Recommended Time in Exercise Ball?

SpiritBladeYT · 09-14-2018, 10:07 AM

Hello again!

So, I got Monty aan exercise Ball recently, and I've tried to get him more used to it. He seems to love it and has been in on Saturday while we cleaned out the cage, Wednesday and Thursday. I wanted to put him in again today but he's asleep so I haven't.

Is this too often? He stays in the ball for around 15 minutes and he got tired after 15 yesterday (hence not putting him in today)

Any advice? He's around 11 weeks old if that helps give a more precise answer.

~Spirit

mangoandmimi · 09-16-2018, 06:46 AM

If you want to use a hamster ball best limit it to not that often and only for short periods of time in my opinion. They offer bad air flow and hamsters are essentially blind in a ball - they have to rely on poor vision instead of other senses so it can end up being quite stressful. That’s why a lot of people choose not to use them. Have you got a playpen for Monty? They’re far more entertaining for hamsters

cypher · 09-16-2018, 12:22 PM

I wouldn't use a ball at all for a robo, they can get injured so easily it's really not worth the risk & balls don't offer them any benefits & can be very stressful for them.
I would buy or make a playpen, probably better to make one to be sure it's escape proof for a tiny robo! Then you can give monty lots to do & explore & interact with him at the same time.
When cleaning the cage it's best to put them in a secure carrier with some substrate as you can't watch them while you're busy so a carrier is much safer than a ball or even a pleypen.

SpiritBladeYT · 09-24-2018, 08:24 AM

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm working on getting a playpen, but I could only find ones not very suitable for a Robo. I'm planning on making one when I get time. I appreciate they are and will certainly get one as soon as I can. A carrier is also a good idea, but they're all extremely small near me and I don't want to restrict Monty too much. Thank you for the advice, I'll be sure to get a better alternative to the ball I have now as soon as I can. The ball I have will be okay for now but I know a playpen will be the best option going forward and plan on making time to make/find a suitable one

mangoandmimi · 09-24-2018, 11:31 AM

if you don’t want something too big a ball pit (Amazon) works well for robos and is probably the cheapest option, aside from a cardboard DIY one. They generally shouldn’t chew it but do need supervising. I like ball pits as they have a base already and fold away in one piece. Don’t think they’re as suitable for other species but it’s good for robos. I recently also bought the skyline ranch one off zooplus which is good too but more expensive.
Not sure where you’re from but can you get hold of something similar to a Ferplast Aladino carrier in the medium guinea pig size? That’s roomy enough and very secure. You’ll definitely need a carrier for if you ever need to take Monty to the vets too.

SpiritBladeYT · 09-24-2018, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mangoandmimi

if you don’t want something too big a ball pit (Amazon) works well for robos and is probably the cheapest option, aside from a cardboard DIY one. They generally shouldn’t chew it but do need supervising. I like ball pits as they have a base already and fold away in one piece. Don’t think they’re as suitable for other species but it’s good for robos. I recently also bought the skyline ranch one off zooplus which is good too but more expensive.
Not sure where you’re from but can you get hold of something similar to a Ferplast Aladino carrier in the medium guinea pig size? That’s roomy enough and very secure. You’ll definitely need a carrier for if you ever need to take Monty to the vets too.

Thanks for the advice, I'll take a look at the options suggested.
The carrier looks good, thanks for the tip and I will try to get hold of one. It'll always be good for the vets if needed. Best to have and not need for something like that!