Effects of toxicosis on the predatory behavior of the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).

Two experiments attempted to measure the effects that toxicosis had on the golden hamster's predatory behavior and to compare these results with those found in previous studies with grasshopper mice. In Exp I (n?=?17), a 0.15 M LiCl ip injection caused Ss to develop a greater aversion and to inhibit their feeding and attack responses more frequently toward a house cricket than did a similar injection of NaCl. In Exp II (n?=?13), the added presence of an almond coating on the cricket prolonged the number of days that a hamster exhibited an aversion toward the prey and an inhibition to attack. Essentially, the inhibitory effects from toxicosis in the hamster paralleled those found with the grasshopper mouse by W. M. Langley (see record 1982-20395-001) and Langley and K. Knapp (see record 1984-00491-001). The differences in these inhibitory effects are attributed to inherent differences in the attack responses of the 2 rodents. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)