UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

PERLIS BRANCH ARAU CAMPUS

02600 ARAU PERLIS

LAB REPORT
PRACTICAL 1: LEARNING

FACULTY : FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

PROGRAMME : BACHELOR OF SCIENCES (HONS.) BIOLOGY

PROGRAMME CODE : AS201

COURSE : ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR

COURSE CODE : BIO661

SEMESTER :6
NAME :

AHMAD NOR AIMAN BIN

2020124789
MOHAMAD MURAD

MUHAMMAD AIMAN
2020921885
SYAFIQ BIN ZAMRI

RAJA FARAH NUR IZZAH

2020980757
BINTI RAJA OMAR

NURUL IZZAH IZZATI

2020980665
BINTI HADIH

NOOR ASYIQIN BINTI

2020533217
KHAMISADDIN

NUR ATIQAH BINTI

2020569995
ZULKIFLI

SYAFIQAH NUR ZALIA

2020970365
BINTI ZABIDI

SUBMITTED TO : TUN MOHD FIRDAUS AZIS

SUBMISSION DATE : 6 JANUARY 2023
1.0 INTRODUCTION

Hamsters are small rodents that are commonly kept as pets. They are distinguished from other
rodents by their short tail, stubby legs, and small ears. Hamsters come in many colors, including
black, grey, brown, white, yellow, red, or a mix of different colors [1]. In the wild, they like to
live in hot, dry areas such as steppes, sand dunes, and on the edges of deserts. Hamsters are
nocturnal, which means they like to sleep during the day. In the wild, they dig burrows, which
are a series of tunnels to live and reproduce. Hamsters also store food in their burrows [2].
Living underground keeps wild hamsters cool in hot climates. Some hamsters are very social
while others are solitary. For example, the Syrian hamster does not like living around other
hamsters. They are very territorial and should never be caged with other hamsters. He bites the
other hamster and can even kill him. Dwarf hamsters, on the other hand, are social and like to
have a friend around. Wild hamsters hibernate when the weather is cold enough. Hamsters
regularly wake up from hibernation to eat. If there is not enough food, the hamsters will wait
to hibernate until they like the excess. For the hamster diet, they like to eat seeds, grains, nuts,
cornmeal, fruit and vegetables. Wild hamsters will also eat insects, frogs, lizards and other
small animals. A captive hamster's diet should contain at least 16% protein and 5% fat. They
have cheek pouches that they stuff with food. Then they bring their treasure back to their colony
for later eating. Pet hamsters often store food under their cage litter [3]. In general, hamsters
make ideal home pets as they are soft and easy to care for. However, they will bite when startled
or frightened. They also bite when they wake up during their bedtime. Since they sleep during
the day and humans are awake during the day, this means they are more likely to bite [4]. In
addition, hamsters have very poor eyesight. Its scent glands on its back emit an easily
identifiable scent. To find their way, they leave a scent trail by rubbing their backs on objects.
When a hamster needs to find its way back home, it uses this scent trail as a guide [5]. Hamsters'
teeth are constantly growing, causing them to chew on wood or twigs, causing their teeth to
become short. Without something to chew on, their teeth would grow so long that they would
injure their gums and lips. Syrian hamsters are considered critically endangered. This breed is
found in Syria, where agriculture and human development are taking over the hamster's natural
habitat. The European hamster is threatened with extinction. The main threats to this species
are habitat changes due to agricultural activities and urbanization. When land is cleared for
agriculture, large, dense habitats break up into small patches, making survival difficult.
Measures taken to protect hamster populations include growing crops that provide food for
hamsters and monitoring animals. Captive-bred hamsters are sometimes released into the wild
to increase numbers [6].

2.0 OBJECTIVES
i. To determine the learning and memory of a hamster that could change its behavioral
activities.
ii. To analyze the aspects that affect the difference in time taken by the hamster to finish
the maze.

3.0 APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT

• A hamster
• A designated maze box
• A bottle’s lid
• The hamster’s food

4.0 METHODOLOGY
1. The hamster was given the food to make it feel full.
2. The hamster was placed in a box with a designated maze in it.
3. The hamster had to find an escape hole. Some food was placed in the escape hole.
4. The time taken for the hamster to reach the end point was recorded.
5. Steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 were repeated three times and labeled R1, R2 and R3.
6. For R4, the hamster had to find the escape hole with a bottle lid only at the escape hole.
7. The time taken for the hamster to reach the end point was recorded.
8. Let the hamster rest for 15 minutes before proceeding to R2, R3 and R4.
9. Let the hamster rest for 15 minutes before proceeding to R2, R3 and R4.
10. Steps 1 to 9 were repeated for the hungry condition of the hamster.
5.0 RESULT

