Excerpts from the Brian Lee review, "Wodent Wheels For Rats" in the November/December 1997 issue of *Rat & Mouse Gazette* published by the Rat & Mouse Club of America (13075 Springdale St., #302, Westminster, CA 92683, http://www.rmca.org):
...It's a great way to keep your rat in shape. But good wheels are hard to find... when I saw Transoniq's innovative Wodent Wheel design, I was eager to have my four little test pilots take it out for a spin... With the solid running surface and no support leg on the open side, this wheel is completely rat safe -- no foot or tail injuries possible.
But what did the test pilots think? To be fair, I swapped out four different wheels to see which would get the most use -- the 12" and 11" Wodent Wheels, an 11" metal screen wheel, and a 15" powder coated sheet metal wheel. Nemo loved the textured, non-slip running surface, and once he had used the Wodent Wheel would simply ignore all others! Toby and Deprong Mori, who previously had never been runners, liked hiding and sleeping in the enclosed wheel. And Mori even became a runner! (But only in the Wodent Wheels.) Toby didn't run... although he often would climb in with Nemo, I guess hoping to go for a ride. (Some rats, two of the ten I've had, just aren't into running, so don't be too surprised if this happens!) Chupacabras would run in whatever was offered, but spent more time in the Wodent Wheel than any of the others.
...My overall opinion? My rats love these wheels more than any other kind I've tried.
Highly Recommended.
My Syrian hamster Hillary is obviously thrilled with her Wodent Wheel, as the proof of the wheel is in the running, and boy does she run on it! Despite their much smaller size, I'm suprised that my dwarf hamsters could also manage the Wodent Jr. despite being much more nearly mouse-sized. I was afraid they would not have the strength to spin the wheel, but found out how wrong I was!
As an engineer, I enjoy the streamlined simplicity of design and quality of operation, and think you may have a hit on your hands here in the silicon valley area with all the techo-folks. :-)
I heard about your wheels from a recommendation on the newsgroup alt.pets.hamsters. I told (well okay, raved about it) a hamster-keeping friend at work because of how impressed I was with the wheel. Also I gave one of the Wodent Wheels to a friend of mine with smallish adolescent rats.
There's an upscale pet shop in the area, called "Woofers and Tweeters", which has a nice selection of rodents (syrian & dwarf hamsters, rats, mice, guinea pigs) as well as related critters like rabbits and chinchillas, but despite their broad selection, they have no Wodent Wheels! :( I am seriously thinking of dropping off a wheel along with your Web ad there so they can try it out. I suspect they might become customers once they see how people react to seeing the little squeakers running happily on the wheel.
Ross Archer
Hello from West Virginia,
We got the shipment of Wodent Wheels last Thursday. They are wonderful! One of our female hamsters woke up from her sleep early, got in the Wodent Wheel and wan (ran) for an hour with her eyes shut. Still asleep we think. We have 8 adult hamsters and currently 2 litters of 12 and 14 each. So 2 adults do not have Wodent Wheels yet. We will be phoning later this week to order another case. They are the best and quietest wheels that we have ever found. We have been sharing info on your product with other hamster owners that we know. Hope you prosper. Thanks for such a tewwific wheel.
Claire Bragonje for the Bragonje family
P.S. Our daughters have been having fun with the "w" words. This could be contagous!!
I recently bought 4 Wobust Wodent Wheels; they arrived about two weeks ago.
Squeakers, a BIG seven-month old male rat, loved his from the time we put it into his cage. He must do about a mile every evening. He loves to run around the cage like a cat was after him, then leap into the wheel and run and run and run.
Sherman and Simon, 6-week-old or so baby male rats, couldn't quite figure out what the wheel was for. They were observed running against each other for a while, making the wheel rock back and forth, which was hilarious! They have since figured it out and their favorite game is to see if brother rat can enter the wheel while one rat has it going.
The third wheel went to a friend of ours with two young male rats. The humans are impressed with the quality of the wheel; they've been looking for a wheel that the rats wouldn't outgrow.
