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Pebbles82 · 03-21-2020, 04:30 PM

I think they are a no-no for dwarf hamsters and roborovski's definitely - particularly the issue with risks of trapped toes, and fear. Some Syrian owners say hamsters enjoy their ball - I find once they've had a playpen or free roaming they're not really interested in a ball. The main issue with balls for Syrians is they're not big enough so you then need a rat ball and most of the rat balls have larger slits and then you get trapped toe issues again.

The Savic 25cm Rat ball has slits that aren't too large. I have one but only very rarely use it. As Amity says it is handy to have a ball to safely transport a hamster from room to room eg - or from cage to playpen/bathtub as they will hop into it and you can then pop the lid on and carry them. That is safer than carrying them in your hands from the cage as they can suddenly wriggle free, fall and hurt themselves.

Very occasionally I have let one of our syrians have some time in a ball - if they are wanting out and haven't been able to set up the playpen for some reason. I have not found either of our Syrians bothered by it but neither have they been great rollers either! I find they just do the usual sniffing while in it, exploring.

But use it very rarely. From a safety point of view also,they should never be left unattended in a ball - they can get stuck or roll down stairs with serious consequences - and they should never be in it for more than 10 to 15 mins at one go.

03-21-2020, 04:30 PM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: opinion on hamster balls? I think they are a no-no for dwarf hamsters and roborovski's definitely - particularly the issue with risks of trapped toes, and fear. Some Syrian owners say hamsters enjoy their ball - I find once they've had a playpen or free roaming they're not really interested in a ball. The main issue with balls for Syrians is they're not big enough so you then need a rat ball and most of the rat balls have larger slits and then you get trapped toe issues again. The Savic 25cm Rat ball has slits that aren't too large. I have one but only very rarely use it. As Amity says it is handy to have a ball to safely transport a hamster from room to room eg - or from cage to playpen/bathtub as they will hop into it and you can then pop the lid on and carry them. That is safer than carrying them in your hands from the cage as they can suddenly wriggle free, fall and hurt themselves. Very occasionally I have let one of our syrians have some time in a ball - if they are wanting out and haven't been able to set up the playpen for some reason. I have not found either of our Syrians bothered by it but neither have they been great rollers either! I find they just do the usual sniffing while in it, exploring. But use it very rarely. From a safety point of view also,they should never be left unattended in a ball - they can get stuck or roll down stairs with serious consequences - and they should never be in it for more than 10 to 15 mins at one go.