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Abstract

In the present experiment, the effects of different periods of social deprivation on play fighting among golden hamsters was investigated. Furthermore, the occurrence of satiatio process in play fighting was also studied. It has been noted that social deprivation increased significantly the time spent by hamsters in play fighting and physical contact. However, the difference among the experimental groups appeared only in the time and frequency of the play fighting, which was proportional to the period of deprivation and had no effect on the duration of play fighting bouts and on the time spent in physical contact. The time spent in play fighting in both experimental and control groups gradually decreased throughout experimental sessions. These data suggest that play fighting, like the others systems of motivation fundamental to animal survival (drinking and eating e.g.), shows a satiation process, which may be modulated by deprivation on the levels of play fighting are not the same for different behaviour categories.