t’s unfortunate for pet owners everywhere, but we all know that hamsters don’t smile. Like many other animals, these adorable rodent’s aren’t wired to think that bearing one’s teeth is a sign of pleasure or affection. So how can you know if your little fuzz ball is happy? Scientists think they have the answer.SHARE THIS STORYRELATED ARTICLESGuinea Pig Cookouts Promote Peru’s Parasite PlagueAre Adorable Gerbils, Not Rats, to Blame for Black Death?That’s at least according to a study recently published in the journal Royal Society Open Science which details how if you want to know how Mr Cuddles really reels, you’re going to need some water bottles. That’s because, as it turns out, happy hamsters are optimist and willing to try new things.To conduct their study, a pair of researchers at Liverpool John Moores University trained 30 Syrian hamsters to expect sugar water in a drinker placed at one location. The scientists then introduced a bitter quinine water, which the hamsters learned to expect in another location. Predictably, the hamsters became fans of the sweet water, but avoided the bitter water all together.The researchers then gave half of the hamsters a range of enrichment devices including hammocks, extra bedding, ledges, and chews all designed to improve mood. After the hamsters were given time to enjoy their improved (or not) environments, a third ambiguous water drinker was added to each cage – placed somewhere between the bitter and sweet waters. (Scroll to read on…)
Source: Hamsters Don’t Smile: How to Know if Your Pet is Happy : Animals : Nature World News
