A recent discovery was a gift my friend gave me she had received a year ago and it was this rather amusing product in a ball.

I admit mine is not like the picture displayed because my hamster looks bigger and much more solid rather than cute and playful. The ball is made from a plastic which opens by twisting it anti-clockwise and then inside you have the hamster.

The hamster is soft to feel but not super soft because underneath is the unit where you place the batteries and touch the on and off switch to the correct setting.

Once you click on the hamster tries to move forward and this is an instant and consistent movement the hamster prepares to do all the time.

Your aim is to place the hamster back inside the ball and then watch it go around the room and it does work pretty effectively with some good and bad points.

The good point is my cats love this item they think it is really cool to sit and watch a hamster in a plastic ball go round in circles and be able to whizz past them. They sometimes see it as a live animal to try and hunt down and other times they jump with fear.

The other good part is that the item is very good at keeping children occupied for what seems hours because they go all silent this little animal in the ball is amusing for them as well.

The bad parts are how easy at times the plastic can open exposing the hamster inside. If mine hits the wall due to me not paying attention sometimes it splits open instantly. I have had it open just by hitting me in the feet so you can tell from that alone it is not reliable.

The other problem is the surface you use these on. If you have a carpet which is thick it is not to bad but it can go pretty slow compared to how fast it can go on laminate flooring. Even with laminate flooring if there is any grease such as water on the surface due to you cleaning the product seems to skid and lose all ability to move.

The product is cute and they are cheap and I have seen these in gadget stores for a few pounds and the battery life seems pretty good on them. I think in terms of age groups then I would highly recommend 5 and above because if the item splits open then a child could easily place the hamster inside their mouths.

I think the item is fun and cute that is a fact and because I got it for a free I found it amusing more. My pets enjoy it so it helps me keep them occupied and it also means that I am able to show this to kids and let them watch that instead of distracting me.

A lovely item but not always the best when it comes to reliability.