And the fourth wheel is for Mrs. Zimmerman, my daughter's fourth grade teacher, who gave us Simon and Sherman after Silly died. She has six or seven rats of various ages.
Thanks for your great product!
Lynn Speer
I received my wheel on Wednesday, good service. I had purchased two female, six week old albino mice on Monday, when I ordered the wheel. Even though I purchased the Jr. model, when I first saw it, it seemed rather massive for the tiny mice. However, one of the females fell in love with it in a matter of minutes. She spent the _entire_ evening running on it (more than 4 hours), only taking time out to grab a bite to eat and drink some water every so often. She was still running on it when I went to bed! In the morning, she was sleeping in it, instead of the nest box! The other female could only share it with her, since she wouldn't leave it; they soon learned how to run in unison on it. Great product!
- John Combs
The box arrived yesterday. We installed 2 of the wheels in our large aquarium which has a PVC/hardware cloth penthouse. One is on the bottom - and Zorra instantly decided it was a nest and filled it with BioBedding. The other is suspended from the top of the structure and Babe and Harriet have learned the joy of running.
My husband, who is a mechanical engineer and president/owner of an engineering/manufacturing firm fully examined the wheels, explained to me in great detail what you had purchased, what each piece probably cost, what was extruded, what kinds of plastics were used.... and generally gave his thumbs up. He also felt that the price when purchased in the box of 5 was very fair to you and to us.
We may add one more wheel to our rattery - after all we have 5 rats in there so far! We'll save the other wheels as gifts for friends with rats.
Thank you very much!
Kami Olsson-Tapp
Eric,
My hamster thinks this wheel is the best. The problem that I am having is the he loves the wheel so much that he is running until tired and then he lays down in the wheel to rest. The first night he was on the wheel for about 9 hours.
My son thinks the design is really cool and likes that it is easily to see this favorite hamster.
My wife loves that fact that there is no noise.
I could not believe the quality of the construction, design and quiet operation of the wheel.
Thanks for the great product and have you thought about selling these to pet stores in the Texas area?
I think others in my area would be very pleased with your product.
Brian
I adopted two young male rats from the local humane society, whom I have named Mac and Laramie. They are somewhere between hooded and caped. I got a deluxe two-story ferret cage, and the wheel fits beautifully on the first floor. It is quite a hit with both of them-- wildly funny when they both try to use it at the same time! Seems to me your next invention needs to be some sort of tandem-wheel thing. :)
Thanks for your advice. If I meet any more "ratophiles" I'll promote the Wodent Wheel. :)
--Lee Ann
Way to go on the shipping! I called my order in for a box of six on Saturday and they were here when I got home from work Monday afternoon! Great service!
Don Lampman
Madison, WI
I just wanted to tell you that we got the Wodent Wheel just a few days after I ordered it, and two of my three rats just love it! I was really surprised that Alice, the eldest rat would take to it so quickly. Even Daisy, our 6 week old baby can run in it with ease. Only Duchess won't try it, but she spends quite a lot of time trying to bury it, so she's happy too!
Thanks,
Patty
I just wanted to say that we love your wheels so much that I have told about 300 people on the net all about them, mostly folks with sugar gliders and hedgehogs. I hope you are having a good response from all this! These wheels seem so much more humane than those wire things, that I hope you will be able to market these in pet-stores so more people will know about them!
Thanks from Deborah, Smidgen (teddy bear hamster), Honey and Chloe (gliders).
I bought a Wodent Wheel Jr. for my hamster a few weeks ago, and I wanted to let you know that I think it's great, and my hamster is obviously much happier with it than he was with a wire wheel.
I decided that the W. W. is a significant enough product that comments on it deserved a separate page on my web site, Glenn's Hamster Page -- URL below. Look under "Informational Pages."
See Glenn's Hamster Page at "http://www2.semo.edu/chappell/hamster/". Includes "The Hamster Chronicles".
