Pup cannibalism: One aspect of maternal behavior in golden hamsters.

Abstract

Examination of the role of 6 factors generally held to affect incidence of litter cannibalism in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus] revealed little influence of any of them on frequency of pup destruction. More than 75% of mothers in all conditions examined cannabalized a portion of their litters during the first few days postpartum. Termination of cannibalism resulted both from reduction in litter size, consequent upon destruction of young, and from changes in the internal state of the mother following parturition. Mothers maintain litter size at an individually determined value, behaviorally compensating for experimental alterations in pup number. The results are interpreted as indicating that pup cannibalism in hamsters is an organized part of normal maternal behavior which allows an individual female to adjust her litter size in accord with her capacity to rear young in the environmental conditions prevailing at the time of her parturition.