Differential maternal retrieval of jaundiced versus non-jaundiced Gunn rat pups.
Gunn rat dams were tested for differential retrieval of their jaundiced versus non-jaundiced offspring in 2 experiments. In Experiment 1, in which testing took place every day from Day 1 to Day 8 postpartum, non-jaundiced pups were retrieved significantly faster than jaundiced pups. In Experiment 2, in which testing took place every other day from Day 1 to Day 15 and the pups were weighed each test day, the order of retrieval of the 4 gender/genotype (jaundiced vs non-jaundiced) classifications as found in the 1st experiment was replicated and the non-jaundiced pups tended to be retrieved faster. Heavier pups were retrieved significantly faster than lighter pups, indicating that weight or size may be a cue to differential retrieval.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001835:Body Weight; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D051381:Rats; D011930:Reaction Time; D012737:Sex Factors