Many pet shops highly recommend using an exercise ball. When new potential owners come into the pet shop, as a consumer we believe the staff are knowledgeable and will recommend good items your new pet will love, but the truth is, many pet shop staff get this wrong. They only need to have a standard amount of knowledge to care for and sell the pets in store, but it takes a lot more knowledge to know the real truth about these little animals and their needs. I’m not saying all pet stores are like this, as I’ve met a few very knowledgeable people who give great advice, but unfortunately not everyone will know the ins and outs of pet care, or have the passion for it, and with passion, comes knowledge.
Hamsters have awful vision
Hamsters have bad enough vision as it is, and now they’re expected to be able to see where they’re going in an unclear plastic ball. They’re running blind! This will be stressful for your hamster, even in the so called ‘clear’ exercise balls, they’re still blurry. A hamster will definitely not be able to see where they’re going no matter how clear it claims to be.
Blocks their scent
So not only are they running blind, but now their scent is also blocked, too. Hamsters use their sense of smell to help find their way around. The plastic ball provides a barrier between the hamsters nose and the environment they’re in, so your hamster isn’t going to know if they’re somewhere safe or if there are predators around, because they rely heavily on their senses like sight and smell, to know this.
Crashing is scary
Because they have no idea where they’re going, they tend to crash everywhere. This is incredibly stressful for your hamster and also scary.
Can cause injuries & Death
If you take your eye off the ball for even a second, it could be a second too late, they could potentially cause injuries such as falling down the stairs, another pet getting hold of them, it could become loose and your hamster may escape. Their little toes can get caught in the gaps and break or be dismembered. There are a lot of risks to your hamsters health when using these exercise balls.
They’re often too small
Which causes other health problems such as curvature of the spine and painful joints.
They urinate more often
Because they’re scared, hamster will naturally pee and poop more in their exercise ball, and if they’re not cleaned regularly then this can cause serious health problems, besides, hamsters are clean and won’t like to run in their urination.
Can cause stress related problems (wet Tail)
Stress causes illnesses and the most common and dangerous is called wet tail. Once a hamster contracts wet tail it’s often too late and in most cases, they’re put to sleep.
Many people use and exercise balls whilst they’re cleaning out their enclosure. But there are other options. You can buy a Hamster carrier or get a small cage to put them in whilst you’re doing the cleaning, it’s a much safer option, and can be used for other purposes such as transporting them safely to the vets.
