Hamsters balls are one of the most unique engaging, and playful toys for your furry friend. They allow them to explore their surroundings in a safe way by keeping them enclosed, but giving them the freedom to explore. If you don’t have a hamster ball for your little friend yet, it’s time to change that.
Hamster balls are safe and provide an engaging activity that allows them expend energy and explore at the same time. Contrary to something like a hamster wheel, a ball can give your furry friend both physical and mental stimulation to keep them happy and healthy.
There’s a lot more to know about hamster balls that we’ll cover in the following article, but as with all of our articles here’s an interactive table of contents that you can click to be taken to any specific section of this article.
With that said, let’s jump right into whether hamster balls are safe!
Are Hamster Balls Safe?
Hamster balls are great toys that are safe, reliable and designed to provide an exciting experience for your hamster, however there are potential issues that you should watch out for when they are exploring.
When choosing and putting your hamster inside a ball, ensure that you are keeping the following factors in mind:
- Size of the ball: One of the most common issues is that the hamster ball may be too small for your furry friend, which can lead to them becoming stressed out and even worse possibly suffocation. To avoid this, make sure you select an appropriately sized hamster ball for them to explore in.
- Potentially toxic materials: Another concern is to ensure that the hamster ball is made of a safe and non-toxic material. You don’t want your hamster spending extended periods of time in a small, confined area that is potentially toxic to their health.
- Always supervise them: Whenever your hamster is in their ball, make sure to place them in a confined space and keep a close on eye them. Even though the ball should keep them safe, you don’t want them falling down stairs, getting stuck, or rolling under or around something they shouldn’t.
Hamster balls are a great and safe toy for your furry friend, but you should always ensure you are picking out the correct type of ball that is made of non-toxic materials and always monitor their activity when inside the ball. You don’t want anything going wrong when you give your hamster a little bit more freedom to explore your home.
Do Hamsters Like Hamster Balls?
Hamsters generally like hamster balls because they give them a way to expel energy and explore their surroundings. However, not every hamster enjoys exploring their surroundings in a ball, so it’s important to monitor their behavior for signs of stress.
Hamsters are naturally inquisitive animals so allowing them to see more of the world outside their cage is an activity that should be explored.
While hamsters generally enjoy navigating and exploring the world outside their cage in a translucent, plastic ball, not all of them enjoy the activity. So it’s important for you to monitor their behavior the first few times they play in their ball to see how they react. Some hamsters can become stressed, feel trapped, and become anxious. If you notice this type of behavior, you should remove them from the ball and avoid using it in the future.
Hamsters can feel this way because the hamster balls are not very large and it can be difficult to get sufficient air flow inside. They rely on their sense of smell and if the hamster ball doesn’t have enough holes, a hamster can start to feel trapped and become stressed out.
Also, a hamster ball requires regular and sustained activity, which means even a few minutes inside the ball can be stressful. Once they’ve expelled their energy and become tired, they now have no place to relax, burrow, and feel safe.
Now with all of that said, you may find that your hamster loves their ball. It’s all a toss up until you actually put your hamster inside a ball and see how they behave. If you notice them enjoying the activity and exploring the home, that’s great! However, if you notice them sitting still, breathing heavily, or hiding in a corner of the room, it may be time to retire the ball entirely and try another great toy.
Are Hamster Balls Good for Hamsters?
Yes, hamster balls are good for hamsters because they provide both physical and mental stimulation. They can expel the pent up energy in their little bodies by pushing the ball around a room and have a chance to explore the surroundings outside their cage since they are naturally curious animals.
Hamster balls are one of the most popular hamster toys for a reason in that they provide the stimulation needed to keep them active, curious, and healthy. However, not all hamsters will enjoy the ball and if they don’t enjoy it, a hamster ball can quickly go from a great activity to a terrible one.
For some hamsters, they may feel trapped and get scared. If you were locked up in a small ball, after a few minutes you might want to get out too. For others though, they may enjoy exploring the areas outside of their cage in a safe, enclosed space. It all depends on your hamster and what they’re comfortable with.
That’s why it’s so important to watch your hamster as they’re in their ball and make sure they aren’t exhibiting any stressful or anxious behaviors. If you find they’ve stopped moving the ball or they’re hiding in a corner, it’s probably time for you to take them out and put them back in their cage. You can try again for a few minutes another day, but give your hamster time to relax and recharge.
While hamster balls can be great for hamsters, it’s important to make sure the new activity doesn’t provide undue stress or anxiety. Ensuring that they are happy, feel safe, and comfortable is the number one priority.
Do Hamster Balls Stress Hamsters?
