Abstract
The social huddling and contact behavior of 5- to 7-day-old Norway rat pups was recorded in a series of experiments testing for the effects of social and environmental variables on huddling preferences. Both males and females huddled more with opposite-sex littermates compared to same-sex littermates or strange agemates from a different litter. Subjects were least likely to huddle with strange pups of the opposite sex. These data were discussed in terms of sex-specific adult social preferences. Also, sex preferences in the huddling behavior of male and female pups were found to be limited by cage bedding conditions. Preferences for huddling with opposite- over same-sex littermates were found when observations took place on bedding holding the odor of a strange dam with litter. A preference for the same-sex littermates was found for the bedding condition holding the odor of the home cage. These results were discussed in terms of the control of ultrasonic pup vocalizations by conspecific odor conditions.
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