Mitigation of poison shyness in desert gerbil by adding conspecific sebum of ventral scent marking gland and urine in poison baits
Soni, G.R.; Prakash, I.
Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 26(6): 476-478
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5189 PMID: 3192289 Document Number: 307804
With a view to identify the substances which can mask the poison shyness behavior developed due to exposure to sub-lethal dose of poison, the desert gerbils. Meriones hurrianae, were given multiple choice in laboratory cages and plus mazes in feed upon various combination of foods with additives like 1% conspecific anoestrous urine and 0.4% sebum exudation of the ventral scent marking gland. It was revealed that urine functions as an effective agent of masking shyness behavior in M. hurrianae, the urine of anoestrous female being relatively superior to that of male desert gerbil. Likewise, female sebum of ventral scent marking gland of conspecific female animal was found to be superior to that of male rodent. Out of the two, urine was relatively more efficacious than the scent marking sebum in masking poison shyness in M. hurrianae. The results have opened a new line of thinking towards mitigating poison shyness behavior among rodents.