My glider LOVES to run in her wheel for hours at night.

Suddenly, I noticed tonight that her tail has quite a lot of hair missing, almost bare at the last 30% or so...

I read in another post this could be over grooming or possibly the wheel or other things catching the tail and when I removed the wheel it looked like the crossbar may have had some hair on it...

Other than this she seems to be acting completely normal and let me hold her tail and wipe it with a baby wipe, etc. and didn't seem to mind.

Should I be worried? I can upload a picture tomorrow when I'm on my computer but if it's just a freak thing with hair loss I don't want to get worked up over nothing...

If your wheel has a crossbar it isn't glider safe. Crossbar wheels act like scissors on glider tails and can cause not only the fur to be pulled out but tail injuries than can and have resulted in tail amputations.

Most pet store wheels are not glider safe I'd suggest removing the wheel and watching the tail for any skin coloration changes, if the tail skin gets dark-black in color the glider needs to go to the vet.

Glider safe wheels can seem expensive at first but they last a long time and they are considerably cheaper than vet bills from unsafe wheels.


Safe Wheels... Atticworx has some really great wheels, personally I love the xmount as it's the easiest to put in and remove for cleaning than any other glider safe wheel out there

http://atticworx.com/

This my 2nd fav wheel and first for customer service and quality of materials. These wheels are awesome and are the only ones that use a coated metal mesh track on every single wheel and only wheel with bounce. The quality of materials is unsurpassed.

http://customchoicecruiser.all4gliders.com/

The Raptor wheel was my first wheel, I bought it like 4 yrs ago and it's still in use with little wear n tear signs. It's a great wheel but can take longer to receive than the others above.

http://www.mygliderwheelsandmore.com/


Fast track also makes a decent wheel... I've never had an issue with it either.
http://www.spinzoneglobal.com/

I personally have at least one or more of each of these wheels. They are all quiet, durable, and long lasting when cleaned properly and mounted properly.

When mounting a glider safe wheel please make sure there is enough clearance around the wheel it should be at least 6 inches off the floor and below the roof with room on each side of it to prevent gliders riding on the outside of the wheel any injuries...... yes it does happen.

I like the atticworx FREEDOM WHEEL. its an all in one piece. the construction seems good, and its easier to clean (without worry the glue will come apart.)
Unless I have a problem with one, I will only buy freedom wheel.

but the other wheels listed by leela are good wheels also. quiet, good wheels.
I just have one go bad, the back side (container lid) cracked so I had to get rid of it, to much chance the gliders nails or tail could get in the crack.

You should also consider taking glider to vet.
also I use paper towel with only slightly damp, as little water as possible, I do NOT use baby wipes, we got two gliders that the owner used baby wipes and they would NOT groom, their hair was dirty. After quiting baby wipes they started grooming again some time later.

None of the wheels I mentioned are glued or use glue in any way for anything on the wheel itself.

** Some floor stands may use glue to secure the pvc tubing, the glue is inside the pvc tubes and not exposed.


I have heard the freedom wheel is pretty nice, but I also see there have been a few issues with them ( some were owner error not the wheels error ) I haven't had a chance or reason to use one yet myself though.

It is supposed to be easier to clean, but the worry isn't about glue coming apart on other wheels. The cleaning concern with other wheels is getting the bearings wet causing them to seize and not spin.

The freedom wheel you can submerge and clean, other wheels you can not submerge and soak the whole thing, the back must not get to wet... that said I have no issues cleaning them and have used a pressure washer on them as well as partially soaking them in a bucket.

the glue is my mistake, I just remember my wife saying the track is attached to
the back and front with glue, so you need to be careful washing it. It must have
been the other way around, that there is NO glue.

Anyway, the raptors I have are all but one, the cracked one, working well. and the two freedom wheels are also doing great, I read they had a recall on the second batch of freedom wheels, the seem of the plastic came apart because of a manufacturing defect, they offered to replace them all. very quiet and gliders run on them tons.

Thank you all so much for the replies, I took her old wheel out and ordered a freedom wheel.

Can't thank you enough!