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Old 07-17-2018, 07:35 AM   #1
Faiththompsonduffield
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Post Hamster balls

I would love to hear your opinions on hamster balls

Remember everyone will have different opinions so be nice


I, myself use them sometimes. Now I have space for my hamsters to run around and play I let them do that. but I let them run around in their ball sometimes
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Old 07-17-2018, 08:05 AM   #2
WinnieTheHam
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Default Re: Hamster balls

I dislike them. It constricts their movement, it disrupts their natural movement, it restricts where they want to go, it's a small confined space, It can make loud sounds when crashing into things and hamsters have very sensitive hearing, they aren't free to do what they want, they can't eat or drink inside the ball and they can't properly interact with you through the ball. It's also difficult to determine whether they enjoy it or not because a stressed hamster inside a ball can easily look like an excited one (I personally believe all hamsters dislike them).
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Old 07-17-2018, 08:09 AM   #3
Faiththompsonduffield
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Default Re: Hamster balls

Quote:
Originally Posted by WinnieTheHam View Post
I dislike them. It constricts their movement, it disrupts their natural movement, it restricts where they want to go, it's a small confined space, It can make loud sounds when crashing into things and hamsters have very sensitive hearing, they aren't free to do what they want, they can't eat or drink inside the ball and they can't properly interact with you through the ball. It's also difficult to determine whether they enjoy it or not because a stressed hamster inside a ball can easily look like an excited one (I personally believe all hamsters dislike them).
how do you like to entertain your hamsters?
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Old 07-17-2018, 08:20 AM   #4
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Default Re: Hamster balls

I think Winnie pretty much said it all really so ditto that! Plus there's always a risk of injury with balls.
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Old 07-17-2018, 08:33 AM   #5
Faiththompsonduffield
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Default Re: Hamster balls

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Originally Posted by cypher View Post
I think Winnie pretty much said it all really so ditto that! Plus there's always a risk of injury with balls.
How do you like to entertain your hamsters?
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Old 07-17-2018, 08:38 AM   #6
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Default Re: Hamster balls

I agree on what Winnie has said - and I also dislike balls as they aren’t very secure and I’ve had hamster who have managed to escape which is very nerve wracking.

Instead of balls we prefer to use secure playpens as a safe way to allow our hamsters time out of their cage.
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Old 07-17-2018, 08:40 AM   #7
cypher
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Default Re: Hamster balls

Out of cage time is always in a playpen or other safe area with plenty of toys to explore & opportunities for foraging & natural behaviours as well as interacting with me whether that be them using me as a climbing frame or having cuddles, it all depends on the individual ham & what they enjoy.
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Old 07-17-2018, 09:06 AM   #8
WinnieTheHam
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Default Re: Hamster balls

Pretty much what Cypher said.

I like to change some things up a little bit, so offer treats in different ways which could be a treat parcel (treats wrapped in tissue), treat cracker (treats inside a toilet roll tube wrapped in paper), scatter and hide treats in their cage, hang treat parcels up in their cage etc..

I also clicker trained Winston to come up to my hand. It takes a very long time to clicker train hamsters though, so that's all Winston knew haha. Also if you decide to do this, instead of a dog clicker, you can use one of those pens that you need to click to write with (it's much quieter).
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Old 07-18-2018, 08:58 AM   #9
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Default Re: Hamster balls

I agree on what Winnie has said, not enough room for them to move around in, and they are in a very confined space which can heat up very quickly
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Old 07-18-2018, 10:30 AM   #10
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Default Re: Hamster balls

I'm of mixed opinions about exercise balls because I know of some hamsters that do appear to enjoy their time in them however, I would only limit this time to about 5-10 minutes at most and I wouldn't use them at all for Chinese or Roborovski Hamsters due to the increased risk of paws becoming trapped in the ventilation holes.
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