@article{1d6742f70ecf43f5be138946fe82e18b,
title = "Effects of mother-litter separation on later maternal responsiveness in the hamster",
abstract = "Primiparous hamsters were permitted either 1,24, or 48 hr of contact with their own litters beginning at parturition followed by varying periods of separation from pups. A different subgroup in each of these 3 conditions was tested for maternal behavior each day starting 24 hr after litter removal. Testing for the display of retrieving and the adoption of the nursing posture using 1-2 day old foster pups continued for each condition until 2 subgroups failed to behave maternally on 2 consecutive days. Nulliparous females were similarly exposed to foster pups and tested at selected intervals; regardless of initial exposure, only 4 of 24 nulliparous animals ultimately displayed maternal behavior. Different primiparous subgroups given 1 hr of exposure were maternal on Days 2-4 postpartum but not on Days 5 or 6 while females in the 24 hr group were maternal on Days 3-5 but not on Days 7 or 8. Groups permitted 48 hr of litter stimulation were maternal through Day 15 postpartum demonstrating that the initial 24-48 hr of pup contact is essential for the development of a long-term mother-young bond.",
keywords = "Female hamster, Maternal behavior, Mother-young bond, Mother-young separation, Pup stimulation",
author = "Siegel, {Harold I.} and Greenwald, {Gilbert S.}",
note = "Funding Information: Hamsters in our colony usually deliver 6 or more pups on the morning of Day 16 and require less than 3 hr to complete parturition. Primiparous animals that gave birth normally were divided into 3 major groups and were permitted either 1, 24, or 48 hr of litter contact measured from the time the last pup was delivered. Following removal of the litters, different subgroups in the 3 conditions were each tested once at dally intervals for the display of maternal behavior; for example, the first subgroup was tested 1 day after their litters were removed while the second subgroup was tested only on the second day after litter removal. Subgroups were added at 1 day intervals until 2 of these groups failed to behave maternally on 2 consecutive test days. Testing for maternal behavior (090~-1000 hr) consisted of placing 2 pups (obtained from donor females) between 1-2 days of age in the cage, opposite to each female's nesting site. Animals were considered maternal when they retrieved both pups to the nest and adopted the lactating posture. To control for the possibility of increased maternal responsiveness due to repeated exposure to young in the ab- 'H. I. S. was a Postdoctoral Fellow supported by training grants from NICHD (5T01 HD0025) and the Ford Foundation. The research was supported by grants from NIH (HD00596) and the Ford Foundation. 2present address: Institute of Animal Behavior, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102.",
year = "1978",
month = aug,
doi = "10.1016/0031-9384(78)90034-3",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "21",
pages = "147--149",
journal = "Physiology and Behavior",
issn = "0031-9384",
publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",
number = "2",
}