Arnold C E, Estep D Q
Hendrix College, Department of Psychology, Conway, Arkansas 72032.
Lab Anim. 1994 Jul;28(3):232-8. doi: 10.1258/002367794780681598.
Physical aspects of the laboratory environment, such as type of cage or bedding, are often ignored by investigators but may be quite important for the animals. We examined whether golden hamsters preferred living in wire mesh floored, stainless steel cages or solid floored, plastic cages with corn-cob litter. Forty hamsters of 2 ages were housed in wire or solid floored cages for 3 weeks. Caging preference was then tested using a choice apparatus in which hamsters could move freely between the 2 cages for 6 days. Scan data were collected on cage occupation and behaviour. Results showed that most hamsters preferred the solid floored cage with litter, but prolonged experience on wire led to a wire floored cage preference in 40% of these animals. Also, wire-housed hamsters showed higher levels of hoarding and lower levels of gnawing behaviour during testing, and spent significantly different amounts of time from litter-housed hamsters performing sleeping, exploring, grooming, gnawing, eating, and hoarding behaviours while on solid floored cages with litter. This study shows that previous housing condition can affect cage preferences and behaviour and supports the assertion that husbandry practices can be better evaluated by asking laboratory animals, rather than only humans, how their living conditions are perceived.
实验室环境的物理因素，如笼子类型或垫料，常常被研究者忽视，但对动物来说可能相当重要。我们研究了金黄仓鼠更喜欢生活在金属丝网底的不锈钢笼子里，还是实心底部、配有玉米芯垫料的塑料笼子里。将40只不同年龄的仓鼠饲养在金属丝网底或实心底部的笼子里3周。然后使用一个选择装置测试它们对笼子的偏好，在这个装置中，仓鼠可以在两个笼子之间自由移动6天。收集关于笼子占用情况和行为的扫描数据。结果表明，大多数仓鼠更喜欢有垫料的实心底部笼子，但在金属丝网上长时间生活后，40%的仓鼠更倾向于金属丝网底的笼子。此外，在测试期间，饲养在金属丝网上的仓鼠表现出更高水平的囤积行为和更低水平的啃咬行为，并且在配有垫料的实心底部笼子里，它们与饲养在有垫料笼子里的仓鼠在睡眠、探索、梳理、啃咬、进食和囤积行为上花费的时间有显著差异。这项研究表明，先前的饲养条件会影响对笼子的偏好和行为，并支持这样一种观点，即通过询问实验动物，而不仅仅是人类，来了解他们对生活条件的感受，可以更好地评估饲养管理方法。
