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Effects of experience on the parental responses of...
Journal article

Effects of experience on the parental responses of male Mongolian gerbils

Abstract

We examined responses of adult male Mongolian gerbils to nest site and young during the hours preceding and days following birth of a litter. We found that (a) male attendance at the nest site was markedly reduced for several hours following the birth of pups; (b) this lack of contact by males with nest and pups did not result from active exclusion of males from the nest by their mates; (c) males lacking previous experience of pups, but not those familiar with pups, avoided contact with pups on the day of their birth; and (4) 3-day-old gerbil pups were attractive even to males encountering young for the first time.

Authors

Clark MM; Galef BG

Journal

Developmental Psychobiology, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 177–185

Publisher

Wiley

Publication Date

April 12, 2000

DOI

10.1002/(sici)1098-2302(200004)36:3<177::aid-dev1>3.0.co;2-w

ISSN

0012-1630

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