Development of olfactory-guided behavior in the golden hamster.
Hamster pups were tested for an odor preference every day from 1-16 days of age with shavings from their home cage and with clean wood shavings. The hamster pups showed a clear preference for their home cage shavings by 8 days of age. They were then tested for preferences with other odor combinations. Tests for preference with other odor pairs indicate that this preference is due to a change in the hamsters rather than a change in the stimulus. In these tests the hamster pups did not demonstrate a preference for their home shavings over shavings in which a nonlactating female had lived. Further tests will have to be done to determine how specific the hamster pup's olfactory preferences are.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005502:Food; D009812:Odorants; D010675:Pheromones / Q000494:pharmacology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*
D010675:Pheromones