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

ResultsBehaviourHamsters devoted most of their observed activity to wheel-running. The remainingtime was spent mainly on resting, rearing and grooming (Fig. 2). Correlationsbetween the different behaviours (Tab. 1) were mainly positive, which indicates thatthe hamsters were generally active and showed various behaviours. However, themore time a hamster spent wheel-running, the less it spent with other activities.Likewise, the more time a hamster spent wheel-running, the less time he spent wiregnawing or climbing. In contrast, climbing was positively correlated to wire gnawing.The important results of the different behavioural activities are listed below. Theoccurrence of hydrocephalus as a main factor was never significant.706050403020100wheel-runningrestingrearinggroomingwire-gnawingfeedingrunninggnawingclimbingdiggingdrinking1,800 cm² 2,500 cm² 5,000 cm² 10,000 cm²Fig. 2 Total percent duration of observed behaviours in the different cage sizes.12