Effects of ambient temperature and body fat content on maternal litter reduction in Syrian hamsters

Reproduction in Syrian hamsters is sensitive to the general availability of metabolic energy. For example, females often modify their litter size by cannibalism on days 1-7 postpartum, and the number of young eaten is a function of the total supply of metabolic energy as determined by both food supply and body fat content. If the level of cannibalism is a function of energy availability, it might be expected that a drop in ambient temperature would increase cannibalism, since cold acclimation demands greater energy expenditure. We found that hamsters ate significantly more of their offspring when housed at 10 compared to 22 degrees C during lactation. The effect of cold on cannibalism was attenuated in hamsters fattened prior to cold exposure and exaggerated in hamsters that were lean prior to cold exposure. Thus, the litter size maintained by Syrian hamsters is a function of the total supply of metabolic fuels as determined by energy sources, such as food supply and adipose tissue, and by energetic costs of thermoregulatory and other processes.