Death balls

[zombiezeatbrain]

I'm sorry to throw this thread off track but I seriously doubt the ball would be the cause of these issues. A hunchback is an indicator of pain or of weight loss & circling madly can be a sign of an inner ear infection or a behaviour problem.

I'm not extremely experienced in terms of the anatomy of a chin, I'm clearly no veterinarian, I just noticed the strange line in which Bleach's spine seemed to arch, it appears EXACTLY the same way a picture of a chin with hunchback looks in a book that I own discussing the health issue. It doesn't look normal and doesn't feel normal. You're right though, it may not be hunchback but I'm almost positive it is. (The chin isn't mine, it's my sister's, but I'm the one who rescued it primarily) She took him to the vet a few days ago but we haven't had a chance to discuss what the vet said). I believe that the circling madly is a behavioral problem CAUSED by constant entrapment within the ball. I am almost 100% positive that the past owners would only let Bleach out when they had him in the ball. He was being kept in a garage that wasn't properly cleaned out, and so I can see how they would think it was okay to just close him up in the plastic ball and let him run around and do his thing because HEY the ball was stopping him from eating all the junk they left on the floor. I reached this conclusion because A.) he would not leave the confines of his cage unless you held the ball up to the door and allowed him to crawl inside of it; if you slowly reach in to pet him or carefully pick him up he gets spooked and tries to either defend himself or just run away. And also because B.) I've noticed a pattern in the way stands while running in circles in his cage. He stands up so far on his hind legs that he tends to fall over backwards and he will continuously do this in circles, and when inside the ball, he stands with the exact same stature as he begins walking get it rolling, and the ball will end up rolling in circles. I'm very glad that we were able to rescue him, he's 7 years old but I've been watching him improve. My sister loves him very much. We incinerated the ball of death and he's been progressing ever since.

 

[Claire D]

I did not say your chin does not have a hunch back - I simply said it is highly unlikely to have been caused by using a ball. It is associated with weight loss or pain. From the conditions you have suggested it is possible that the chin has not been fed a correct diet which may lead to weight loss & a hunched back - you could always post photos in a new thread so that we could see him.
Circling in the cage as you have described it is a sign of a generalised behaviour problem. If you search through the forums others have mentioned the same thing but with no death ball involved - the ball is not the cause but it will not have helped only being allowed to run in such a confined space - he is lucky to have been given a second chance with you & your sister. :thumbsup:

 

[ticklechin]

I agree 100% with Claire, the ball did not cause those symptoms, hunchback is caused by hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) and the circling can be caused by a neurological problem or untreated ear infection or a behaviour problem, not a ball.

 

[menagerie]

I've been cleaning out my garage and came across two death balls that were donated for use with the rats, I won't use them for any animal. So I smashed them with a hammer before putting them in the recycle bin because I don't want anyone to be able to use them.

 

[Essentia]

I've been cleaning out my garage and came across two death balls that were donated for use with the rats, I won't use them for any animal. So I smashed them with a hammer before putting them in the recycle bin because I don't want anyone to be able to use them.

I do that to all of them that I get. It's brings me so much enjoyment.

 

[Amphy64]

Last week I saw that a girl posted on Yahoo answers, panicked because something was wrong with her chinchilla, he'd gone wobbly and was just lying down. She (luckily) mentioned that it was right after he'd been in one of these balls. I strongly suspect he'd overheated, and thankfully cooling him down helped him make a full recovery, and the owner let me know that now she knew about the dangers, she would definitely not be using a ball any more. It wasn't her fault as the previous owner had given her the ball with the chin, so of course she'd assumed it was safe for him. Hearing about this chin really brought the dangers of using a ball home (not that I'd ever have used one), it sounded as though it could so easily have been much worse, and hearing the stories here only confirms that. I've used them occasionally with hamsters, but soon stopped using them as I quickly came to the conclusion that they preferred being free in a safe area to play, and also saw for myself that the top of the ball can come off even when attached correctly - definitely not safe to be used unsupervised or around other pets. As far as my chin goes, I'd never use one with him. Henry likes to be free to bounce around, jump, wall surf, try to EAT the walls, steal my socks, come and jump on my shoulder and stick his nose in my ear and chirrup at me, and just generally raise havoc. As well as it being dangerous, being stuck in a ball would spoil his fun.

 

[midgemidge2000]

omg. i didn't know they were sooo dangourous. i am throwing mine away right nnow and never putting my chin in a death ball again!!! :-(

 

[midgemidge2000]

It is human error to put the animal in the ball, so how is it different? It's possible that the lid came off due to "normal use" as well because she wasn't just in it for a couple seconds then it fell off. An aquarium with a screen top has more ventilation that a ball, but yet people shouldn't put chins in them.

even if it is "safe" wich it is NOT would you want to be covered in your own pee and poo. well if u don't then neither dose ur chin.

