title: Effects of experience on the parental responses of male Mongolian gerbils.
abstract: We examined responses of adult male Mongolian gerbils to nest site and young during the hours preceding and days following birth of a litter. We found that (a) male attendance at the nest site was markedly reduced for several hours following the birth of pups; (b) this lack of contact by males with nest and pups did not result from active exclusion of males from the nest by their mates; (c) males lacking previous experience of pups, but not those familiar with pups, avoided contact with pups on the day of their birth; and (4) 3-day-old gerbil pups were attractive even to males encountering young for the first time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Galef
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D008297:Male; D009425:Nesting Behavior; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D011247:Pregnancy; D013997:Time Factors