Death balls

[jessers]

I look up used chinchilla supplies online sometimes and I came across this ad :
"Chinchilla spin wheel and ball
ball is not 13inch one, i guess it;s 11inch one. but both are perfect size for an adult chin.
my chin is 2 years old and fits greatly. "
Crazy people 11in ball when those extra large ones won't do, not to mention the wheel shown in the picture has a GERBIL in it

 

[Ash]

We don't recommend wheels that are less than 15" why recommend a ball that's even smaller? Not to mention, the ball just doesn't FIT the anatomy of a chinchilla. Chinchillas don't "walk" they bounce. The balls don't allow them the proper movement. Also, chinchillas like to go UP. I know when I have my chins out for playtime and to run around, they enjoy jumping up and bouncing off of things. The ball is not conducive to any of the chinchilla's natural anatomy, even if you want to claim they are "safe" in the "proper" conditions.

 

[Jen and the Hooligans]

My Diesel came to me with 2 balls and orders to let him run every day in his ball , because he was used to being able to run in it for hours at a time. He also came with junk food and a filthy coat......needless to say,..I didn't follow through with his previous owners orders...

 

[AZChins]

My Diesel came to me with 2 balls and orders to let him run every day in his ball , because he was used to being able to run in it for hours at a time. He also came with junk food and a filthy coat......needless to say,..I didn't follow through with his previous owners orders...

Yeah...I often don't follow the former owners' orders with rescues. I just say, "Oh yeah, I'll put that in the cage...or, sure, I'll make sure that he gets that." Sometimes it's easier to just agree...especially because most people getting rid of their chins will never get chins again. So what's the point in trying to educate them at that point?

 

[mishellyshel]

When I first got Richie I thought it was a great idea to have a "safe" place for him to get some exercise. I put him in it, within one minute the top came off, he was running around my house and bye bye went the ball.

I have tried for years to figure out a way to try & return it but i would rather have wasted teh 20 bucks, then let some uneducated pet owner purchase it.

 

[ABBY W.]

I let my first chin use one. She is a white mosaic. Within a few minutes she looked like a chocolate chip cookie (Yuck!) She did seem to enjoy chasing my cats, but still, no more plastic ball usage in my house.

 

[Jazicat]

I have used the balls in the past for hamsters but never for the rats I have owned in the distant past. I had read they were bad for the tails so I didn't want to hurt my babies.

I've never considered using one for Edgar because I was lucky to have good advice and did my research before getting him.

I also wouldn't use one simply for the reason that out time is Edgar's time with us. This is when we bond and he can chose to come see us or bounce around. We've even stopped using our playpen in the last week for the same reason. Edgar has enough room in his cage and a wheel to get exercise so he technically doesn't need out time. Out time for Edgar is a treat so if I didn't want to have him pooping all over our newly chinproofed living room I'd just sit by his cage instead of using the death ball.

 

[ruoc]

When I was a young kid, I remember visiting cousins who let their hamsters run around in balls. Even then I knew right away that the balls were awful for them. After a very short time the balls were steaming hot and the hamsters came out soaked in sweat. Really? That doesn't make sense to people? A chinchilla is not an animal that moves forward on all 4 feet, they're hoppers and jumpers, balls are just all wrong on so many levels.

 

[Ash]

When I was a young kid, I remember visiting cousins who let their hamsters run around in balls. Even then I knew right away that the balls were awful for them. After a very short time the balls were steaming hot and the hamsters came out soaked in sweat. Really? That doesn't make sense to people? A chinchilla is not an animal that moves forward on all 4 feet, they're hoppers and jumpers, balls are just all wrong on so many levels.

That was urine not sweat

 

[Manda]

I recently won one of these from super pet (not knowing what I was getting) and I have read that chinchillas can overheat in them, and that the poop/pee can get all over them. However, recently we have used the ball as part of playtime...For example, I let my chin run around all over the room freely, but I'll have the ball open in the corner, and he'll actually hop inside the open ball and run around in it for a few seconds before coming out. The ball never gets closed up, and he can come out whenever he wants. I make sure to stop the ball from rolling when he comes toward the entrance of it so he can come out safely, and even when I do he'll sometimes turn away from the entrance and keep rolling. He's only inside of it for probably 5-10 seconds at a time before he comes out, but he seems to go back inside it multiple times, as if he finds it entertaining for a moment...

Is this still unsafe? If so I wont use it as part of playtime anymore, I just figured this was safer than trapping him inside of it, as he comes in and goes out of it when he wants to, and not by force.

