Maternal behavior in the albino rat.

Abstract

This is a report of rat behavior associated with the birth and care of the young. The activities studied include selection of material and site for the nest, the method of its construction, delivery and manipulation of young. The modification of some of these activities in response to certain stimuli was studied. The nest building tendency is very strong and apparently activated primarily by factors arising within the parturient 9 rather than from stimuli of the external environment. When the tendency was at its height the rat carried everything it could lift into the nesting corner. After other material was exhausted the 9 would repeatedly pick up and deposit her own tail on the nest. There was no apparent difference in behavior between primapara and multipara. When given a choice the 9 9 selected a nesting place in the dark; and in 186 cases out of 428 when the nest was exposed to light they moved it back into the dark; in no case did they move it from dark to light. The application of strong air currents or excessive heat resulted in even a higher proportion of nest moving than did the application of light. "Evidently the 9 9 showed a considerable ability to adapt their maternal behavior to exigencies for which they had not been prepared by previous experience.".