Abstract
A series of two-bottle tests were conducted with wild Norway ( Rattus norvegicus) and wild ricefield ( Rattus rattus mindanensis) rats to assess liquid bait consumption levels. Glucose, a natural sugar, and saccharin, an artificial sweetening agent, were tested against a combination of the sweeteners in water solution with each rat species. Water baseline data indicated that ricefield rats drank relatively more water per day. No species differences, however, were found for consumption levels of 3.0% glucose or for 0.125% saccharin when fluid intake levels were adjusted for mean body weight differences between species using metabolic size data transformations to yield relative consumption levels. A species difference was shown for relative consumption of the mixture of 3.0% glucose plus 0.125% saccharin in water solution with either sweetener as the alternate choice. Ricefield rats showed a two-fold increase in relative consumption of the mixture compared with solutions of either sweetener alone. Norway rats, in contrast, showed a synergistic six-fold increase in relative consumption of the mixture compared with solutions of either component alone. A second series of two-bottle choice tests with new groups of rats showed that both saccharin and glucose solution consumption levels were similar in the two species. The lack of glucose plus saccharin synergism in the ricefield rat response was found to be related to less preference by ricefield rats for glucose when paired with saccharin solution compared to the Norway rat preference pattern. Implications on the potential application of these results to the control of the two species using liquid bait stations are discussed and summarized.
Published Version
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