Differential effects of environmental enrichment on the open-field behavior of wild and domestic Norway rats.
Early postweaning experience in an enriched environment had a greater influence on the open-field behavior and body weight of wild Norway rats than of their domestic counterparts. Genetic changes accompanying the domestication process may have reduced the relative impact of postweaning experience on the development of the domestic rat's response to changes in its environment.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001835:Body Weight; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D012931:Social Environment