Re-purposing exercise balls - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**paperlady** · #1 03-04-08, 11:12 pm

I'm in email contact with a lady whose pair of female piggies I might be able to get this weekend. She is including all her supplies with the piggies--including an exercise ball. I know the ball is worse than useless for its designed purpose (as far as guinea pigs are concerned--I used to have mice that loved to terrorize our cats by chasing them in their smaller ball (several years ago--aren't allowed uncaged animals where we live now)), but I don't want to just throw it away, and I don't know anyone with pet rats to give it to. Has anyone used a ball for something else, if you had one before you knew better?

**wiggley_narco** · #2 03-04-08, 11:40 pm

I actually just today turned one into a little bed. Most of them come apart into 2 halves. I lined one half with fleece and secured it to the grids of the cage so it won't roll around. Wiggley uses it for a bed now.

I've also seen people use them to put hay in, but that wouldn't work well with most of the balls I've seen.

**pigsforlife** · #3 03-04-08, 11:51 pm

I know people who have turned them into flower pots.

**newpiggiemommy** · #4 03-05-08, 06:24 am

If you secure it to the cage (so it won't roll), you could take the door off, lay it on its side, secure it to the cage, and put hay in it so they could crawl in and out of it and use it as a hay filled hidey!

**Jenni_Feathers** · #5 03-05-08, 07:22 am

I like the hay idea

**J&APigs** · #6 03-05-08, 07:45 am

I have used mine as a hideaway, I took the two doors off and left it whole. they would climb in and curl up. I put beddind in it but they push it it out to sleep on the bottum. They never rolled it while in it! They would push it around the cage though!

**wiggley_narco** · #7 03-05-08, 01:47 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by newpiggiemommy

If you secure it to the cage (so it won't roll), you could take the door off, lay it on its side, secure it to the cage, and put hay in it so they could crawl in and out of it and use it as a hay filled hidey!

Just make absolutely SURE the hole is big enough to go in and out of without them getting stuck!

**newpiggiemommy** · #8 03-05-08, 01:54 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiggley_narco

Just make absolutely SURE the hole is big enough to go in and out of without them getting stuck!

Absolutely! I am picturing the ones they advertise for piggies, and the wholes are very big. If it is one of the little oned they advertise for hamsters, girbels, and mice than it is useless and should be thrown away!!!!

Sorry, I didn't even think about those small ones when I typed that!!!!

Ellen · #9 03-05-08, 03:09 pm

Or if all else fails, I would just recycle it.

**Sammy and Peanut** · #10 03-06-08, 05:48 pm

Thanks for the ideas everyone! Before I became a member of this site, a pet store employee told me to buy one because they need their excersize. I am now turning it into a hay filled bed!