Hamster exercise balls have been around our home almost as long as humans have domesticated hamsters to live in our homes, hamster balls are small plastic balls that allow your little furry to run around your home "safely" but are hamster balls all that safe?
PRO'S OF HAMSTER BALLS!
They allow a hamster to get exercise.
10% they keep them safe.
They come in a range of colors and styles.
CON'S OF HAMSTER BALLS!
They slowly cause your hamster to suffocate.
Limbs or toes can be amputated or broken in air gaps.
Cause high levels of anxiety/stress.
Can be attacked by other pets in your home eg. Cats
Crash into walls and fall down stairs.
Can escape.
Most balls are too small for larger species of hamster such as Syrians.
Can cause spinal damage or spinal arching.
Could potentially be stood on or kicked.
Loss of senses/orientation
100% Unsanitary
1. Suffocation
The gaps or air-holes on hamster balls are far too small they don't allow enough air into them to allow your hamster to breath properly, when your hamster starts to run it starts to get low on oxygen and this causes panic in your hamsters brain which causes your hamster to start to run faster this is where owner begin to think there hamster is actually enjoying there ball.
2. Loss/Damage to limbs/toes
The air gaps are not big enough for your hamster to breath but they are big enough for your hamsters toes and legs to fit through and this can cause your hamsters limbs to be broken, dislocated or amputated in the worst case scenario.
3. Anxiety/Stress
With your hamster not being able to breath properly and them being scared that they are trapped in an inescapable contraption your hamsters anxiety and stress levels rise and this causes them to freak out and just start running in all directions trying to break free this is what causes hamsters to bump into furniture and speed up there running.
4. Attacked by other pets/Falls and Crashes.
With your hamster just being out in the open this puts them in stressful situations because they have no where to run and hide they are constantly out in the open and this also raises there anxiety levels even more, If you so happen to have other pets in your home this gives them the opportunity to play with this new toy, cats are curious animals and can give a good hard swipe with there paws sending your hamsters ball flying across the room putting you hamster at risk of injury's by crashing into hard furniture they can also end up falling down stairs which would cause on serious damage.
5. Ball Sizes
Most hamster balls only come in 6" - 10" which is far to small for Syrian hamsters and Syrian hamsters being the most popular hamster species owned this means they are more likely to be forced into these contraptions. A Syrian hamster wheel should be no smaller than 10.5" but ideally should be in the 12"-14" to comfortably keep there spines straight.
6.Loss of Senses/Orientation
Hamsters have very short eyesight and can only see a couple of centimeters in front of there noses so rely a lot on there hearing and keen sense of smell to get around, Putting them inside the ball limits these senses and makes them loss there orientation and sense of direction and this is why there always running into things. Them not being able to hear, see or smell properly also helps towards raising there stress and anxiety levels.
7.Unsanitary
Hamsters often use urine and pop to scent there territory this also helps them get around and recognize areas that are safe to them, Hamsters will often pee and poo inside there balls and owners surprisingly very rarely clean them out or clean them very well, this leaves a rancid smell inside the ball that smells 100x worse for a hamster as they have a higher sense of smell compared to humans. This leaves hamsters feeling uncomfortable and stresses them out also.
So I have gave you 7 AMAZING Reasons not to ever use a hamster ball.
These things are DEATH TRAPS!
Use them in your cages as hides for your hamster to explore instead.
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