Draft 1: The Affects of Isolation on Gerbil Behavior and Food Intake
This topic submitted by Erin Burk, Katie Dever, Ben Eikleberry, Erin Vitucci (
deverka@muohio.edu ) on 10/7/04 .
Introduction
"A Gerbil is a furry desert animal about four inches long, just a little bigger than a mouseÉDifferent kinds of gerbils are found in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. The gerbil is usually sold as a pet known as a Mongolian gerbilÉ (Wexler 1990)" In this experiment, the researchers are studying the affects of lack of social behavior on daily consumption of food and their individual behavior. According to Wexler (1990), "Gerbils are social animals-they like to be around other gerbils. One gerbil by itself isn't much fun to watch, and it may not even live very long. So you really should plan on purchasing a pair of gerbils. You can buy two males or two females, orÉ you can buy a male and a female." The purpose of the research experiment is to accept or reject the statement of Gerbils not living successfully alone compared to in groups or pairs.
Hypothesis:
Null: Gerbils behavior and food intake is not affected by being isolated from other gerbils.
Alternative: Gerbils behavior and food intake is affected by being isolated from other gerbils. Background Information
(History and Classification)
According to the National Gerbil Society,"Gerbils are small, typically white-bellied agouti coloured rodents which are found in Central Asia, India, the Middle East, and Africa. They inhabit savanna, steppe, hot desert and semi-desert regions of the countries. In appearance their coat varies from a grayish to a reddish brown with a liberal black ticking depending on their habitat, while the belly coat is an off white to a pale cream. The tail is covered in hair, unlike that of mice and rats, and usually ends in a black tuft. They are classified in the same sub-order as mice and rats, the Muridae, but although they are often referred to a 'desert rats,' gerbils belong to a separate familyÑthe Gerbillinae which consists of about 90 species.
The gerbils usually kept as a pet is the Mongolian Gerbils also known as the Clawed Jird (Latin name Ð Meriones unguiculatus meaning little Clawed Warrior). It was first seen by Europeans in Mongolian in 1867. They were successfully bred outside Mongolia in the 1930's in Japan and in 1954 they were imported to the USA and from there several pairs were sent to UK in 1964. (NB. I don't know when they got to Finland).
The Meriones group (technically known as jirds) occupy the northern most part of the gerbil's range, from North America, Turkey, North-west India and Central Asia. Wild Mongolian Gerbils live in family groups of up to about 20 gerbils; of all these only one female and one male regularly mate. They live in a large burrow which extends about 20 inches underground and consists of various chambers for nesting a storing food. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, roots, and leaves. Although mainly vegetarian gerbils will supplement their diet with insects. The gerbil habitat is dry and can get very cold. This is why gerbils have evolved to conserve moisture by producing little urine and sweat, and conserve heat by having a stocky build, hairy tail and small external ears. In contrast their middle and inner ears are vary large and have adapted to provide excellent hearing of very low frequency sounds such as those generated by an owl's wing beat. Gerbils rarely vocalize and mainly communicate with scent. Most aural communications takes place at times of danger of sexual contact and consist of foot drumming.
Unlike most gerbils and many other small rodents Mongolian Gerbils are not nocturnal and seem equally at home during the day and the night."
(Behavior)
Gerbils are considered to be gentile creatures that are fairly easy to handle. They are normally very active animals and are known to be explorers. Because of their curiosity, an escaped gerbil will not hide; instead it will explore its new surrounding.
Even though Gerbils are genuinely nice animals, when contained in an environment with an unfamiliar Gerbil, territorial aggression will most likely be expressed. Normally this aggressive fighting will persist till one Gerbil dies, or till they are separated. In order to maintain a population with few aggressive behaviors expressed, Gerbil cage mates should be introduced to before they reach sexual maturity, which is about six to eight weeks. After cage mates have become acquainted with each other a normal social behavior should be observed. Normal behaviors include wrestling/playing, grooming, and sleeping/cuddling with each other. Other behaviors that can be observed in a captive environment are: attempt to burrow in bedding/ making of tunnels, gnawing on objects in the environment, and scratching and digging of the cage.
(Housing and Environment)
In the wild, Gerbils create a network of tunnels that range in depth approximately up to twenty inches deep. Since captive environments do not allow burrowing, generally larger amounts of bedding is suitable to their needs at least two centimeters in depth. While giving gerbils larger amounts of bedding, there also needs to be 15 centimeters between the bedding floor and the top of the cage, for gerbils need space to sit on their hind legs. Also, a solid cage is preferable, so that gerbils are able to practice burrowing without injuring themselves, and in the event of babies there will be no escapees (Wolfensohn 1994).
In respects to cage cleanliness, Gerbils are very clean. The produce small amounts of urine and their fecal pellets are hard and small. Cleaning of a cage should occur on a weekly basis. In regards to the temperature, Gerbils can tolerate high temperatures due to their origin from the desert. The best temperatures for gerbils is between 19*C (66.2 *F) and 23*C (73.4*F).
(Diet)
Wild Gerbils are generally known as vegetarians since their diet consists of seeds, leaves, grasses, and fruits. But on occasion a gerbil will eat an insect or two. In a captive environment, gerbils will eat dry pellet food, which is a well balanced diet with the correct nutrient levels. There are also other foods in which is a mixture of seeds and pellets that Gerbils generally prefer over the standard pellets, but have the same standard nutrients levels (Wexler 1994). Gerbils generally spread their food intake through out the day and night. In a day, Gerbils are known to consume five to eight grams of pellet food (Wolfensohn 1994).