 

[RDZCRanch]

It sounds alright, but there is always that five second gap where chinchillas can get in the most ridiculous amount of trouble. Since the entrance is open I'd worry about him managing to roll over his foot since it only take second.

IMO, there are just so many other things for chins to play with/on during playtime that it's not worth that small amount of risk.

 

[hkkjstwcl]

i bought a couple of big death balls, when i got my first chin. but as soon as i read this forum, i actually throw them away. I only used a couple of times. my first chin seemed to hate it.

 

[KristinC1983]

I think ignorance is the reason people buy them and use them!

I don't think any chinchilla owner would intentionally, knowingly put their chin in an exercise ball if they knew how horrible it is. If I hadn't done hours upon hours upon hours of research on chins before buying my boy, I garauntee I would've bought one for him to use. Seeing the holes, you'd think they'd have ventilation and make for great excercise and safe exploration, not knowing that it could be harming or even killing your chin. But thankfully I was not going to be an ignorant pet owner. I did soooooo much research and quickly learned that excercise balls a HUGE NO NO!!!! The idea seemed great, but then you look closer and realize, they are just plain torture. Horrible ventilation, pee and poo all over the animal, probably terrifying, and for animals like chins who LOVE to jump and climb, it's a life-sucking ball of claustrophobic over-heating. For the people who own them, don't just wear a winter coat in a tiny, hot room. Wear a fur coat in a tiny, 100 degree F room while going the bathroom on yourself for houurs and hours-that's what an excercise ball is! It is a Death Ball!!!!! Slow torture! Chinchilla ****! You cannot sugarcoat the use of these balls. There is no excuse. If you own a chinchilla annd are not educated on chinchillas, chances are you're making 1,000 mistakes and shouldn't own a chin. So to be a good chin owner, you should be educated and know that these balls are just wrong. THERE IS NO EXCUSE! And if you think the chin looks like its having fun in it, I guarentee you are wrong-it's probably just trying to run away FROM it! But it can't! It's trapped in a plastic shell of pure torture. I dispise petshops for soooo many products they sell, of course including this one at the top of the list!

 

[Sandi]

I don't think any chinchilla owner would intentionally, knowingly put their chin in an exercise ball if they knew how horrible it is. If I hadn't done hours upon hours upon hours of research on chins before buying my boy, I garauntee I would've bought one for him to use. Seeing the holes, you'd think they'd have ventilation and make for great excercise and safe exploration, not knowing that it could be harming or even killing your chin. But thankfully I was not going to be an ignorant pet owner. I did soooooo much research and quickly learned that excercise balls a HUGE NO NO!!!! The idea seemed great, but then you look closer and realize, they are just plain torture. Horrible ventilation, pee and poo all over the animal, probably terrifying, and for animals like chins who LOVE to jump and climb, it's a life-sucking ball of claustrophobic over-heating. For the people who own them, don't just wear a winter coat in a tiny, hot room. Wear a fur coat in a tiny, 100 degree F room while going the bathroom on yourself for houurs and hours-that's what an excercise ball is! It is a Death Ball!!!!! Slow torture! Chinchilla ****! You cannot sugarcoat the use of these balls. There is no excuse. If you own a chinchilla annd are not educated on chinchillas, chances are you're making 1,000 mistakes and shouldn't own a chin. So to be a good chin owner, you should be educated and know that these balls are just wrong. THERE IS NO EXCUSE! And if you think the chin looks like its having fun in it, I guarentee you are wrong-it's probably just trying to run away FROM it! But it can't! It's trapped in a plastic shell of pure torture. I dispise petshops for soooo many products they sell, of course including this one at the top of the list!

WOW! Have you ever made a mistake? I have. I would never put any one of my chins in this plastic ball now knowing what I know now. But I bought one of these in the beginning and I've made a few mistakes and we all learn from our mistakes and I DO NOT consider myself a bad chin owner for having made them.

 

[cindyv3737]

