Effects of different housing conditions on growth and behavior in Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus)

Hamster is a valuable animal that commonly use in biomedical research. It also consider as the most preferable or favorable animal to be kept as companion animal. However, only few of studies already been conducted to discover scientific evidence on the effect of housing condition on hamster welfare. This study was conducted to reveal the effects of different kind of housing conditions on growth and behavior of Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus). A pair of Siberian hamster with different sex were placed in cage with standard housing condition (S cage). Another pair of Siberian hamster with different sex were placed in cage with limited housing condition (L cage) and another pair of same species with different sex will be lived in superior enrichment housing condition (E cage). For growth assessment, parameter such as body weight, rate of mortality and viability of pups were used to investigate relationship between cage conditions on growth performance of Siberian hamster. Behavioral parameter such as agonistic behavior, socio-positive behavior and mating behavior were used to examine affiliation of cage condition with behavioral expression. Significant difference p < 0.05 was found in different cage condition with p = 0.00 for both growth and behavioral expression. Hamster in E cage have higher average of body weight; M = 34.96, higher percentage of litter size; 64%, and greater percentage of pups viability; 57% compared to hamster in S cage and L cage. Hamster in S cage shows higher expression of agonistic behavior; M = 1.55 compared to another two type of cage condition. Hamster in L cage shows higher frequencies in the expression of socio-positive behavior; M = 3.25 compared to other cages. Next, hamster in E cage shows higher probability in mating behavior occurrence; M = 1.34 compared to other cage treatment. The finding of this study provided fundamental evidence on importance of housing condition to hamster welfare in order to increase growth rate, promotes positive behavior and increase the breeding production of Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus).