I have to say that this post gave me a lot of comfort when I'd first bought my ball a few weeks ago.

The method I ended up doing was as follows.

Leave the rat in the plastic bag near his tank with it open for 30 minutes to let the smell kinda get around. I don't know if this helps much actually. Then I warm the rat for a minute or two in kurig heated water and a mug. Then I open his tank and pick it up with tongs. Lastly I blast it with a low heat hair dryer on the lowest setting to really get the rat smell in there. A minute of wiggling near him and he's on it.