Rodents, who doesn't love them? Alright, I'm willing to concede that there are plenty of people who absolutely can't stand the furry little squeaking things, but I'm certainly not one of them.

Just one problem...with the size of the average rodent cage, how do they get the exercise they need?

In my life I have had the pleasure of keeping all manner of pets...amongst the rodentia, that includes mice, hamsters, gerbils, and rats. Keeping the rats happily exercised has never presented a problem, I can let them loose in the rodent room and they happily wander over and under things until they're ready to head back to the cage. The others, on the other hand, had a bad habit of crawling over and under everything...including under the door.

What lies beyond that door? Cats and coonhounds. Bad combination for an unwary rodent sauntering around. This is where the wonderful little piece of exercise equipment known as the Van Ness Hamster Ball comes into play.

The ball is basically two domed pieces of plastic that snap together into an enclosed plastic ball. One half of the ball has a smaller piece that works as a door; this door is a plastic plate with grooves in the middle for easy gripping that twists securely onto plastic tabs on the ball. The purpose: a plastic sphere that one can easily open up and drop their choice of rodent inside.

Now what? Once your hamster or gerbil is inside, simply place the ball on the floor in an open area away from downward-heading stairs or exuberant larger pets, as the rodent runs along the ball rotates and allows it to go anywhere it pleases. There are tiny slits all over inside the ball that are just big enough to fit rodent claws through to give them a good grip while they're moving but not large enough to get their toes caught in.

I recommend not using this item in temperatures over 80 degrees Fahrenheit as it does get quite warm inside the ball and higher temperatures can cause heat stroke.

I generally don't leave an animal in for more than 45 minutes at a time. One reason for the time limit: the rodent can get to food and water in a timely manner. The second reason for the time limit: the animal has a tendency to make a large mess if it stays in there too long. On the plus side, the slits in the ball are small enough that, should a pet use the ball for a bathroom, it leaks very very little. On the negative side, that waste rotates around and dumps on the critters head if it's not noticed right away. Luckily, should an accident such as this occur, the ball is easy to disassemble and wash out.

I imagine meeting a playful or hungry larger animal while in the ball would be a terrifying experience for any rodent, the ball is designed well enough that the animal will be safe until his human comes to intervene. For myself, even with coonhounds and numerous cats in the house I've never had a problem...all they see is this plastic ball rolling around, not the animal in side. Sure, the ball smells like rodents, but there's plenty in the house that smells like that so they pay no attention.

I got my first hamster ball with my very first hamster some fifteen years ago, and haven't been without one or three since. I'm not sure what brand I initially had, but in recent years I go for the Van Ness ball at the local Wal-Mart. The ball is about 10"-12" diameter and costs around $8.00. This size works great for both hamsters and gerbils and will roll fine on most surfaces.

Great for hamsters and gerbils, yes, but not necessarily mice. I suppose if you had a fairly fat mouse this contraption would work, but when I tried placing a mouse in the ball he ended up playing monkey bars across the top of the ball and it still wouldn't budge under his meager weight.

As for durability, I have never had to replace a ball through the rigors of normal use. The plastic isn't overly tough, but how much is a hamster running inside going to mess the thing up? I've lost balls through stepping on and breaking them and through other pets (canines) chewing them up. They do get a little scratched through normal use, I had one get to about a year old with almost daily use and it was almost too the scratched-up-enough-to-replace point before it got stepped on.

In short, this item is a great way to give your critters a way to exercise and get out and see new places. It's relatively inexpensive and well worth the cost and works as it's supposed to for hamsters and gerbils.