Glenn G. Chappell
Department of Mathematics
Southeast Missouri State University
Just wanted to let you fine folks know that we got our Wodent wheels yesterday. My, what quick service.! My little dwarf hamsters love!! their Wodent wheels. What a wonderful invention. Thanks for making it available.
Janice Bryant
Candlesandcrafts
Texas
Just wanted to let you know that the Wobust Wodent Wheel arrived Friday (that was fast!) and by Friday evening, one of my boys was "strolling" in it. Both boys are using it now, to walk, not run (silly things), and even had a tussle because they both wanted to stroll at the same time. They are shy about using it in front of people though, so I only get to watch them from a distance. I am pleased with the wheel, and proud that my boys figured out how to use it so quickly.
Thanks so much!
Kristin
Kristin Johnson
Visit the Wererat's Lair at:
http://www.geocities.com/~wererat/
Eagles soar, but rats never get sucked into jet engines.
Thanks again,
Lynne Rose
I do not recall whom it was I spoke with, but I want to thank them. The product that you have sold me is great!! My sugar glider spends and hour at a time enjoying himself is his Wodent Wheel. And he appears to be a lot more fit than he used to. I just had to thank you so very much for providing such a great idea. As an act of gratitude, I will be sending you a picture of my sugar glider in his Wodent Wheel soon. Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Martin
I ordered the Wodent Wheel because night after night, I would see my hamster's leg slipping through the metal bars on his wheel. Finally all the hair on that leg was rubbed off, and his little leg was all scaly and irritated. Now Chooch can run like the wind and never have to worry about having an accident! The first night, I thought he would never get through running and go to bed. We laugh because it looks like a film reel going around!
My other hamster, Deek, is shy and not a big runner. Now that he has your wheel, even Deek is running -- I think it's the privacy he gets from the enclosed side.
Great idea -- love the wheels!
Thanks,
Rhonda Foster
I just wanted to say that I am very pleased with my Wodent Wheel. All my girls were about a year old when I got it and they learned to use it. This is the first time during all the years I've had rats that I have seen one run in a wheel. Amazing!
Thanks,
Lena Bengtsson and her 4 girls
I bought my first Wodent Wheel back in Nov 1998 for my two male rats. My husband thought I was nuts and they avoided the wheel for a good month and then one day Jack my older rat hopped in and ran like crazy and now he runs every night.
In February I had purchased two female rats and then decided to buy them two of the wheels. I got them today at 1pm and they hid from them but then by 8pm they were both running like crazy.
I love this wheel and so do my rats, It is really easy to clean and I don't have to worry about their tails and feet getting cut like the wire wheels. I thank you for this wheel and my rats thank you too.
Jody Jugovich.
I just wanted to let you know how much our hamster loves her Wodent Wheel.
We were very pleased with the quality and how easy it is to clean. The wheel makes no noise which is a great plus.
We were in search of a non-wire-wheel that would fit in a wire cage for a long time. Our hamster's feet would fall through the wire wheel while running and we were afraid she would get hurt. I know that her Wodent Wheel is much more comfortable for her as well as safe. As a matter of fact our hamster loves her wheel so much she moved her bed next to the wheel.
Sincerely,
Donna Sutton
Trenton, NJ
When my 7-year-old daughter Jackie went to my brother's house and saw his rat cage with a conventional wheel (metal type) she gave her aunt a lecture on how dangerous they are and how they have to get a wheel like ours (Wodent wheel). They didn't and a week later one of their baby rats lost an eye from it. My sister-in-law was shocked and asked Jackie to see her wheel. They now own two Wodent wheels and they and their four rats are very happy.
Thanks for the great product,
Michele Maier
Cazenovia, NY
Thank you for this fabulous toy. At first I delayed ordering a Junior wheel as a test model for my mice to try out. I was concerned the mice were too young and too light-weight to generate enough momentum to turn an 8" wheel.
