Nutritional Requirements of the Syrian Hamster

Abstract

Hamsters grow at a normal rate and attain normal mature weights on simplified rations. The list of vitamins in the simplest satisfactory diet includes A, D, E, K, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and pantothenic acid. If vitamin E is omitted from the diet the animals collapse and die in 4 to 18 weeks. They may be rescued shortly after collapse by administration of vitamin E. If vitamin K is omitted from the diet the rate of growth is irregular but the animals reach maturity in nearly normal time. During the period of arrested growth the animals develop small hemorrhagic areas. If vitamins E and K are both omitted from the diet the animals apparently die from the vitamin E deficiency but they are also severely hemorrhagic. A high percentage of females bore at least one litter on simplified diets that contained nicotinic acid, choline, and inositol, in addition to the vitamins required during growth. The data are insufficient to decide whether biotin or p-aminobenzoic acid are essential for the hamster. Few females bore a second litter and it was concluded that the hamster requires at least one unrecognized vitamin for reproduction.