard, so you need to monitor the condition of the product so that it does not break during use.
Making a wheel out of plywood and wood
To create a simulator from the indicated materials, you need to prepare:
- 10mm thick plywood sheet;
- small boards, which should be 15 cm long and 3 cm wide;
- bearing;
- screws;
- 15 cm bolt;
- drill;
- jigsaw;
- compass and ruler.
To make your own chinchilla wheel, you need to follow these simple steps:
- Cut a small hole in the center of the plywood sheet with a jigsaw.
- Measure with a compass from the resulting slot the required diameter of the future wheel. This indicator should be 32–34 cm.
- Cut a circle along the marked contour with a jigsaw.
- Make a ring with the same diameter. At this stage, a compass and a ruler will come in handy.
- Drill holes in the boards with a diameter of no more than 1.5 mm. Thanks to such actions, the material will be protected from cracking.
- Fix planks with thin screws to the outside of the circle and ring.
- Place a steel washer on a 15 cm hex bolt, the diameter of which should be larger than that of the fastener. This must be done so that it is not pressed into the plywood.
- Insert the bolt into the hole made in the first step so that its head is inside the structure and the thread is on the outside of the wheel.
- Put a similar washer and rubber bearing on the outer part of the bolt. Thanks to the last detail, the wheel will slide smoothly, so there will be no friction against the cage wall during movement.
- Pinbearing with screws to the bar, the purpose of which is to act as a holder.
If the structure will tip over, then it must be fixed to the cage wall with nylon ties.
Additional recommendations
There are some useful tips:
- attraction must always be in the cage;
- if the running wheel starts to creak, it should be lubricated with oil;
- necessary to wash the machine at least twice a month.
In addition, it is advisable to put additional accessories in the chinchilla cage. It can be a treadmill, a walking ball and various hanging toys.
Conclusion
Summing up, we can say: making your own running wheel is a simple task. In this case, the main condition is to carefully follow the instructions. There are many options on how to make this easy chinchilla trainer. The article examined in detail the popular methods, thanks to which it will be easy to make a wheel from improvised means and inexpensive materials.
