Exercise balls, does anyone else use them?

In my mind, rats are too social to be placed in a ball at all, to me it's just mean. They are just fine to let out in a play area where they can jump, hop and run around in comfort, balls are not needed. Hamsters are small, so when they are standing on all fours in a ball, not moving their backs are not curved, but rats are much longer, and their backs are always curved ..not to mention the tail & toe nails can get stuck and ripped off easily in thoese holes.

 

[jorats]

but rats are much longer, and their backs are always curved ..not to mention the tail.

This is not true. Rats can sit comfortably in the large balls without having their backs curved. I'm talking about the megaballs.

 

but rats are much longer, and their backs are always curved ..not to mention the tail.

This is not true. Rats can sit comfortably in the large balls without having their backs curved. I'm talking about the megaballs.

How about their feet/toe nails. A lot of hamsters have toe nail injuries, rats have longer nails, which would make me scarred that they would ripe them off if they got cought while running.

I am just so agaisnt balls because my friend had a rat years ago and had one of the megaballs for him, and when he was older he had alot of back troubles ..you could not even touch his back without him yelping, and he had a toe nail ripped off too.

 

[RKbusy]

I would never put a rat in one of those balls. I mean... when a rat comes out for play time, it wants to run from hiding spot to hiding spot. It wants to chew on things, it wants to rearrange your non-nailed-down furniture, or at least modify it. Being in a balls stops it from doing all of that.

I would recommend out time on your bed. If you don't have that many toys to provide hiding places, just take one of your old blankets, and make it your "rat blanket". Make the blanket into one giant maze, by just tossing it on the bed and bunching it together randomly. My guys LOVE that. Cause there's so many hiding spots, some of my guys try to dig in it, and others try to jump up onto the "peaks", but then it doesn't support their weight... and they just sink again. Best of all, you can make yourself a human hiding place, and it totally beats kneeling awkwardly on the hard ground.

 

I just read previouse posts and must note again, balls do have bad air flow, another reason not to use them.

You can rat proof your bathroom or another open room in your home, if they can escape from playpens.

 

[RatsForever]

I have the big balls and I only use them as hammocks in their cage and playpen - my rats love it. When I tear newspaper, they will build a nest inside the ball.

 

[mamarat]

I rescued 3 girls who had had out time in their big balls only. They would not come out of the cage so I placed the balls on the ground and Lady and Ella actually went to their balls and jumped in. I took down the walls of the coral and just watched them go. They would roll it to me and hubby and go exploring always coming back to us. I was so amazed I phoned Jo to see that. And they never pooed in the balls. Needless to say once they discovered running and climbing in the room they didn't look at their balls again. lol

 

[Nettster]

when i hd my hampster she had her out time in a ball and loved it (she would run straight to it when i set it in her cage) the only time i used a big ball with rats was as a hidey spot for out time i used 4 pieces of wood and made a little stand for it and just set it on the couch for them.

In school we were told never to use balls with rats because of the air flow restrictions as well as the toe rip issue... i guess she figured people were smart enough to get the BIGGEST possible balls for them when picking them and didnt bring up back problems?? most of the class owned rats (thats the funny part lol)she just said to always advise clients away from choosing the balls for out time and allow free range, my teacher was pretty decent, she had 4 rats herself ^_^.

 

[AmyMeowCat]

Willow loved her ball when she was younger, in fact she would chase the cats around the living room in it. It was so cute. I had a pic on my first camera phone, but no way to save it as she got older naturally she didn't run as much but would still go in and have fun whenever I would clean her cage I would put her in it. She was consederably smaller than a standard Fancy though, so that may have been a factor too. But when I tried putting the Flowers, and even Sakura and Yuki back when, in the ball they could not get out fast enough. I have read pros and cons, but I figure at least with mine they don't like it, so I don't use them.