The Effect of Colors on the Behaviours of Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus Waterhouse 1838)

Cage environments or settings used in animal experiments usually have a limited area and contain only minimal substrates, such as nutrients, water and sawdust. These minimal environments affect the biology and behaviour of experimental animals. However, the colors of the cage environments are generally not taken into account. Biases and deviations can be seen in the behaviours of the model organisms that are not kept in the same colors in the studies. The effects of colors on Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus Waterhouse 1838) were investigated in order to observe how these biases affect the test. For this purpose, experimental animals which were kept in identical conditions except colors were observed, and the data were reported, and the effect of each color on experimental animals was discussed. The data obtained from the observations made in three replicates to investigate the effect of the colors used in the study on the amount of food consumed and mobility; Shapiro-Wilk test was tested for conformity to normal distribution and subjected to ANOVA testing. In our study, model organisms that gave the most positive results were model organisms in the cage with blue color. As a result of the statistical analysis, the differences between lattice colors and the amount of food consumed and the duration of movement are significant. In terms of food consumption; It was determined that the individual living in the environment with polka dots carried out the least consumption and the most consumption was carried out by the individual in the red colored environment. In terms of movement times; It was found that the individual living in the environment with polka dots was the least moving and the most active person was the blue colored person. Concisely, the results of the experiments showed that hamsters were affected by the color of the cage environments