Environmental temperature and maternal behavior in Rattus norvegicus.
In 14 female rats the daily duration of selected patterns of maternal behavior was registered for 10 successive days (from the 4th till the 13th day postpartum) for 180 min each day. On certain days the home cages of 7 females (experimental group) were cooled for 8 h, while the remaining 7 females constituted a control group. During the days of cooling the experimental females devoted to the care- giving behavior much more time than during the days without cooling. The drop in temperature influenced the intensity of maternal behavior not only in the early postpartum days, but also on the following days, and that behavior altered repeatedly according to temperature changes. The behavioral responses of females to the actual temperature changes emerge during the first 90 min of cooling. The results indicate that in the course of one maternal cycle the intensity of care-giving activities can be modified many times and relatively quickly, according to temperature changes.
Korda
P
P
Komorowska
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D051381:Rats