EFFECT OF PUP UNDERNUTRITION ON THE RETRIEVAL BEHAVIOR OF THE RAT DAM

The effect of nutritional status of offspring on retrieval behavior of primiparous and multiparous Wistar rat mothers was examined using a deprivation technique that minimized the effects of other determinants of maternal behavior. Half of the offspring of well-nourished mothers were prevented from suckling by placing sheer, water-resistant tape over the pups' mouths. Test results indicated that, in the majority of the cases, well-fed offspring were contacted and returned to the nest before undernourished offspring suggesting that the nutritional state of pup plays a significant role in the retrieval behavior of rat dams. © 1979 Academic Press, Inc.