To my utter delight, the mice had no such misgivings, and took to the wheel at once. Even small mice LOVE using a Wodent Wheel as a jungle gym, and with time they will "grow into" learning to run the wheel. I've seen Meecia climb inside and SIT ASTRIDE THE AXLE while Alfie runs the wheel. Now that's a true test of the safety of this product.
Alfie has perfected his own running leap - jumping from a smooth rock directly into a hole in the "9 o'clock" position. From there he runs for a minute or two, then repeats the whole sequence. I have actually seen him turn the wheel with his paws to get it to the right position, before making the leap.
After trying other solid-surface wheels, my mice have voted the Wodent Wheel their favorite for its quiet, smooth operation. And I have become a "true believer" - we are about to order a box of 4 so there will be enough to go around permanently.
To other mousekeepers I say - go for it, buy your mice a Junior wheel, and see what creative solutions they come up with to amaze and delight you.
Greenwood, Ann
Just had to write and tell you how great these wheels really are!
I read the customer reviews and thought okay, I will try it out. I bought two wheels as I have two gliders and joey in the pouch who just popped out a couple of days ago, so I figured better get two wheels. I have had them for two weeks, the female always ran on the other wheel but the male never did, the very first night within one hour of them waking up that night the male was on the wheel. He walks it, then a slow run then stop, walk, run then stop, he is too funny. The female on the other hand took off like a bolt of lighting! She was a blurrrrrr! She protects (her) wheel, when the male tries to enter while she is on it, she takes both front feet and places them on his shoulders and pushes him away!!!
Glad I got two! Can't wait to see what the little joey thinks about them.
Thanks a lot,
Triston V. - Dallas, Texas
We just received our Wodent Wheel today, and our hammy Molly just loves it. She's been running non-stop for about six hours! I have spent money on about 5 different types of wheels, and they all were garbage. Molly got her tail injured in the wire wheel and I felt awful. : ( The W.W. is quiet and very safe. Thank you for creating such a wonderful product!!
Jessica Day &
Molly the Hamster
I just received my 4 Wodent Wheels for my RATS. BOY, WAS THAT FAST SERVICE!
I noticed there was a note included saying it might take a bit longer for the rats to get used to a wheel, unlike hamsters, gerbils, mice etc. Well, as you know, rats are the most INTELLIGENT of the rodent gang, and when I came in the house and told all my pets it was time to go to DISNEYLAND, of course, first, they were a bit cautious, then inquisitive, then they immediately jumped in, and I could swear I could hear giggles and squeals of laughter coming from all my cages as they went for the rides of their lives, the Wodent Wheel film reels spinning on and on...
Thank you for your wonderful product,
LeeAnne Pepler
Eric,
I often use Safari wheels as an alternative to the WW, especially if all my WWs are in use. I had five 3-week-old baby girls in one tank trying to run in one Safari. To my horror, I watched as one of the girls' legs got caught in the urine slot of the Safari and she made a full circuit while her sister spun the wheel. She got unstuck and tried to go the opposite direction from her sister, but couldn't get enough grip to do anything. Her feet slid across the wheel as her sister sped up. She finally tumbled onto her sibling and fell out of the wheel.
I quickly pulled a WW out of another ham's cage, promising to replace it shortly. I took the Safari from the babies and replaced it with the WW. All the baby girls tried to jump in, but no one took another for a ride. Instead, they simply climbed in and out of the holes until one figured out it was a wheel. When two hams tried to go in opposite directions, the WW just didn't move. Even better, when two or three hams tried to go in the same direction, they ran together in the spacious WW. No one flipped over the top, or fell out of a hole. Another victory for good design!
Thanks again for your tremendous product!
