Article
Housing Density and Aggression in Syrian Hamsters
Registro en:
ELIDIO, Hyago da Silva Medeiros et al. Housing Density and Aggression in Syrian Hamsters. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, v. 60, n. 5, p. 506-509, Sept. 2021.
2769-6677
10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-21-000020
Autor
Elidio, Hyago da Silva Medeiros
Coelho, Jhônata Willy Rocha
Silva, Luiz Cesar Cavalcanti Pereira da
Santos, Isabele Barbieri dos
Resumen
The Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is a solitary and naturally territorial animal, with female hamsters being more
aggressive than males. This behavior makes handling difficult because they are usually housed in groups, which can lead
to aggressive behavior. The objective of this study was to refine the management of Syrian hamsters in order to minimize
aggressiveness, reduce the animal injuries, and lessen the risk of accidents among laboratory animal technicians due to the
hamster aggression during handling. The experiment was conducted at the Center for Animals Experimentation, Oswaldo
Cruz Institute. Four groups of hamsters were observed by video recording: group 1 (group-housed males, 6 to 8 wk of age),
group 2 (group-housed females 6 to 8 wk of age), group 3 (group-housed female, 3 to 4 wk of age), and group 4 (individually
housed females, 6 to 8 wk of age). Group 1 animals were less aggressive and agitated both during housing and during handling
by the animal technician as compared with groups 2 and 3. Groups 2 and 3 showed greater agitation and aggression.
Marked reduction in the level of aggressiveness and agitation was observed in group 4 as compared with all other groups
evaluated during handling by the animal technician. Male hamsters housed in groups of 4 and females housed individually
have reduced risks of accident during handling, thereby averting distress and consequent physiologic alterations. Avoiding
these risks is essential to obtaining reliable experimental results.