

The time taken for each hamster to find the food is clocked and recorded in the table given below.Ħ. The hamsters are placed in the start zone of the maze one at a time one. Some sunflower seeds are placed in the finish zone of the maze. This is because hamsters depend on smell to find food and the smell of the glue can be a distraction/hindrance.ĥ. Once the maze is completed, it is left outside for 2 days for the smell of the glue to dissipate. Our handpicked collection of science fair projects for 7th graders is a. See figure 1 for an example of the maze.Ĥ. Find out by timing how long it takes a hamster to negotiate a maze at different. The height of the maze must be at least 200mm so that the rodents do not jump out of the maze. A maze approximately 500mm x 800mm in size is made using cardboards, glue and masking tape. The hamsters in cage B are not shown any human affection at all and are left to themselves.ģ. Time is spent patting and playing with the hamsters everyday for at least 2 hours, until it is clear that the hamsters have become friendly towards you. However, the hamsters in cage A are to be given a lot of human affection. The hamsters kept in cage A and cage B are given the same amount of food, water and living conditions. The 6 hamsters are divided into 2 groups marked group A and group B. Ensure that the hamsters all come from the same litter.Ģ. The constants (control variables) are the size and type of the maze, where the hamsters come from, how hungry the hamsters are, and the type of food used. This is determined by measuring the time using a stopwatch.

The dependent variable is the time taken for the hamster to complete the maze. For this experiment, the independent variable is whether or not the hamsters are given any affection. Their curiosity and learning abilities will be enhanced from practice and they are also livelier and healthier.ġ. On the other hand, animals that are kept as pets at home (if they are well taken care of) and those that live in the wild will have plenty of opportunities to interact with others and their environments.

You will need a hamster, a stopwatch, and materials to build a maze. Method & Materials You will borrow a hamster, build a maze, and time how long it takes the hamster to get through the maze at 8:00 AM, 12:00 noon, 4:00 PM, and 8:00 PM for three days. This may be very much like a child who does not go to school to interact with other children and who may therefore lose the interest or desire to learn. The hypothesis is that the hamster will be more alert at night. This would have suppressed their curiosity and learning abilities. We all know that animals feel pain and care for their newborn, but we do not know if these acts are done out of emotion or instinct.Īnimals that are domesticated at home, lab specimens, animals in our zoos and animals found in the wild may all respond differently in a certain environment.Īnimals that are caged up in a zoo or a laboratory will not have much opportunity to interact with people and the outside world. Scientists still disagree if animals have emotions like we humans do.
