Hamster Balls

[The Happy Hamster]

Hello all,


This is a thread for you to post your opinions on hamster balls.

Personally, I hate them, being inside a plastic ball with little air seems no fun. But my hamster loves it? (I have a hamster ball, It was a gift) If I put her hamster ball near her, she will jump in and start running around. I quickly have to get the ball on screw the door on though. I don't allow more than 5-10 minutes but she will usually try and get back in. It makes me worry when she is in the ball but she seems to love it. And some argue there is pocket holes in the hamster balls, but there is a chance they could get their claw stuck in the gaps. Anyway, what do you think?

[Cinnamon Bear]

It's a controversial subject, everybody has different views but I think the forum would encourage a play pen over a ball.

I have a ball for my dwarves & Syrian & tonight was the first time Heaven, my Syrian turned down the ball. Usually every night she runs in the ball.

[Drago]

Everybody has a different opinion on this, and I know my opinion on them has certainly changed over the years. However, I really don't like them to be honest. Not only are there many dangers associated with them (caught toes and nails. overheating, falling) but there really are no advantages to them. Using a hamster ball exclusively for playtime provides nothing for them that a wheel couldn't. Hamsters explore their world by leaving scent trails and by feeling things with their highly sensitive whiskers. A hamster ball allows them to do neither of those things. Plastic balls are considered extremely dangerous, or even deadly with just about every other small animal, so why is it any different for a hamster? Some people swear by them, but there are so many safer and better options that it just isn't worth the risk in my opinion. You could just as easily let your hamster free roam, play in a playpen, or even just let them loose in a bathtub! Many feel differently, but these are just my thoughts on the subject

[Fluffagrams]

To be honest, I'm not a fan of hamster balls at all for Chinese and Roborovski as they have such tiny paws that run the risk of getting trapped in the ventilation slots. I unfortunately encountered it myself with one of my previous hamsters and although she wasn't hurt, she seemed a bit shaken up by it.

With Syrians, I know that some appear to enjoy a short run in a ball however I personally would be wanting to keep the time brief (5 minutes or so), supervised and only as part of a playtime with a more varied choice of activities in a playpen or something.

[Pebbles82]

I'm not keen. There are people who say they can tell their hamster enjoys running in the ball. Others say it's hard to tell if they're enjoying it or trying to run away from it because they feel trapped. Hamsters do tend to jump into them - they jump into anything lol. Our last hammy did used to jump into the ball when doing bathtub taming, as a signal that he'd had enough and wanted to go now. My take on it is that a standard hamster ball isn't big enough for a Syrian. It might be ok at first, but not when they're fully grown. A rat sized ball has bigger slots in and getting toes trapped is a bigger risk. I do have the Savic rat ball (it has the smallest slits of the rat balls I've seen) but I'm still not happy using it except very occasionally, or for transporting a hamster from cage to playpen (they hop in, you pop the lid on and carry them where you want to take them then put the ball down and take the lid off). The Savic ones also has lumps inside (part of the design) which must feel a bit weird to run on too often. Plus like a lot of balls it comes in two halves and there can be a slight gap at the join sometimes that's a toe risk as well.

So I prefer a playpen. And I think it's a better investment as well. I got this one recently and love it, and so does our hammy. I have a spare wheel, some large tubes and a couple of hidey places in it and he runs around and plays and can't escape. Having said that - any toys near the edge could make a ramp for them to climb over the top! So anything they can climb on needs to be nearer the middle. It's a really good size - not too big, not too small.

I occasionally use the ball, but it needs constant monitoring and for no more than 15 minutes. I don't think it's good to rely on a ball for all their exercise/out of cage time.

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[Thin Lizzy]

I used to use them but not anymore, I found mine got bored in them and wouldn't move the ball around.

[AprilPearl]

Never used them, and never will. I think at best (if the hamster enjoys them, which is hard to tell as they could be scared and trying to escape) they provide roughly the same experience as a wheel. So long as the hamster has a wheel in their cage, they are already getting that experience. So, it provides them with more enrichment to offer free roaming or a playpen. If you put a wheel on the floor during free roaming or in the playpen, they can decide whether to run in that way on their own terms. I have found that when I do this, however, hamsters will choose most often to explore their surroundings rather than getting on the wheel, so I think they do prefer the sensation of being free. Outside of a ball, they can climb, sniff and fit into smaller gaps. It is a more natural experience and also safer for them. Of course, at worst balls can also be very stressful and scary for a hamster, and possibly cause back injury if they are too small. Also, the fact that a hamster will climb into a ball isn't necessarily a good indicator that they enjoy being in there without being able to get out. Hamsters climb into lots of things, with the expectation they can get out again. They don't have such a good sense of cause and effect (you can see this by the fact that they will happily walk off a table despite having previously experienced a fall as a result!) so don't necessarily connect "climbing into plastic sphere" with "trapped in plastic ball and scared".

[chesca_27]

I can't see any benefit of using a ball really. There only seems to be easily avoided risks (like ventilation and nails being caught) and there's the fact the hamster can't get out if they want to.

A play pen allows them to do what they want, when they want (whatever weird thing it may be lol) and is much safer. There are plenty of benefits compared to using a play pen over a ball.

Regardless, hamster balls are never recommended for dwarf hamsters as they are just far too tiny but finding a big enough Syrian hamster ball is also a nightmare.

I'd stick with a play pen to be honest.