Figure 1: Hamster’s designated maze box Figure 2: A Syrian hamster in a maze box

Figure 3: Food was placed in front of the escape hole

Figure 4: Bottle’s lid was placed in front of the escape hole

 Experiment Object Time (p.m.) Time Taken (s)

R1 Food 8:20 - 8:25 622

R2 Food 8:45 - 8:49 530
R3 Food 9:04 - 9:06 266
R4 Lid Bottle 9:21 - 9:25 230
Table 1: Time taken for a full hamster to complete a maze

Experiment Object Time (p.m.) Time Taken (s)

R1 Food 10:00 - 10:11 245

R2 Food 10:26 - 10:35 204
R3 Food 10:50 - 10:55 74
R4 Lid Bottle 11:10 41
Table 2: Time taken for a hungry hamster to complete a maze

Repetition Time (s)

R1 622
R2 530
Hamster's Condition: Full
R3 266
R4 230
R1 245
R2 204
Hamster's Condition: Hungry
R3 74
R4 41
Table 3: A comparison of time taken for a full and hungry hamster to complete a maze

Hamster's Condition vs Time (s)

700 622
530
600
500
Time (s)

400 266 230 245

300 204
200 74 41
100
0
R1 R2 R3 R4 R1 R2 R3 R4
Hamster's Condition: Full Hamster's Condition: Hungry

Figure 5: A bar graph of hamster’s condition and time (s)

6.0 DISCUSSION

In this experiment, learning can be defined as the potential for behavior or relatively permanent
change in behavior which results from the experience. For example, an animal is able to
perceive and change its behavior according to its own experience. Moreover, relatively
permanent change means that there is some internal process that will be changed in the form
of memory. However, there is no assurance for the information can be recalled for use while
the potential for behavior implies that things can be learned that were not used immediately or
may never be used where they are latent or unexpressed [7]. Here, latent means that the animal
observed its surrounding with no particular motivation to learn its geography of it. There were
many conditions of learning that had been applied to the animal such as sensitizing, habituation,
classical conditioning, and operant conditioning.

Then, a maze box was used in this experiment to test the animal’s mental traits such as
learning and memory. Furthermore, in the 20th century, animals like rodents, for example, mice
have been forced down elaborate paths while exploring their mental limits. This is because
mice displayed behavior that can be monitored and interpreted relatively clearly. In addition,
there were several researchers had investigated how mice ran numerous mazes such as radial
arm mazes, water mazes, and T-mazes. Thus, mazes were used to examine various treatments
and situations that affect the learning and memory of mice [8]. Therefore, the Syrian hamster
was used in this learning experiment since mice and hamsters were taxonomically similar and
belonged to the same kingdom, phylum, class, order, and superfamily. Thus, both of them were
rodents. Moreover, the hamster was skilled in digging and navigating their way. Therefore, it
was clear that hamsters had a flair for mazes [9].

After that, the learning experiment began with the hamster that was full which had been
fed for a few hours, and was placed in the maze where at the end of the maze with some food
pellets were provided in front of the escape hole at the other end. There were three trials with
some food pellets placed at the escape hole of the maze while for the last trial, the food pellets
were exchanged with a bottle’s lid. The time taken for the hamster to escape the maze for the
first, second, and third trials where the food pellets were provided at the end of the escape hole
were 622 seconds, 530 seconds, and 266 seconds. However, the hamster spends 230 seconds
escaping the maze when the lid bottle was placed at the end of the escape hole. Secondly, this
experiment continued with the same hamster that was left to starve was placed in the same
maze where at the end of the maze with some food pellets were provided in front of the escape
hole at the other end. There were also three trials with some food pellets placed at the escape
hole of the maze while for the last trial, the food pellets were exchanged with a bottle’s lid.
According to the result, the time taken for the hamster to escape the maze for the first, second,
and third trials where the food pellets were provided at the end of the escape hole were 245
seconds, 204 seconds, and 74 seconds while for the fourth trial where food pellets were
exchanged with lid bottle, the time taken for the hamster to escape from the maze cage was 41
seconds.

Then, based on the results of the time taken for the hamster to find its way out from the
maze that had been observed and calculated, it shows that the hamster that full before entered
the maze box was taken longer time than the hamster that hungry to escape the maze box. The
reason for this incident was the hamster that was full was exposed to the maze box for the first
time while the hamster that was hungry was exposed to the maze box for the second time. This
shows that the second situation where the hamster that was hungry was already learned the
patterns and routes of the maze box. In addition, the hamster was in a hungry situation, so it
will move faster through the maze box since it knows that at the end of the escape hole of the
maze, there was food. Thus, this incident shows that there was food derivation happening
toward the hamster. Moreover, the hunger situation provided one of the strongest homeostatic
motivations for behavior in the animal. Physiological hunger naturally promoted food-seeking
responses. Furthermore, the hamster that was fasted will drastically be escalated the time taken
to explore and escape from the maze box [10].

