This research from Liverpool John Moore's University is from 2015 and the research made it into the newspapers at the time. That enrichment led to hamsters being happier. That attached research paper is somewhat clinical reading (as research papers are) but concludes that hamsters have cognition and emotion and react to things positively or negatively. Something which many good hamster owners know! What makes their hamster happy, what doesn't. However the research lends authority and credibility to the idea that hamsters need plenty of enrichment to be happy. It also suggests they can be trained with rewards.
Click on "Go to Download" top right to open the research paper
The link below from Liverpool John Moore's University describes how the research received local, national and international media coverage and includes some of the links to the media articles
It's encouraging to see that research was done for the purpose of improving animal welfare in this way.
The media articles are an easier read than the research paper attached top left! They describe how basically hamsters were put in different environments and their scientific method for seeing what made the hamsters happy. Not surprisingly the hamsters in larger enriched cages with tunnels, hammocks etc, were happier than those with just thin wood shavings.
I wonder if the head researcher was a hamster owner and had a personal interest!
www.dailymail.co.uk
Click on "Go to Download" top right to open the research paper
The link below from Liverpool John Moore's University describes how the research received local, national and international media coverage and includes some of the links to the media articles
It's encouraging to see that research was done for the purpose of improving animal welfare in this way.
The media articles are an easier read than the research paper attached top left! They describe how basically hamsters were put in different environments and their scientific method for seeing what made the hamsters happy. Not surprisingly the hamsters in larger enriched cages with tunnels, hammocks etc, were happier than those with just thin wood shavings.
I wonder if the head researcher was a hamster owner and had a personal interest!
Hamsters only need to scamper about or play on a swing to boost mood
A UK study to measure the mood of the animals found that in an ‘enriched environment’ - with extra bedding and hammocks - they displayed mental states similar to those seen in happy people.
