Hamster

Enrichment in group-housed laboratory golden hamsters

Enriched hamsters [four same-sexed animals per group] showed varied behavior and less aggression toward their cagemates. The hamsters preferred jars to pipes probably because the jars' greater height, as compared to pipes, made it easy to look outside the cage.

Year Published: 1998Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Arnold, C. E., Westbrook, R. D. 1997/1998. Enrichment in group-housed laboratory golden hamsters. Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) Newsletter 8(3/4), 22-24.

Diet self-selection and food hoarding after food deprivation by Siberian hamsters

Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) increase food hoarding, but not food intake, after a fast. Because the physiological mechanisms underlying these changes in food hoarding are virtually unknown, we sought insight into these mechanisms by allowing hamsters to self-select their diet...

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Day, D., Mintz, E., Bartness, T. 1999. Diet self-selection and food hoarding after food deprivation by Siberian hamsters. Physiology & Behavior 68, 187-194.

The effect of cage size and enrichment on core temperature and febrile response of the golden hamster

Male golden hamsters were studied. The results indicate that housing in small cages induce chronic stress which obviously affects thermoregulation. .... The comparison of the mean values between different sizes of standard cages and between standard and enriched cages of...

Year Published: 1999Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Kuhnen, G. 1999. The effect of cage size and enrichment on core temperature and febrile response of the golden hamster. Laboratory Animals 33, 221-227.

The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals (7th ed): Hamsters

In summary, solid-bottomed cages with bedding material are preferable; in general, group housing is preferable to individual caging so long as the groups are formed early in life, are stable and harmonious. There should be room for hiding and escaping...

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Whittaker, D. 1999. Hamsters. In: The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals (7th ed). UFAW [Universities Federation for Animal Welfare] (edited by Poole, T. and English, P. ), 256-266. Blackwell Science, Oxford, UK.

Revolutionary Science: An improved running wheel for hamsters and mice

Golden hamsters and mice ran more in wheels with the floor covered with plastic mesh than in wheels with the usual metal rods. Small diameter wheels were preferred less than standard 17.5-cm wheels.

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Hamster, Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Mrosovsky, N., Salmon, P., White, N. 2001. Revolutionary Science: An improved running wheel for hamsters and mice. CALAS/ACSAL Symposium, 29 (Abstract).

Early-life handling stimulation and environmental enrichment: Are some of their effects mediated by similar neural mechanisms? Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 73(1), 233-245

Neonatal (early) handling (EH) and environmental enrichment (EE) of laboratory rodents have been the two most commonly used methods of providing supplementary environmental stimulation in order to study behavioral and neurobiological plasticity. A large body of research has been generated...

Year Published: 2002Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HandlingAnimal Type: Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Other Rodent, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Fernández-Teruel, A., Giménez-Llort, L., Escorihuela, R. M. et al. 2002. Early-life handling stimulation and environmental enrichment: Are some of their effects mediated by similar neural mechanisms? Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 73(1), 233-245.

Comfortable quarters for hamsters in research institutions

Practical guidelines for the species-adequate housing of hamsters in research facilities. Any housing system for hamsters should satisfy the physiological and ethological needs for resting, nestbuilding, grooming, exploring, climbing, hiding, digging, searching for food, hoarding and gnawing. Golden hamsters readily...

Year Published: 2002Animal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Kuhnen, G. 2002. Comfortable quarters for hamsters in research institutions. In: Comfortable Quarters for Laboratory Animals, Ninth Edition. Reinhardt, V. , Reinhardt, A. (eds.), 34-38. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Huddling, locomotor, and nest-building behaviors of furred and furless Siberian hamster

Rodents living in the cold employ both behavioral and physiological mechanisms to achieve thermoregulation. We examined the impact of fur loss on behavioral thermoregulation in cold-challenged Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). Intact female hamsters exposed to an ambient temperature (Ta) of...

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Kauffman, A. S., Paul, M. J., Butler, M. P. et al. 2003. Huddling, locomotor, and nest-building behaviors of furred and furless Siberian hamster. Physiology & Behavior 79, 247-256.

Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research

Expanding on the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, this book deals specifically with mammals in neuroscience and behavioral research laboratories. It offers flexible guidelines for the care of these animals, and guidance on...

Year Published: 2003Topics: Regulations & Ethical Review, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Baboon, Capuchin, Cat, Chimpanzee, Chinchilla, Dog, Ferret, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: National Research Council. 2003. Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research. National Academic Press: Washington, DC, 223 pp.

Social facilitation of wound healing

It is well documented that psychological stress impairs wound healing in humans and rodents. However, most research effort into influences on wound healing has focused on factors that compromise, rather than promote, healing. In the present study, we determined if...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Detillion, C. E., Craft, T. K., Glasper, E. R. et al. 2004. Social facilitation of wound healing. Psychoneuroendocrinology 29, 1004-1011.