Seasonal Dynamics of Blood Parameters in the Turkish Hamster (Mesocricetus brandti Nehring, 1898)

The dynamics of the body weight and the temperature, as well as the hematological blood parameters, were noted for ten male Turkish hamsters under natural temperature and photoperiod. Due to the absence of an increase in body weight in the autumn and the seasonal changes in the number of red blood cells and white blood cells, the Turkish hamster can be classified as a species with facultative hibernation. At the same time, the seasonal dynamics of changes in the platelet parameters is similar to that of true hibernators. According to the data obtained by thermologgers in our experiment, not a single individual demonstrated true hibernation patterns; only short-term torpors were recorded.