Maternal Effect on the Commencement of Hibernation and Body Mass of the Juvenile Edible Dormouse Glis glis in Captivity

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of our study was to check whether maternal presence during the post-weaning period affects the onset of hibernation and weight gain under unlimited food supply in juvenile edible dormice Glis glis. We investigated four groups of siblings growing up in the presence of the mother (“with mother”; n=17) and three groups of juveniles separated from the mother after weaning (“without mother”, n = 17). We found that: (i) more juveniles started hibernation from the group “without mother” than from the group “with mother” (χ2 = 8.24, P < 0.01) at the end of study, when most dams entered hibernation, (ii) weight was not a factor which determined the decision of entering hibernation (iii) juveniles growing up “without mother” did not differ significantly from juveniles raised “with mother” in terms of mean body mass during the last weighing before hibernation (t = 0.48, P = 0.63) and maximum body mass (t = 0.11, P = 0.91), (iv) the presence of the mother may influence the process of making decisions...