Things You'll Need
Rodent wheel
Butter or vegetable oil
Cotton swab
How to Make a Rodent Wheel Quiet. A noisy rodent wheel can disturb your sleep, break your concentration or just annoy you. If your hamster, gerbil, mouse, rat, ferret or other pet rodent has a loud wheel, get some butter or vegetable oil and follow these steps to quiet their wheel.
Remove the rodent's wheel from its cage and take the wheel apart.
Get a bit of butter or vegetable oil. If you're using butter, get enough to cover the tip of your index finger. If vegetable oil is your choice, plan on using between five and seven drops. While other chemical substances may achieve the same results, butter and vegetable are the most non-toxic options available.
Place butter or vegetable oil on the wheel's hinge and axle and use a clean cotton swab to grease them with your chosen substance. Work the substance into the hinge and axle with the cotton swab as much as you can by getting into crevices and other hard-to-reach places.
Put the wheel back together and replace the wheel in the rodent's cage.
Repeat the process every two weeks or when the rodent wheel starts to squeak again.
Tips
Some companies advertise silent rodent wheels. These specially designed wheels use ball bearings to cut down on the wheel's noise. Invest in one of these wheels if you don't want to have to apply butter to your rodent's wheel every 2 weeks. If your rodent ends up liking the taste of the vegetable oil and butter and licks it off, consider putting a drop or two of hot pepper sauce on the wheel along with the butter or vegetable oil. The sauce's spiciness will deter them from eating the vegetable oil or butter. Remove the rodent's cage from your room if you have to wait a few days before you can lubricate the wheel. Running in the wheel is a natural instinct for rodents and they shouldn't have to do without just because it disturbs the owners.
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