# Opinion on rat balls?



## sherlockandwatson (Feb 22, 2014)

So I'm thinking about getting my rat a ball so he can be in the living room without getting lost. I know the ventilation sucks but would it be okay for short periods of time. I don't know it would be really helpful if you could share your opinion.


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## RexRat (Nov 29, 2013)

If I remember correctly, rat balls aren't safe for rats in general, but I'd wait for other input!

With rodents, I like to stay away from any of the rodent balls for a few reasons (granted, it's my opinion and not necessarily what everyone else thinks!) My main reason is bolded and put in red!
- The slits in each ball makes it a danger zone for nails to get stuck/hurt
- The ventilation is poor
- For animals with poor eyesight, these can make navigating very hard (especially in anything other than the clear ones)
*- *It's not a proper substitution for roaming around, as it doesn't allow for much use of the senses such as touch, smell...etc
- Most rats don't enjoy wheels, and for those rats, the hamster/rat balls wouldn't be very fun
- They don't have much of a choice to go anywhere but move, even after curiously walking into the ball

Then again, some people find that their rodent likes it, but this question was directed towards rats, so I probably shouldn't trail off!

Maybe you could create a play pen? If you have a closet, I used to block it off so my rat could play in there!


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## sherlockandwatson (Feb 22, 2014)

I have a play pen with his wheel which he LOVES and it's sorta small and he gets bored easily.


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## StormAndWinter (Mar 5, 2014)

I've never had rats take to the ball honestly, I've tried and they just sit in it and wash their face


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## ratswithfoxandbear (Feb 12, 2014)

Definitely thought this would be about ratballs... rat testicles. Laughed when I realized you were talking about the toy.

Anyway, I read a lot about how the ball is not safe for them. If you get them a wheel, it must be a foot long... basically the biggest wheel and NOT grated.


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

Lol....I thought the same thing ratswithFoxandBear. I have read that balls are not good for their backs b/c it arches the back the opposite way they normally arch. Hopefully that makes sense..lol


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Not good for the back, the respiratory system, their nails, or their sense of exploration. The only thing that they are good for is using as a bed in the cage!


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## ratty_milkshake (Feb 24, 2014)

I bought one before i got my rats and I put them in it once. I felt so bad for them that i have never done it again. Have to put it up in the cage some time..


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I would agree with everyone else's ideas on why they are bad.

I'll also add that when I was a lot younger and had my first few rats, I thought a ball would be a great idea too. Every single rat in the years after that I tried using the ball with would be so terrified, they'd struggle fiercly when I tried putting them in, and once they were in, would just sit still in terror and poop and pee all over inside and/or frantically try to get out, which of course would make the ball move and the pee would spill out and all over them and the floor, and they'd smear the poop all over by stepping on it, and it was just very bad in general. I would definitely avoid it, they most likely will not like it at all and stress them out immensly.


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## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

I've had one rat (Toki) who really enjoyed her ball, but she did get very warm in it (while we cleaned her cage).

Daisy was absolutely terrified in it, and I've never used one since. Aside from the health worries, bear in mind that rats (unlike a lot of small flurries) don't like to mindlessly run. They''re not under the assumption that they're actually going anywhere, and being in an enclosed ball would be pretty terrifying.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

The title of this post cracked me up, lol.


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## Daize (Jun 8, 2013)

I got one for my rat. She loved it, for a little bit. After about 2 weeks she got tired of it and now prefers her wheel. 

I know she loved it, because we left the end opened. She'd crawl in it, on her own, and roll it around. Of course, she couldn't do it very well, since the top wasn't closed. Still, she'd run around the house looking for that ball. It actually seemed like a game for her. Once she learned she could run on the wheel, more easily, she changed over to using the wheel and forgot about the ball. BTW it was the 13 inch ball.


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## Ratbag (Nov 30, 2013)

DustyRat said:


> The title of this post cracked me up, lol.


I think I was thinking the same thing as you!!! ;D


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Lol I could give more of an opinion on the testicles.


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## sherlockandwatson (Feb 22, 2014)

Haha yeah i didn't know what to title it! I was laughing as I was typing. Thanks everyone I don't think i'll get one. If I do and he doesn't like it i'll just use it as a bed.


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## Ec_Kelly (Mar 6, 2014)

I got them for my boys for when I'm cleaning their cage and if I ever need to hoover in the room where I keep them since they're terrified of the hoover noise. Edgar doesn't seem to care too much about it, he just chills in a corner in his having a snooze but Archer loves it! He's never still in his. I find it hard to catch him in the ball if I'm putting him back in the cage cause he runs so **** fast. I was a bit apprehensive about getting them because of what people had said about it maybe hurting their backs.


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## JBird (May 23, 2013)

Yeah they're pretty much useless other than as a bed, lol. I don't like them for hamsters or mice, either, just because they don't provide nearly any sensory stimulation. 

I tied mine up in the corner of my cage with zipties, it's been hanging for a long time and is a favorite food-hoarding spot! Dexter LOVES napping on his food pile like a ferocious dragon hoarding gold.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Rats are WAY too intelligent and inquisitive to be locked in a ball and deprived of the senses!

But yes, they do make great beds. I bought one on clearance just to hang as a bed  Miles and Leno LOVED it.


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## Juliah456 (Mar 12, 2014)

If you do decide to use a ball (which I wouldn't recommend because of the possible respiratory issues etc), make sure to use the large ones (i.e. ferret size, the big big ones) to make sure your ratties aren't bending backwards in there! The same would apply to wheels, making sure they are big so the rat doesn't have to curve it's spine as much.


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## Antiquatemyheart (Mar 25, 2014)

I bought a huge ferret ball and Ratatouille loves it! I really only put him in there when I'm cleaning the cage because my dog likes to get a little too friendly with him when I'm not paying attention. The one time I put Loki in there, she pooped and obviously hated it so I just have never put her back in. I think they enjoy their free-ranging more than the ball.


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