title: Coat color genes and cage temperature effects on care of the body surface (COBS) behavior of Meriones unguiculatus.
abstract: Male and female Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) carrying three coat color alleles, agouti, sandy, and black, were tested for 15 min under three cage temperature conditions, warm (35-40 degrees C), neutral (20 degrees C), and cold (0-5 degrees C). A frequency count of scratching, face and body wash, belly/side rubs, and shaking was taken of these animals' activities during the test sessions. Sex differences were not evident but coat color and age temperature affected the belly/side rubs and shaking activities. There were also effects of cage temperature but not coat color on face/body wash and scratching. It appears that animals with these coat color variants manifest disparate patterns of COBS behavior when encountering different thermal environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gray-Allan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000235:genetics*; D006120:Grooming / Q000502:physiology*; D006200:Hair Color / Q000235:genetics*; D008055:Lipids / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids