This post is contributed by Nature Girl from Critter Corner. She also has a really cute blog on sleeping hamsters at http://www.sleepinghamsterzzz.blogspot.com/
Review of SuperPet RunABout Hamster Ball
My dwarf hamster Mickey enjoys running in his hamster ball. Hamsters sometimes get very frightened if they are put in a round sphere, but he doesn’t mind it, occasionally stopping and looking around instead of digging at the sides to try to get out, which is mistaken by hamster owners as the hamster running around in glee. I purchased the hamster ball a few months ago, and was interested because it is a glow in the dark version. I am sure children get a kick out of this part, but I don’t really think the average hamster owner lets her/his hamster run around in the dark, which is what this requires. Anyway, this is what the ball looks like.
The ball is a dwarf hamster size, but it looks like it comes in larger sizes too.
The cap that goes on the ball is softer plastic and therefore easier to break, and when I accidentally dropped the cap on the floor it confirmed this.
Otherwise, the ball is pretty good in shape and the crack did not pose any danger to the times when I put Mickey in the ball – meaning, it did not get loose or open up once.
There are good-sized slits in the hamster ball, but the hamster claws and legs did not get stuck in here once. My other hamster ball had to be disposed of because of this problem – the holes were big enough for his legs to become trapped and he could not enjoy the hamster ball time.
My hamster had a very easy time rolling around, and the ball has great lightweight plastic that makes for easy rolling. As for the glowing part, I was a little disappointed. In dim light, it did not glow.
I think the whole reason people buy this particular hamster ball instead of the plain kind is because of the whole “Glow in the dark” thing, but you really must leave it under bright light all day to “charge” it, then make sure it is completely pitch black in order to see the glow effect. Even then, it barely shows up.
Plus, it could be frightening to an animal inside a glowing ball because he could not see the outside part and he could be a bit upset and scared. So while this is isn’t really a hit with the glowing thing, the hamster ball is still very good quality and nice for hamsters.
