Responses of male golden hamsters ( mesocricetus auratus) to clean and male scented areas

Abstract

The effects of odors from male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) on the exploration of an unfamiliar area by male conspecifics were tested in two experiments. Males entered an area with a greater latency when conspecific male odors were present than when the area was unscented. This effect waned with repeated trials. Males entered the area more slowly and spent less time there when it was scented with odors from a normal male than when it contained odors from a flank glandectomized male. The significance of these results in interpreting the communication functions of the flank gland are discussed.