Furthermore, this type of experiment shows the condition of operant conditioning where
the behavior of the hamster either occurs more or less frequently depending on its outcomes.
In addition, when the hamster was engaged in a specific behavior where it yielded a positive
outcome, the hamster was more likely to repeat the action. Therefore, the hamster was
conditioned through operant conditioning since it interacts with the environment the hamster
remembered that the first time it went out from the maze, there were food pellets provided at
the end. Thus, the hamster was motivated to move faster to escape the maze. Thus, related to
spatial working memory [11].
7.0 CONCLUSION

To sum up, all the objectives are successfully achieved. The first objective was gained. The
hamster is learned through associative and non-associative learning which includes
habituation, classical conditioning, sensitization, and operant conditioning. The hamster was
able to finish the maze faster as the trial of repetition was increased. Repetition of up to forth
times was improving the learning, experience, and memory of the hamster. Therefore, the
hamster took a shorter time to complete the maze along with the increment of repetition.
Manipulate the R4 with a bottle’s lid does not longer the time taken for the hamster to finish
the maze. This is because the hamster was already experienced the first three trials that provide
food. Therefore, the brain of the hamster thought that it will also have food for the R4 repetition.
The second objective was also achieved when the hamster took a different time to finish the
maze when several aspects are manipulated. The aspects are the presence of food in front of
the end hole, the bottle’s lid, and the hamster’s condition of being full and hungry. The hungry
state of the hamster drove a lot of eagerness to finish the maze as the hamster remembered that
there were foods provided at the escape hole. The manipulative factors of full and hungry also
affect the behavior of the hamster. It became more aggressive and faster in findings food and
satisfying its own satiety state. Thus, it took a shorter time to complete the maze when it was
hungry compared to when it was full. Therefore, this experiment held concurrent the capability
of the hamster’s learning, experiencing, and memorizing the maze that relates to its animal
behavior and the time taken to finish the maze when several aspects were manipulated.

8.0 REFERENCES

[1] H. d. S. M. Elidio, "Housing density and aggression in Syrian hamsters," Journal of

American Association Laboratory Animal Science, no. 60(5):506-509, 2021.

[2] A. Village, "Hamsters," Activity Village.co.uk, 2020. [Online]. Available:

https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/hamsters. [Accessed 3 January 2023].

[3] D. a. Alexandra, "Hamsters hiding their food- Why, when and where," First Hamster,
2023. [Online]. Available: https://firsthamster.com/hamsters-hiding-their-food/.
[Accessed 3 January 2023].
[4] E. Puisis, "7 Reasons why hamsters make great pets," The Spruce Pets, 7 July 2022.
[Online]. Available: https://www.thesprucepets.com/why-hamsters-make-great-pets-
5101101. [Accessed 3 January 2023].

[5] A. Hartley, "Do hamsters have good eyesight? Can they see in the dark?," PetsVills, 27
October 2021. [Online]. Available: https://petsvills.com/do-hamsters-have-good-
eyesight/#:~:text=Hamsters%20have%20very%20poor%20eyesight,t%20accustomed%2
0to%20bright%20light. [Accessed 3 January 2023].

[6] F. Kletty, "Are all conservation measures for endangered species legitimate? Lines of
thinking with the European hamster," Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, vol. 8, no.
536937, pp. 1-14, 2020.

[7] N. J. Mackintosh, "Animal learning," Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2022. [Online].

Available: https://www.britannica.com/science/animal-learning. [Accessed 4 January
2023].

[8] C. Choi, "The mazes with minds of their own," Nature, 27 February 2018. [Online].
Available: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02403-5. [Accessed 4 January
2023].

[9] K. E. Quesenberry, "Description and physical characteristics of hamsters," MSD

Veterinary Manual, October 2022. [Online]. Available:
https://www.msdvetmanual.com/all-other-pets/hamsters/special-considerations-for-
hamsters. [Accessed 4 January 2023].

[1 C. E. a. M. C.J.B., "Hunger-driven motivational state competition," Neuron, vol. 1, no.

0] 92, pp. 187-201, 2016.

[1 C. Wahome, "What is operant conditioning?," WebMD LLC, 27 April 2022. [Online].

1] Available: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-operant-conditioning.
[Accessed 4 January 2023].