Do hamsters fight less when they each have their own food, water, and wheel? You pair sixteen hamsters into eight groups of two. Four pairs go into single-layer cages with one set of resources. The other four pairs go into double-layer cages with a full set of resources on each level.
You observe each pair for eight hours and count every confrontation and fight. The hamsters sharing a single set of resources fight far more often than those with two sets.
This project reveals how access to resources shapes territorial behavior in small animals.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that hamsters placed in the same cage will display antagonism toward each other.
When resources are limited, animals guard their space more fiercely. You pair sixteen hamsters into eight groups of two. Four pairs go into single-layer cages with one set of resources — one food tray, one water dispenser, one running wheel. The other four pairs go into double-layer cages with a full set of resources on each level. You observe each pair for eight hours and count every confrontation and fight. The hamsters sharing a single set of resources fight far more often than those with two sets. That difference shows how access to food, water, and shelter directly shapes how animals claim and guard their space.
Method & Materials
You will need to select sixteen adult hamsters and divide them into 8 pairs. You will then prepare the hamster cages by placing a water dispenser, food tray and running wheel in each of the cages. Finally, you will observe the behavior of the hamsters for 8 hours.
You will need 4 single-layer hamster cages, 4 double-layer (2 levels) hamster cages, 16 hamsters, 12 feeding trays, 12 water dispensers, 12 running wheels, and a pair of gloves.
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The results showed that the pairs of hamsters in the single-layer cages with 1 set of resources fought more often than the hamsters in the double-layer cages with 2 sets of resources. This proves that hamsters are territorial animals and will fight when placed in the same cage.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it shows how hamsters behave when placed in the same cage. It also shows how providing the hamsters with a larger cage and two sets of resources can help reduce the fighting between the pair of hamsters.
Also Consider
Variations of this science project could include testing if other rodents, such as mice, exhibit the same territorial behavior. The experiment can also be repeated to compare the behavior of young hamsters, older hamsters and hamsters of different gender.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.
