Adapting to alcohol: Dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli) ethanol consumption, sensitivity, and hoard fermentation

• P. campbelli hamsters readily consumed unsweetened ethanol solutions with ad lib access to food and water; however, a high fat diet suppressed their ethanol consumption.
• Intraperitoneal ethanol injections caused significant dose-related motor impairment in P. campbelli hamsters, but much larger doses administered orally had no effect.
• Ryegrass seeds, consumed by wild P. campbelli, exhibited fermentation and ethanol production.
• Results of these experiments suggest that dwarf hamsters may have adapted to consume foods in which ethanol production naturally occurs.

Ethanol consumption and sensitivity in many species are influenced by the frequency with which ethanol is encountered in their niches. In Experiment 1, dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli) with ad libitum access to food and water consumed high amounts of unsweetened alcohol solutions. Their consumption of 15%, but not 30%, ethanol was reduced when they were fed a high-fat diet; a high carbohydrate diet did not affect ethanol consumption. In Experiment 2, intraperitoneal injections of ethanol caused significant dose-related motor impairment. Much larger doses administered orally, however, had no effect. In Experiment 3, ryegrass seeds, a common food source for wild dwarf hamsters, supported ethanol fermentation. Results of these experiments suggest that dwarf hamsters may have adapted to consume foods in which ethanol production naturally occurs.