RATE OF FEEDING AND ENERGY-REQUIREMENTS OF CISCAUCASIAN HAMSTER IN DIFFERENT PERIODS OF ITS VITAL ACTIVITY

The amount of consumption of various types of foods in captivity varie s from 5.0 to 24.0 g of dry matter a day per one individual and depend s an the animals' condition and the quality of the foods given to them . In this case, the absolute amounts of consumption of the same foods and the absolute energy requirements for young animals are 2.6-4.5 tim es lower while the relative amounts of food consumption and energy req uirements (figured per 100 g of body weight) are 1.1-1.7 rimes higher than for adults. Such a high relative level of feeding of the young pr ovides them with the necessary rate of weight gain and fat accumulatio n during the short period of summer activity, which is a specific adap tation to the conditions of a mountain climate.