The captive animals are also depressed

One study found that captive animals showed signs of depression.

Do you wonder if the hamsters in your cage are bored? It seems that if it has nothing to do all day.

These are the findings of researchers at the University of Guelph in the first experimental study demonstrating depression in captive animals. This research is published today in the journal PLoS ONE, published by the Public Library of Science.

The authors of the study hope that the results of this study will encourage the development of a better housing system for captive animals.

"The idea of ​​how to assess boredom in animals scientifically has been mentioned before, but this is really the first time people make that idea a reality ," Rebecca Meagher, The postdoctoral researcher at Guelph University and the lead author of the study said.

It is easy to recognize that living in an immutable, captive environment including causing discouragement, including human boredom, prisoners report that they are highly motivated to seek stimulation.

The researchers tested ferrets capturing with different types of stimuli, from tempting dishes to neutral objects and unpopular objects, such as leather gloves used to catch animals.

Half of the animals in the study live in small, unshielded cages. The other half lives in spacious stables, arranged with water to wade, walkways and chewing objects and towers to climb.

Researchers found that animals trapped in empty stalls are passionately looking for ambush, which is consistent with depression. Weasels approach stimuli - they are normally afraid of these things - three times faster and discover them longer. They also eat things that are added to the barn, even if they are given as much food as ferrets in the control pens.

When they are not tested, weasels in empty stables spend a lot of time lying and lazy. Among them, those who spent most of their time awake but immobile showed the deepest interest in stimulation.

Meagher said: "We don't know whether mink or other animals really feel bored in the same way that people feel or not." "We can't measure that kind of subjective experience. But we can see that, when they have little to do, then like a lot of depressed people, they can look listless, and, if have the opportunity, eager to seek any form of stimulation ".

Professor of psychology and neurology at Guelph School, Mark Fenske, an expert on human cognition and emotion and recently co-author of a comprehensive review of depression, said research This rescue is an important addition to the document.

"Surprisingly, people are less knowledgeable about depression, although it involves significant harmful consequences for health and happiness," he said.

"Being able to study depression in non-human animals is an important step in our effort to understand its causes and effects and to find ways to alleviate boredom-related problems. discouraged in creatures'.

Meagher and Mason hope this finding will prompt further research, including whether or not intelligent animals such as primates and parrots are particularly susceptible to being bored in captivity, and at Why under stimulation causes problems.

The study was funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Campbell Center of Guelph University on Animal Care Research, in which Mason is a co-teaching member.