I don't think any chinchilla owner would intentionally, knowingly put their chin in an exercise ball if they knew how horrible it is. If I hadn't done hours upon hours upon hours of research on chins before buying my boy, I garauntee I would've bought one for him to use. Seeing the holes, you'd think they'd have ventilation and make for great excercise and safe exploration, not knowing that it could be harming or even killing your chin. But thankfully I was not going to be an ignorant pet owner. I did soooooo much research and quickly learned that excercise balls a HUGE NO NO!!!! The idea seemed great, but then you look closer and realize, they are just plain torture. Horrible ventilation, pee and poo all over the animal, probably terrifying, and for animals like chins who LOVE to jump and climb, it's a life-sucking ball of claustrophobic over-heating. For the people who own them, don't just wear a winter coat in a tiny, hot room. Wear a fur coat in a tiny, 100 degree F room while going the bathroom on yourself for houurs and hours-that's what an excercise ball is! It is a Death Ball!!!!! Slow torture! Chinchilla ****! You cannot sugarcoat the use of these balls. There is no excuse. If you own a chinchilla annd are not educated on chinchillas, chances are you're making 1,000 mistakes and shouldn't own a chin. So to be a good chin owner, you should be educated and know that these balls are just wrong. THERE IS NO EXCUSE! And if you think the chin looks like its having fun in it, I guarentee you are wrong-it's probably just trying to run away FROM it! But it can't! It's trapped in a plastic shell of pure torture. I dispise petshops for soooo many products they sell, of course including this one at the top of the list!

Wow! Excuse me for being a bad owner. People make mistakes. We learn from our mistakes. When I got my first chin I had done hours and hours of research. I still made mistakes as I'm sure you did too. I am NOT a bad owner for making the mistakes that I made.

 

[ticklechin]

With all the misinformation on the internet, from dinky forums, to breeder websites, to help web pages its easy even if you do tons of research to make mistakes-its what you do after you have been told by experienced people in a one on one situation where what is wrong can be explained and the owner still wants to argue then THAT is a bad chin owner. We all make mistakes, no one is perfect and everyone started out as a newbie.

 

[tunes]

KristinC - I know you have come on forum like gangbusters, dispensing wisdom right and left, but really - this whole post was ridiculous. You have managed to insult pretty much the entire forum by calling anybody who didn't do things YOUR way a bad owner.

Lemme share something with you - I didn't do one iota of research before I got my chins. I saw one in a pet store when I was young and I wanted one. When my exhusband started shoeing for Butler's, he mentioned they had chinchillas. I was so excited - I went with him and came home with a pair. I went the next time and came home with another pair. It progressed from there. I started out with breeding pairs, right off the bat. I used Super Pet Cages (with GASP plastic shelves). I was lucky - Joe was a good mentor and he let me know about not feeding tons of crap, about using good food, buying hay, etc. Other than that - I was on my own. I found CnQ about a year after I got my first chins. That's when my research really started.

It's not a great idea to come on here screaming, ranting, raving, and having hysterics because everybody didn't do 20 years of research before they got a chin. That isn't going to fly. You need to tone down your verbiage a bit BECAUSE THERE'S NO EXCUSE for alienating an entire forum with your attitude.

People make mistakes, everybody, including you, but people learn from their mistakes and learn how to better care for their chins. That's why we are here. Before CnQ, and now before CnH, pretty much everything I read at other sites was crap. One of the biggest sites on the internet that people swear by like it's the Bible gives heaping wheelbarrow loads full of crap as the gospel truth.

We're glad to have you here, just as we're glad to have any other person who loves their chins and wants to learn. I'll guarantee you don't know everything there is to know. I've been around the world and back again with my chins, way more than the average chin owner, and I still have things to learn. Dawn (ticklechin) has lots of experience with chins, but she still has room to learn. We all learn new things, new techniques, and as chins become more and more popular, we all learn more and more about their bodies, their general health, possible illnesses, etc.

Remember, a bad owner is someone who refuses to learn and put into practice what they have learned. Someone buying a ball and using it, then learning that it's bad isn't a bad owner. Someone buying a ball, using it, learning it's a horrible death ball, then continuing to use it would be a less than stellar owner.

So! Let's all play nice in the sandbox now.

 

[mommyslittlechins2010]

Thank you thank you!!! agreed!!!!! NO BALLS FOR MY CHINS !!!!!!
people don't think . that's the same way i feel about wheels in chin cages too

I would like to suggest to any owner who thinks these are ok to use to put on a fur coat, run around for about 30 minutes in a room with no ventilation while you urinate on yourself.

 

[mommyslittlechins2010]

i was told never to put them in one cause they can't breath but they can die very very quickly

 

[RDZCRanch]

people don't think . that's the same way i feel about wheels in chin cages too

Why would you feel that way about a wheel? As long as it's safe, a wheel can be very beneficial to a chinchilla. A wheel is NOTHING like a roll-a-round ball. The first and biggest difference is that a wheel is not enclosed and the chinchilla(s) can get on or off the wheel as they like. There are proper sizes for diameter of the wheel that need to be followed for chinchillas so that stress is not exerted on their spine, but any chinchilla I have known has enjoyed the running surface a wheel gives them.