Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Faculty/School

Faculty of Science

First Advisor

Rudy Eikelboom

Advisor Role

Thesis Supervisor

Abstract

The effects on feeding of moving animals from individual- to pair-housing were explored in the present three experiments. Wheel access is known to result in a temporary suppression of feeding. The move to pair-housing was compared with the effect of wheel access. In Experiment l, a group of rats was moved from individual to pair-housing (IP group) and compared to a group of individually-housed rats (IND group) and a group of chronically pair-housed rats (PAIR group). The animals in the IP group showed a temporary (three days) suppression in feeding (initially 23%). When half of the IND and PAIR group animals were moved between individual- and pair-housing on alternate days (IND-ALT and PAIR-ALT groups, respectively) (Experiment 2), only the rats in the IND-ALT group showed a three day feeding suppression (initially 40%). Experiment 3 examined the effect of the simultaneous introduction of wheels and transfer of housing conditions. The feeding suppression induced by the transfer from individual- to pair-housing was evident prior to, and of a shorter duration than, the feeding suppression induced by wheel access. These results indicate that the feeding suppression, induced by a housing shift, is not the same as that evident when rats are given wheel access. It is concluded that the stress associated with novel pair-housing was responsible for the decrease in feeding. Novelty does not appear to account for the suppression of feeding following wheel access.

Convocation Year

1997

Convocation Season

Spring

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