Martha Boden
I recently bought four wheels, the animals we now have using them are two degus, one short tail opossum, and two rats. I work at the Little Rock Zoo in the Education Dept. I got them on the recommendation of persons met on the Glider Central board, Bourbon and Karen. We had two sugar gliders at that time, we lost them but had the wheels by then. The animals I mentioned above then came in and I was told they would never use them!!! All of them went to them right away. Then I tried our hedgehog, the lazy little critter, now has his daily constitutional in the Wobust wheel. I am so glad I found these wheels, everyone who has seen them asks where we got them. I am giving out this site daily. I am even ordering three more wheels, for home and zoo use too!
CATHOUSE
Lenny Briscoe, aka, LennyBennyBrattyRattio. My mom got me a Wodent Wheel because I've been the only rattie in the house who dared take on the wire demon. The thing is, I think I must be part golden retriever puppy, because if it was up to me, I'd play fetch and run all day long. Since I'm in a cage, that makes it really hard. I'm only 10 weeks old, so mom was worried I'd get too big or hurt myself on the wire wheel that was part of my nursery cage.
Now I'm in the big cage, so I have my Wodent Wheel in there with me. All I do is run run run run run. Mom tries to take my picture, but I don't have time to sit and pose! Well, I'm really ready to go play again, so I wanted to thank you for my new toy, and I'm really looking forward to being a ratty Olympian someday.
Sincerely,
Lenny Briscoe, Rat, and son of Cathe Alleger
PS. I'm teaching my brothers, Dante, Sorbo, Dargo and Crichton to play on it too... we try to race each other but they don't get we're all going the same way.
From: "CatheB, Surprisingly enough"
We bought our Wodent Wheel three years ago now. "What," I hear you say, "And you haven't renewed it?" Well no, we haven't. Your fault! It still is going strong! Three generations of lady ratties and hardly a dent! However, we never really managed to get a decent photo while one of them is actually running - it is attached upside down on the outside of one of the cages and it is rather difficult to take pics without disturbing the girls. I have recommended it many times and given your address to our vet (who is an absolute genius with ratties).
Cordially,
Cordelia
My Junior wheel arrived in record time, and I now have a Golden hamster who's happy and active.
"Houdini" was given up to a Boston shelter because he kept escaping, and his owners couldn't deal with it. He was at the shelter for 5 months, and nobody seemed to want him-except me!
Apparently, he had never seem a wheel before (very sad), and really wasn't interested in the 8-inch enclosed plastic wheel I had for him. It's a good one, but he wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I ordered a Wodent Wheel for him. He got right into it, and has been flying ever since! He was escaping because he was bored, but since the WW arrived, he's a happy dude. He's been renamed Harry Houdini Hamster, or H-cubed, and whatever time he has left will be happy. He joins the large and lovely Ginger hamster (abandoned at a local pet store, pregnant) in her Senior wheel, and Mimi mouse (a runt who would've been destroyed) in her Junior. I'm so glad that your product has made a difference in the lives of three little critters that nobody wanted.
Many thanks!
Sue Koszalka
Dracut, MA
I just wanted to say how impressed I am with the Wodent Wheel. I bought one a couple months ago originally as a replacement for the noisy wheel that came standard with the plastic/bar cage I had bought. Unfortunately, it didn't get very much use because the top plastic roof of the cage wouldn't allow much room for the thing to spin... this cage was obviously poorly designed, and I'll explain why in a second.
A month and a litter of baby dwarf hamsters later, I needed something to keep my boys busy, as I had to separate the litter into same-sex groups. I bought an aquarium for the boys, and placed the WW into it. I can't even begin to describe how much fun my boys have in this wheel every night. Since it is still quite large, (of course, one dwarf can still move it at one time, very ingenius design), I frequently see all five of my boys tromping in the wheel at the same time. It's very, very, funny, and I can see that they are always having a great time. Sometimes when a few are already running in it, one will want to "hitch a ride" (hehe) and grab onto one of the holes, spinning him upwards like a ferris wheel until the group inside decides to stop, giving him time to jump in the wheel and join in the fun.
