Exercise balls, does anyone else use them?

[Michaeljdawyd]

I have large exercise balls for ferrets that I put my rats in to freely explore.

My females love them and run for hours...but in the first 5min they unload and I have to clean 10+ turds out of the balls. Is this normal? They've been using the balls for over a year and they still defecate in them and continue running.

My males won't use the balls at all, they just poo and sit there.

Is this normal behaviour?

 

[Roo]

Exercise balls are generally a bad idea for rats. Rats explore with their senses so the balls restrict them. It can cause health issues (back, tail and toe injuries). I'm not sure if anybody on the rat shack uses them.

 

[Dazzle87]

Yes they are not recommended at all. Most rats hate them because they can't use their senses and feel trapped. More importantly though, their backs are not meant to bend in the way that ferrets or hamsters can, and there is the respiratory issue, as the ventillation is awful.

 

[lizmo1221]

There is also the issue of overheating in that very confined space, especially if they are in it for a long time. I would recommend setting up a closed in area and letting everyone play out int he open! It will be a lot more fun for them (and you, since you can be in there and play with them), since they get to play with toys and their buddies while they are in there. It will also be a lot easier for you to clean up poo.

I put a blanket down and put up my playpen made of courrogated plastic (aka Coroplast). Its 4'x4' and they love the space!

 

[Michaeljdawyd]

The balls are very large 15inch diameter and the females are eager to get inside. I've been giving them free-range for the past 6months (because I'm tired of all the pooping and cleaning the balls every 5 min).

By free-range I mean no restrictions, they explore the entire apt.

When I lived at home my father tried to make play pens for them but the females cannot be contained, which is why the balls are used. They go right into this anxious mode of fear and looking for a way out and start chewing and taking leaps of faith to escape. Tried wooden walls, but they gnaw through them and start ripping up the flooring. Tried wire fencing but they just climb out.

What are some suggestions since I cannot give my rats free-range once I move back home?

 

[Dazzle87]

Even if they go in them there is still the ventilation problem, and if it is all they would get for out of cage time, it's not mentally stimulating. Your rats wouldn't be able to get out if a three foot high playpen, you can make one out of hardboard quite easily. There is also the martins playpen, which has a lid for when you are not in there playing with them. Another option is to rat proof a single room, like your bedroom or a bathroom.

 

[Michaeljdawyd]

There is also the issue of overheating in that very confined space, especially if they are in it for a long time. I would recommend setting up a closed in area and letting everyone play out int he open! It will be a lot more fun for them (and you, since you can be in there and play with them), since they get to play with toys and their buddies while they are in there. It will also be a lot easier for you to clean up poo.

I put a blanket down and put up my playpen made of courrogated plastic (aka Coroplast). Its 4'x4' and they love the space!

My dad made 4'x4' with plywood and they spent the entire time gnawing at the bottom and floor and leaping up the walls only to slide all the way back down till eventually they were able to amazingly jump and catch the top edge. They are relentless escape artists

 

[Michaeljdawyd]

Even if they go in them there is still the ventilation problem, and if it is all they would get for out of cage time, it's not mentally stimulating. Your rats wouldn't be able to get out if a three foot high playpen, you can make one out of hardboard quite easily. There is also the martins playpen, which has a lid for when you are not in there playing with them. Another option is to rat proof a single room, like your bedroom or
a bathroom.

Gimbly has gotten out of the 3 foot high walled plywood box (and chewed through it)

The females are in an open door cage sitting on top of my 90gallon aquarium and she can leap from the bottom to the top with ease and it is 2feet deep

 

[Dazzle87]

Sucks your rats are so "talented" lol. Ok, then your only options i can think of are to buy a playpen with a lid, like the martins playpen, or to rat proof your room and let them free range there.

 

[Michaeljdawyd]

Sucks your rats are so "talented" lol. Ok, then your only options i can think of are to buy a playpen with a lid, like the martins playpen, or to rat proof your room and let them free range there.

Only Gimbly is the escape artist. Grey just copies her once she finds a way out

hmm they are in a super pet habitat defined rat cage on top of a 48x18x24 tank roughly the same size as the martins playpen dimensions i found online.

My boys are in a 47x23x20 guineapig/rabbit cage.

Is this enough space to not need free-range play daily? Want to make sure they're getting as much as they need.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

This is the only way I use those running balls

And my rats love it.

I have one of my bathrooms rat proofed so that I don't have to worry about escapees.

 

[Dazzle87]

The difference between 44x44 and 47x23 is pretty big, the large martins playpen (I don't recommend the small) has nearly twice the square footage. I do not use a playpen, I free range them, but many use the playpen. While space is important, I think it's largely bout a change of space, new toys to explore, and interacting with you.

 

[Michaeljdawyd]

This is the only way I use those running balls

And my rats love it.

I have one of my bathrooms rat proofed so that I don't have to worry about escapees.

Great idea! One of my balls has a broken lid and you've shown me a new use for it

 

[denial]

Have you tried your bed? That's where my kids normally play. I put down towels over my sheets and litter the bed with toys then let them play to their hearts content. They're much less likely to take a flying leap off than they are to leap up the walls of a playpen. Then again, I do have a high, large bed. Jack sometimes gets off onto my bedside table, but he can't get off that either so he normally comes back when I call him or Chester stops watching him (only brave when he's showing off). As long as you supervise them and field any suicide attempts, it makes its own great play pen. And, if you put out a toilet area then they won't poo everywhere?

My ratties also get play time with me on the floor & couch. As well as regular tours of the house on my shoulder. ;D

 

[StaceyM]

When I lived at home my father tried to make play pens for them but the females cannot be contained, which is why the balls are used. They go right into this anxious mode of fear and looking for a way out and start chewing and taking leaps of faith to escape. Tried wooden walls, but they gnaw through them and start ripping up the flooring. Tried wire fencing but they just climb out.

What are some suggestions since I cannot give my rats free-range once I move back home?

I'm wondering if you tried having a lot of "safe" places for them in there. My girls are less likely to do the crazy leaps to escape if they have lots of hidey holes......fisher price farm, over turned baskets...etc etc. If they have lots of places to hide, they felt safer to explore and don't feel as desperate to get out..... A bowl of frozen peas in water also keeps them interested in staying

 

[SQ]

sitting in their play area so they can interact with you is also important imo

 

[jorats]

The interactions with the human is very important during their out time play. But to give them extra exercise and for a shorter period of time, I don't see a problem with using the balls, especially with smaller, agile females.

I used to be totally against the use of those balls. Until I met 4 rats on two separate occasion with two different owners, who absolutely adored their balls and even asked to go in them.

 

[lilspaz68]

The fact that these rats poop as soon as they are put in the ball doesn't necessarily mean happy rats and I still stand with the fact that rats are always reaching up and pulling down to move the balls. This can hurt their back because they cannot stop the movement. A rat wheel is similar but the rat has the option to step off and on, and they often do, take little breaks (to stretch out?) and then continue on the wheel.

I am not an advocate.

 

I have to agree with Lilspaz. Wheels are fine, because they can get on and off as they please, but in a ball they are stuck there.

 

[jorats]

While in a big ball, the rats aren't reaching up to move it, they can take simple little steps if they like which makes the ball go slower, they also often stop while in it. If a rat poops immediately when placed in a ball, that's an indication of being scared and the rat should be removed. Also, if rats poop in the ball, that ball needs to be cleaned out and thoroughly cleaned pronto. It's a lot of work if you want to have your rats play in the ball and they should be closely supervised. But nothing should replace outside play time, allowing for climbing, sniffing, exploring and human interactions.