Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) - Vetsuisse ...
Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) - Vetsuisse ... Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) - Vetsuisse ...
AbstractCages for laboratory hamsters as well as for pet hamsters are usually quite small.Using video recordings, the behaviour of sixty female golden hamsters (Mesocricetusauratus) housed in four different cage sizes was compared in order to drawconclusions about their welfare. The cage sizes were 1,800 cm 2 , 2,500 cm 2 , 5,000cm 2 , and 10,000 cm 2 . Enrichment items and litter depth (15 cm) were standardisedand all cages were equipped with a running wheel. There were no significantdifferences in running wheel activity. In all cage sizes stereotypic wire gnawing wasobserved, but the hamsters in the small cages did it significantly longer and morefrequently. In small cages more hamsters used the additional platform of theirwooden houses than in big cages, which could suggest that they need more space.Therefore, we recommend cages with a minimal ground floor area of 10,000 cm 2 forgolden hamsters.Keywords: animal welfare, golden hamster, cage size, stereotypy, wire gnawing,running wheel5
IntroductionHamsters are common laboratory animals in biomedical research as well as popularpet animals. Nevertheless, little work has been done with the specific intent ofimproving their housing conditions, especially for pet animals. Exceptions are thework by Kuhnen (1999a), Bantin and Sanders (1989) on cage size, Mrosovsky et al.(1998) on running wheel choice by Syrian hamsters, and Reebs and Maillet (2003)on environmental enrichment. Reebs and Maillet (2003) showed that there werefewer daily revolutions, shorter wheel running activity phases, and delayed runningactivity onsets in hamsters housed in multiple-cage systems enriched with a runningwheel and commercial wooden toys compared with hamsters housed in single cageswith a running wheel, without other enrichments. Mrosovsky et al. (1998) found thatgolden hamsters ran more in wheels with the floor covered by a plastic mesh than inwheels with the usual rods. This preference was evident both in tests with a singlewheel and in tests when the animals were offered a choice between two wheels. Inthe case of Kuhnen (1999a), golden hamsters were individually housed in fourdifferent cage sizes from 200 cm² to 1,815 cm². Increasing cage size increased themean febrile response, while the mean baseline rectal temperature decreased. Theresults indicate that housing in small cages induces chronic stress, which affectsthermoregulation. The cages are common for laboratory rodents. Pet goldenhamsters are usually kept in cages at least as big as a Macrolon 4 type laboratorycage, which is 1,800 cm². In Switzerland this is the statutory minimum size accordingto the actual ordinance for the protection of animals. The cage size is of greatimportance for the welfare of the animals, as shown in the studies mentioned above.The pets spend their whole life in their cages and should have the possibility toperform all their behavioural needs. Stress levels should be kept as low as possible.6
- Page 1 and 2: Institut für Genetik, Ernährung u
- Page 3 and 4: Table of contentPage1 Zusammenfassu
- Page 5 and 6: eingerichtet. Die Laufradaktivität
- Page 7: 2 Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mes
- Page 11 and 12: MethodsAnimals and housing conditio
- Page 13 and 14: weaningvideorecordingvideorecording
- Page 15 and 16: ResultsBehaviourHamsters devoted mo
- Page 17 and 18: Tab. 2 Post-hoc comparisons of runn
- Page 19 and 20: GroomingAll hamsters were observed
- Page 21 and 22: Open spaceUsage of open space was p
- Page 23 and 24: Stress hormones and organsNeither s
- Page 25 and 26: directed exploration, which, after
- Page 27 and 28: top wire. Some hamsters used to cli
- Page 29 and 30: Autopsies of the three hamsters tha
- Page 31 and 32: ReferencesBantin G.C. and Sanders P
- Page 33 and 34: Sherwin C.M., 1998. Voluntary wheel
- Page 35 and 36: 3 CAN WE TELL HAMSTERS ARE STRESSED
- Page 37 and 38: IntroductionConcentrations of gluco
- Page 39 and 40: The experiments were approved by th
- Page 41 and 42: ResultsMales had generally higher v
- Page 43 and 44: Fig. 1 The concentration of cortiso
- Page 45 and 46: ACTHLevels of ACTH were significant
- Page 47 and 48: ACTH-Challenge TestIn the ACTH-chal
- Page 49 and 50: negative feedback of cortisol: incr
- Page 51 and 52: ConclusionsSince the stress respons
- Page 53 and 54: Kuhnen, G., Werner, R. 1998. Plasma
- Page 55 and 56: 4 AppendixApp. I Cage size 1 (right
- Page 57 and 58: App. IV Behaviour catalogue. Descri
AbstractCages for laboratory <strong>hamsters</strong> as well as for pet <strong>hamsters</strong> are usually quite small.Using video recordings, the behaviour <strong>of</strong> sixty female <strong>golden</strong> <strong>hamsters</strong> (<strong>Mesocricetus</strong><strong>auratus</strong>) housed in four different cage sizes was compared in order to drawconclusions about their welfare. The cage sizes were 1,800 cm 2 , 2,500 cm 2 , 5,000cm 2 , and 10,000 cm 2 . Enrichment items and litter depth (15 cm) were standardisedand all cages were equipped with a running wheel. There were no significantdifferences in running wheel activity. In all cage sizes stereotypic wire gnawing wasobserved, but the <strong>hamsters</strong> in the small cages did it significantly longer and morefrequently. In small cages more <strong>hamsters</strong> used the additional platform <strong>of</strong> theirwooden houses than in big cages, which could suggest that they need more space.Therefore, we recommend cages with a minimal ground floor area <strong>of</strong> 10,000 cm 2 for<strong>golden</strong> <strong>hamsters</strong>.Keywords: animal welfare, <strong>golden</strong> hamster, cage size, stereotypy, wire gnawing,running wheel5
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