However, I still kept the girls and their mother in the first cage I bought them, which was the plastic/bar combo. I'm sure you're aware of this design, there are two plastic platforms that hook onto the bars in the middle of the cage, forming a second "level" that the hamsters can reach via tube. The standard wheel just happens to sit in the middle of these two platforms, with just a small bit of space underneath to let the wheel spin. Occasionally, my girls would want to run across the top of the wheel to get to the other platform, or want to simply run in place on top of it, like a treadmill. Unfortunately, my little darlings would occasionally slip underneath the platforms as the wheel was moving, getting caught in between. Fortunately, they always made their way out of it within a couple of seconds. Of course, I never thought twice about this until one morning, in which I made a VERY gruesome discovery...
I found one of the young girls dead, caught between the wheel and platform. My guess was that she was caught, and since her mother is such an avid wheel enthusiast (literally bangs the utter hell out of it), she most likely ran very hard as the little one was caught, and this was what had done it. Needless to say, I was VERY traumatized at the sight of this tragedy... it was very nasty, and I did NOT like cleaning it up.
On a lighter note, I found this as a sign, obviously that this wheel was bad news. Luckily, I had a great comparison wheel, which, of course, was the Wodent Wheel. I've been watching my boys for countless evenings, and have never found anything about the WW that ever endangered any of my babies' lives. Again, I am -VERY- impressed with the design, and I think consumers should be warned about standard wheels with this tragedy.
I thought that you'd like to hear this, of course, not the fact my hamster died, but because I thought it would be a good way to show people the dangers of some of these plastic cages and their wheels. In my opinion, they're just poorly designed, expensive deathtraps. People and especially little kids don't need this for their special little friends. I also figured that maybe if my story was out there, it could help convince consumers even more about the simple yet safety-conscious design of your wheels. After all, I think your business deserves it, with such a terrific product!
Thanks a lot for your time, and again, I love the wheels, and I'll be purchasing more in the future. :)
-- Juliana Penman
Anyway, I think your invention is marvelous. I wish I would have had it with my other two hamsters but I'm glad I invested the money in this. It was well worth the cost and gives her hours of safe and comfy enjoyment.
Sincerely,
Pandora Everett and Victoria Rodenta Everett
I purchased a large Wodent Wheel quite a few years back and well... we still have it! It's been through two generations of rats and has still held up to the vicious teeth of Jasmine the Destroyer. The entry holes in front are a little bigger than before (thanks to Jasmine) but other than that, it is relatively silent and extremely easy to clean.
The reason we were looking for a wheel like this in the beginning was because my first rat (Daisy) got a horrible cut from a wire wheel and we didn't want to go through that again!
The rats love it and even sleep in it some times. It's really funny when one sits on the middle axle while another one runs and you just see the one in the middle "floating" in there.
Thanks so much for this wonderful idea and the rats say, "hewo!"
Heather Daniel
I just want to thank you for making the Wodent Wheel. I drove out to Maryland to buy one today - a very long, sweltering drive (over 30 minutes & on the highway, which I dread). Why? Because the Animal Exchange out there is the closest place to us that sells your product. One of our two beloved hamsters had an accident where he fell from the top of his water bottle and hurt his pelvis. (Probably fractured it - I didn't pay $100 for an x-ray.) As a result, he could not use a regular wheel. He is able to roll around in the exercise ball, and he can shimmy (very fast) along the ground by pulling with his front feet, dragging his pelvis, and pushing lightly on his backfeet infrequently. But he used to *love* running on his wheel. The problem with the regular wheels is that I would set him on one (after his accident) and he'd stick out his leg and somehow wobble on his pelvis while he tried to run - and then fall off the wheel. The added built-up side of the Wodent Wheel makes it possible for him to actually run on the wheel! I couldn't believe my eyes! He didn't want to come out! Of course, we made him come out, since he shouldn't run on there for too long - and also, I want to see how his muscles do after today's work-out. I hope he's going to be able to use the Wodent Wheel long-term. We bought another Wodent Wheel for our other hamster, and he seems as happy. Thank you for coming up with this design. :-)
-Jean Johnson