Hamster balls can stress hamsters, but it all depends on what your hamster enjoys and certain aspects of the toy. Ensure that the ball has sufficient ventilation, clear for your hamster to see out of, and there’s no other large animals around as they explore.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, hamster balls can stress hamsters if your hamster is particularly skittish or doesn’t have an appetite for exploring. And that’s completely fine. Some hamsters are more adept to burrowing and relaxing in their cage with an occasional run on the hamster wheel. Others need to explore to feel fulfilled and excited.
The most common reasons that a hamster ball can stress out your hamster is the confined space and lack of air flow. Some hamsters may feel trapped by the small ball or feel they can’t get enough air inside to safely and comfortably breath.
If you notice your hamster breathing heavily, not moving, or any other obvious signs of stress, immediately take them out of the ball and place them back in their cage. This should help reduce their anxiety and get them back to feeling normal with space to roam and plenty of air to breath.
While hamster balls are a great toy that should be tried at least once, your hamster may not enjoy it. For some it can cause stress, anxiety, and other negative behaviors and it’s vitally important to watch them in the ball and ensure they are not exhibiting these behaviors.
What Makes Hamster Balls Dangerous?
The most common things that make a hamster ball dangerous are the small size of the ball and the lack of air flow. Ensure that the hamster ball is large enough for your hamster and has enough air holes to provide them with enough air in this strenuous activity.
It’s important to give your a hamster a toy that is right for them. Choosing the right size hamster ball is one of the most important decisions you can make when purchasing the toy. You want to make sure that it’s large enough for your hamster to comfortably stay in for the duration of their play time, but not too large that they can’t push it around. If the ball is too small, it can cause your hamster stress and anxiety, which can have a negative impact on their life span.
The next most important thing to check for is that the ball has sufficient air flow. A lot of times these balls only have a few, small holes for air flow and that’s just not enough. You want to make sure there there is enough ventilation that your hamster can breathe easily even if they’re not moving. Sometimes that make it a little harder to push, but you’d rather have more air flow than not enough.
When picking out a ball for your furry friend, always ensure that it’s the right size and has enough air flow to give your hamster a comfortable environment for them to explore the surroundings outside their cage.
How Long Should a Hamster Be in a Ball?
A hamster should be in a ball for no more than 10 minutes at a time to avoid too much strenuous activity and get them back to a more open area where they can breathe freely.
Hamster balls are great toys, but since a hamster doesn’t have much choice in when and how long they’re in the ball for, it’s important for you to keep a close eye on them and watch for any obvious signs of stress.
A good rule of thumb is to start with 5 minutes and see how your hamster reacts. Are they exploring? Do they look happy? Are they breathing normally? All of these are good questions to ask as you watch them in their ball. If you find that they are sitting still, breathing heavy, or just look stressed, it’s important to take them out of the ball right away and place them back in their cage.
Hamsters don’t have any say in how long they stay in that small, confined space so it’s important for you to be the manager of how long they’re in their for. Look for the obvious signs of whether they’re enjoying their time and feel free to give them a couple extra minutes, but generally it’s recommended to not leave them in the ball for more than 10 minutes at a time.
How to Take a Hamster Ball Apart?
Every hamster ball is different, but most have a plastic locking mechanism that you can twist and pull to separate the hamster ball into two or more pieces. Look for this locking mechanism to take a hamster ball apart.
Not all hamster balls are made the same, but the vast majority follow the same structure of a twist and pull locking mechanism. By twisting the two halves of the ball, each half should pull apart easily. You may need to wiggle each half around a little bit to ensure they aren’t stuck, but they generally come apart fairly easily.
Some hamster balls will have a door on the top that you can open to place your hamster inside. Sometimes these balls will have a locking mechanism to pull the two halves apart, but sometimes they won’t.
The easiest way to take your hamster ball apart is to read the instructions that came with the ball and look for any type of mechanisms that you can use to open it. If you don’t have the instructions anymore, look at the product online where you purchased it to see if others have had the same issue with the same ball and whether they have been able to take it apart.
Additional Reading
There’s lots of great content and online shopping portals to purchase hamster balls and we’ve listed a few links below. Feel free to click to any of them below to continue your exploration in the hamster ball space:
- Purchase Hamster Balls – Amazon.com
- Can I Let My Hamster Run Around My Room – The Pet Property
- Hamster Balls – Wikipedia
Conclusion
And there you have it! Hamster balls can be a great, new toy for your hamster to explore the surroundings outside of their cage, while giving them a daily dose of the exercise they need.
However, not all hamsters will enjoy a ball. Be sure to monitor your hamster as they use the ball for the first few times to make sure they aren’t exhibiting signs of obvious stress or anxiety. It’s not easy being enclosed in a small space and you want to ensure it’s not negatively affecting your furry friend.
Always be aware of the pros and cons of a hamster ball and make sure it’s only resulting in positive effects and behaviors.