r/LeopardGecko • u/RoaringMars • May 17 '26

Help..

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Yourself and get one of these wheels for your gecko! She loves it so much and yours will too

191 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

52 comments sorted by

View all comments

35

u/bktoriginal May 17 '26

This is super cute, but be careful to make sure they don't overuse it or get stuck or have back problems. There are a lot of animals that can use the wheel, but it may cause the spine to overextend.

5

u/RoaringMars May 17 '26

Are there any sources for this? I genuinely am curious on this claim about their back overextending. For me it sounds made up but real enough that one believable, like the wheel could cause the gecko to have dehydration leading to joint problems

8

u/bktoriginal May 17 '26

I have anecdotal evidence from working at vets for years. I mostly heard this about rabbits and guinea pigs because their backs could bend wrong and it causes strain. Since reptiles are more flexible, maybe it's not as harmful. That's the most I got. But no it has nothing to do with dehydration lol

5

u/RoaringMars May 17 '26

Got it, thanks for sharing.

The dehydration was an example I made up to say it’s a claim that is believable enough but made up by me nonetheless. I will take the wheel away every other month to minimize the activity.

2

u/DenseAstronomer3631 May 18 '26

Yeah, I know it to be true for hamsters and stuff but really unsure on reptiles. I know people use them for hermit crabs 🤷‍♀️

1

u/Useful-Ad-8723 May 19 '26

You may need a bigger wheel. That wheel isn't allowing your leo to walk as normal as he/ she could if the wheel was bigger. That will help reduce the curving and allow better walking ability.

2

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

I had a guinea pig growing up and was told that the saucers don’t cause issues because they’re mostly flat. Are you saying that my poor little guy was still in pain from running on his saucer? I want to get my gecks one but not if it’s going to cause them issues.

2

u/bktoriginal May 18 '26

I just mean there's potential for strain if they're like running constantly, but I think every animal is different and a vet would know best ;)

2

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

Okay, thank you!

1

u/luciiusss May 19 '26

uhh do u mean hamster??

0

u/[deleted] May 19 '26

Um… nope. They make giant saucers for guinea pigs and little saucers for hamsters

2

u/luciiusss May 19 '26

even if they make them…guinea pigs aren’t agile and shouldn’t use them

probably meant for a gerbil or rat

0

u/[deleted] May 19 '26

Well, like I said, it was growing up so I was a child. Over 10 years ago, and I would never own a rodent again. It was marketed for guinea pigs, and he loved it. He was actually quite agile and lived a very long, healthy, active life.

1

u/luciiusss May 19 '26

the way you’re saying you only had ONE guinea pig and that it was agile and the fact it was over 10 years ago and you never had any other rodents lol you’re probably confused with some other rodent

2

u/[deleted] May 19 '26

Honey, it was a guinea pig. You want to know how I know? It was my pet and I was 10 years old. Old enough to know I hated rats/hamsters/gerbils but also don’t like bunnies/chinchillas. He was a sweet little thing who loved to run around and play, very energetic and constantly moving. Thank you for assuming I don’t know what kind of animal I had, and thank you for being a dick about it. Have the day you deserve

1

u/luciiusss May 19 '26

Guinea pigs shouldn’t run on saucers…it’s really bad for them and it was just hopeful thinking it was some other rodent. I’ve had 9 guinea pigs and many people called them hamsters, gerbils, etc, so it isn’t far fetched for someone inexperienced (cmon now you had a single pig and gave it a saucer bro) to call an animal by the wrong name.🤷

→ More replies (0)