Post by emma28 on Sept 15, 2014 2:21:36 GMT -8
Forum members may be interested to know about a bit of research mentioned in the August issue of the BBC Wildlife Magazine ('Discoveries', by Stuart Blackman, p. 24). Dutch scientists placed exercise wheels in rural locations, and recorded substantial use of the wheels by wild rats, shrews and mice! So enjoying a good run on a wheel is not just a feature of caged pets: it seems to be a natural tendency among rodents. This appears to contradict some previous scientific assertions that wheel-running is a form of 'stereotypic behaviour' produced by unnatural confinement. Intriguing!