Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) - Vetsuisse ...

In a joint expedition by the universities of Halle (Germany) and Aleppo (Syria),Gattermann et al. (2001) explored natural hamster habitats. The closest distancebetween occupied hamster burrows was 118 m. A mean tunnel length of 199.5 ±92.6 cm and a mean burrow depth of 64.8 ± 17.6 cm were observed (Gattermann etal., 2001). This shows that the natural territory of a hamster is much bigger than anycage. Laboratory hamsters compared with wild caught hamsters did not show anydifferences in behaviour (Gattermann, 2000). Despite domestication for decades,they are capable to survive in a semi natural environment as demonstrated byGattermann (2000). Therefore, domesticated hamsters might need more space thanwe commonly offer them.The aim of this study was to show differences in the behaviour of goldenhamsters housed in different sized cages and to draw conclusions about theirwelfare. Furthermore the response of the running wheel activity to different stressorswas analysed. The study focused especially on pet hamsters, therefore cage sizesused were much bigger than common laboratory cages. Areas of cages used in thisstudy were 1,800 cm², 2,500 cm², 5,000 cm² and 10,000 cm². The area of thesmallest cage was chosen because it was the statutory minimum in Switzerland. Anarea of 2,500 cm² is a commonly used size. The Swiss Animal Protection (SAP)demands a minimum area of 5,000 cm² and they recommend a cage of more than10,000 cm² (Lerch-Leemann, 2002).7