This is a very interesting question, and one which doesn't have an easy answer. One way to find out who invented something is to conduct a patent search on the US Patent and Trademark website (see sources). If you find the USPTO website confusing, you can also try using Google Patent search, also linked below.
The first patent for a free rolling animal enclosure I could find was granted to Edward Carvell in 1954. However,...
This is a very interesting question, and one which doesn't have an easy answer. One way to find out who invented something is to conduct a patent search on the US Patent and Trademark website (see sources). If you find the USPTO website confusing, you can also try using Google Patent search, also linked below.
The first patent for a free rolling animal enclosure I could find was granted to Edward Carvell in 1954. However, his device was cylindrical in form. Patent No. US2681638
A spherical hamster ball doesn't show up until 1992 and is credited to Michael Keeling, William Britz, Jr. and David Clark. Patent No. US5116255
However, we can look even farther back. The first patent for a rotating bird cage was granted in 1883! Patent No. US277724
There is even a cylindrical version mounted on a stand intended for human use in 1908. Patent No. US883485
So while a preliminary patent search seems to indicate Keeling, Britz and Clark invented the hamster ball, this may not be totally correct. Now all inventions are patented. Additionally, the invention of the hamster ball built on previous inventions in rolling cages, so credit may be due to some of those inventors as well. Also, I only searched US patents. A hamster ball like device may have been documented earlier in another country.
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