 

[midgemidge2000]

I would like to know who the 2 are that voted yes.

i am 1 of the 2, but i did that before i knew how bad they r and mine is in my attic right now.

 

[Lulilac]

The friend who gave me Barnaby also gave me a 'Ball of Death.' She said she'd tried it with another chinchilla but he hated it so she was giving it to me in case Barnaby liked it. Fortunately, I had already read things online about the evil Balls so he never got the chance to try it out. It is currently in a box under my stairs. I like the idea of making it into a chin swing!

I think the only kind of critter ball a chinchilla would do well in would be an extra bouncy rubber thing that would have its own Climate Control. They could bounce really high in it over all manner of baricades and the tops of furniture. It could also smoosh down so they could stealthily slither under furniture. Also, it would render them invisible at will. I would hope that NASA is working on one of these as we type. : p

Lu

 

[ticklechin]

Don't forget it needs to come with a diaper also!

 

[Rainschins]

when i got Koala he came with a ball and i let him use it at first but after reading and talking to other chin owners i threw it in the trash...

 

[Vcchinchilla]

aaah the death ball i initially thought it was a great thing to put him in while i changed the cage bedding ... after reading such horrible reviews it now acts as a immobile box -_-...

 

[sydneytaylorr]

Oh gosh. Well, I bought my chilla from a lady who wanted to downsize her amount of pets, so my little guy came with a deathball. I have know that they are extremely dangerous for the heat problem and such, the ball is quite...huge, and well, since i just got him about 4 days ago, well, I've not picked him up yet (he squeeks and runs away when I even attempt to, and yes I know how to pick them up safely. ), i've been going slowly, letting him do it on his own terms. He's absolutely fine with me petting him and giving him tons of scritches, he's definitely warmed up to me, so it should be soon where i can pick him up. I'm also going to be chin proofing my room quite soon as well. Back to the point, I put Mickey in the deathball for about 15-20 minutes (he hops into the ball himself.) with close supervision because he won't get much excersize in his cage, he doesn't pee or poop in his ball (so far) and actually runs a lot in it. but after about 15 minutes i put him back in his cage. I feel horrible about it but I hate seeing him looking bored in his cage. (the cage we got isn't "huge" either. It's a good size, but it's no FN cage. I'm saving up for a way better cage for him too.)

 

[Sassy-N-Chili]

My 1st post!! EEk my chins came with the death ball!! They have only been in it a few times never again!! I'm glad i found this forum

 

[InkedupTara]

Oh gosh. Well, I bought my chilla from a lady who wanted to downsize her amount of pets, so my little guy came with a deathball. I have know that they are extremely dangerous for the heat problem and such, the ball is quite...huge, and well, since i just got him about 4 days ago, well, I've not picked him up yet (he squeeks and runs away when I even attempt to, and yes I know how to pick them up safely. ), i've been going slowly, letting him do it on his own terms. He's absolutely fine with me petting him and giving him tons of scritches, he's definitely warmed up to me, so it should be soon where i can pick him up. I'm also going to be chin proofing my room quite soon as well. Back to the point, I put Mickey in the deathball for about 15-20 minutes (he hops into the ball himself.) with close supervision because he won't get much excersize in his cage, he doesn't pee or poop in his ball (so far) and actually runs a lot in it. but after about 15 minutes i put him back in his cage. I feel horrible about it but I hate seeing him looking bored in his cage. (the cage we got isn't "huge" either. It's a good size, but it's no FN cage. I'm saving up for a way better cage for him too.)

You may want to chin proof sooner rather than later, and let him get in and out of cage if possible or use a dust bath. It helps the bonding process when they can come out and interact with you sitting on the floor and he will come explore you. Mine like to sit on my head at playtime :thumbsup:

 

[Brittany85]

I would never put my chin in a ball. It is cruel and unusual punishment. I actually don't think it's okay for ANY animal even hamsters. Any animal can overheat and who wants to be trapped in a ball? It's unnatural for them.

 

[~@Pokemon@~]

I got two for my chins and once i saw how they were in the balls they looked scared and were much happier running around my room free and bounding around. So those balls are trash now. I never use them anymore.

 

[devonmariexoxo]

Wow! I had considered getting a ball for my chinchilla when I get one. But after seeing this forum, I definitely won't! I don't want to risk my pet's health, on top of making them miserable. Thanks for having all these posts!

 

[jess32247]

My chin has been passed down from 4 diffrent homes (mine WILL be the last) and she came with a death ball. I just know one of her pervious owners put her in a death ball before. I have never (nor ever will) put her through the torture of that ever again. As soon as I saw the ball and how she ran, I knew it would be extremely uncomfortable for her, I didn't even think about the heat at that point.