Plans for a simple exercise wheel for opossums

Materials:

   Wheel:

• Two 24 inch diameter pre-cut plywood or particle board circles to be the sides of the wheel after using a drill and jig saw to cut out the 1-3/4 inch center holes and access spaces (see sketch below), plus as an option, two empty 6 oz. cat food cans with both the tops and bottoms cut out could be glued and/or nailed to the inside of the 1-3/4 inch center hole of each wheel side to reduce wear
• Two 1/2 inc diameter by 12 inch long wooden dowels to be glued and nailed in place between the wheel halves near the axle to stabilize the center of the wheel
• Seven feet of 12 inch wide small gauge rat wire or other suitable material to be glued and stapled around the edge of the wheel as the running surface
• Four 12 inch long aluminum carpet strips or other aluminum braces to be evenly spaced and attached over the rat wire around the edge of the wheel between the wheel halves (see sketch)

Axle:

• One 1-1/2 inch diameter by 22 inch long wooden closet rod to be the axle (over which a 1-3/4 inch diameter by 15 inch long plastic pipe could optionally be placed as a protective sleeve)
• Two 4 inch long finishing nails to be inserted through pre-drilled holes on each side of the axle just outside the wheel and those nails slightly bent so they stay in place and keep the wheel on the axle

Frame:

• 1 inch by 4 inch pine boards for the supporting frame assembled with glue and nails, but with three wood screws used on each side at the joints over the axle placement (see sketch)

Tools/Supplies Needed:

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