So People Oriented ❤
These girls have such excellent temperaments, all that free roam space and they'd still rather be with people and have a cuddle. So people orientated🥰
This demonstrates how essential breeding for a good temperament is 💕
Chester Rivendell On His Wheel For The First Time He's sure speeded up a lot since this😅 Tic Tac Wheel - 16 Inches
Today I was asked why I recommend wheels for rats, despite how much space they have or time they have outside of their cage.
I really love that I was asked this question so I thought I would share my brief referenced answer with you all.
Exercise wheels have been known to benefit rodents by increasing the exercise that they do. In return, this protects against the risk of cancer amongst other medical problems (Kelly, 2013). Moreover, this regular exercise has been shown to prevent cardiovascular problems (Sugihara et al, 2013) and even prevent depression as the brain releases endorphins as they run (Greenwood and Fleshner, 2008). It is essential to have a wheel in the cage despite the space of the cage or how much time your rat spends outside of the cage too. A study undertaken in 1988 found that rodents with an accessible exercise wheel spent more time active and awake in their cage in comparison to the rodents that did not have an accessible exercise wheel (Welsh, Richardson and Dement, 1988). Therefore, this will encourage your rat to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, and this will reduce their risks of health implications throughout their lifetime.
A study undertaken in 2014 observed wildlife in their natural habitat and how they react when exposed to exercise wheels (Meijer and Robbers, 2014). The study found that rats and mice as well as shrews were seen to intentionally run on the wheels, and would leave moments later to then return back to the running. This demonstrates that even wild rodents find running on an exercise wheel enjoyable and satisfying. The two brands of wheel I recommend are Tic Tac Wheels and Speedy Hog Wheels. Does are always to have a minimum of 14 inches and Bucks are always to have a minimum of 16 inch wheels. I have included the references studies I researched below in case you’re interested in reading further into exercise wheels and their benefits. I will also leave a link to both wheel brands for you to take a look if you