I wouldn't recommend it. I had a ball that went off feed for about 3 months. I fed him a gerbil, and he finally ate. The only problem is that's all he wanted to eat after that (and they are much more expensive than mice or rats).

I'm sure your ball would willingly eat the hamster (mine also ate a few of those), but then you run the risk of him losing his appetite for mice or rats.

Hope this helps!

George