In respects to water intake, Gerbils consume little amounts of water due to their origin in a desert environment. Since their intake is minimal, their urine is very concentrated and small in quantity. Therefore a water bottle needs to be changed and cleaned once a week.
(Reproduction and Development)
Gerbils reach sexual maturity around six weeks, but generally mate around nine to twelve weeks old. Females reach their Estrus cycle about every four to six days, this is a period of which females are willing to mate and are about to become impregnated.
After conception, the gestation period of baby Gerbils is approximately twenty-four to twenty-six days. The litter size can range from one to seven pups, but generally there are four to five pups born. After the pups are born, the babies take about twenty-one days to be weaned from the mother.
Research Design
The researchers collected the data for this study over a period of five weeks. The data were then recorded in daily logs and entered into the computer on an excel document. The researcher did manipulate the variables therefore this study is "experimental" in methodology. According to Wiersma (1986) Experimental research is, "Research that is labeled "experimental involves situations in which at least one variable, the experimental variable, is deliberately manipulated or varied by the researcher to determine the effects of that variation. This implies that the researcher has the option of determining what the experimental variable will be and extent to which is varied. It is possible to have more than on experimental variable in a since experiment but not preferred (p. 14)." The data collected is over a period of about five weeks starting in October 2004 and ending in November of 2004 therefore this study is cross-sectional in design.
Materials and Methods
The subjects of this study are a population of twelve gerbils that was obtained from a larger population at Jack's Aquarium and Pets located in Colerain, Ohio. Upon arrival, the gerbils were split into two groups. The control group consists of three cages in which two gerbils coexist together. The experimental group has six cages where a gerbil lives alone. Each cage is outfitted with a glass water bottle, ceramic food container, a wood house with circular tunnel, and approximately two inches of aspen bedding. Each cage was a 10-gallon glass aquarium with a wire-mesh covering.
Other materials that were used in this study were a scale to document the daily intake of food of each gerbil. A scale was developed to document the daily behavior of the gerbils.
Behavior Scale:
1. Sleeping
2. Awake with minimal activity
3. Eating, Chewing, Drinking
4. Fair Activity: Playing, Walking Around
5. Large Amounts of Activity: Running, Scratching, Fighting, Burrowing
The grade of behavior of each gerbil was determined by observation periods of approximately thirty minutes. After this period of time, food measurements are taken to record their food intake. After each week of data collection, data was organized and imputed into an excel document.
Protocol on Gerbil Care (After observations were taken)
1. Weigh the existing food amount in the ceramic container
2. Then subtract the existing food from the original amount of food.
3. Remove water bottle and slide the mouthpiece out of the rubber stopper, then fill the water through the stopper hole, and replace the mouthpiece and place it back into the cage.
4. Exercise for the Gerbils occurs once a week when the cage is being cleaned.
5.Cleaning the Cage occurs once a week.
Exercise Protocol
1. Clean exercise ball with water
2. Towel Dry Ball
3. Open Cage and extract a single Gerbil.
4. Put Gerbil in Ball
5. Secure cage lid
6.Locate and barricade room without animal residents
7. Let Gerbil exercise for 20 minutes
8. Open Ball and put Gerbil back into cage
9. Secure Cage Lid
Cage Cleaning Protocol
1. Empty the cage of Gerbil(s) and living necessities
2. Dump bedding out of the cage into trash reciprocal
3. Wash cage out with fresh water
4. Towel Dry
5. Add approximately two inches of bedding
6. Replace living necessities
7. Put Gerbil(s) back into cage
References
Bellingham, W.P. & Gillette-Bellingham, K. (1985). Summation and Configuration in patterning schedule with the rat and rabbit. Animal Learning & Behavior, 13 (1). 152-164.
Beck, B.B. Animal Tool Behavior: The Use and Manufacture of Tools by Animals. New York: Garland STPM Press.
Forkman, B.A. (1993). The effect of uncertainty on the food intake of the Mongolian gerbil. Behavior An International Journal E.J. Brill of Behavioral Biology, 124 (3-4). 197-206.
Galef, B.G. Jr., Rudolf, B. & Whiskin, E.E. (1998). Familiarity of relatedness: Effects on Social Learning about foods by Norway Rats and Mongolian Gerbils. Animal Learning & Behavior, 26 (1). 448-454.
Hediger, H. (1968). The Psychology and Behaviour of Animals in Zoos and Circuses. New York: Dover Publications.
Martin, P., & Bateson, P., (1993). Measuring behaviour: an introductory guide (2ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.
National Research Council, Subcommittee on Laboratory Animal Nutrition. (1978). Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals. (3rd ed.). Washington D.C.: National Academy of Sciences.
Reinhardt, V. (8th ed.). (1997). Comfortable Quarters for Laboratory Animals. Washington D.C.: Animal Welfare Institute.
Smythe, R.H. (1961). Animal Psychology. Spring Field, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher.
Wexler, J. (1990). Pet Gerbils. Niles, IL: Albert Whitman & Company.
Wolfensohn, S., & Llyod, M. (1994). Handbook of Laboratory Animal Managemnet and Welfare. New York: Oxford University Press.
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