Responses of the male golden hamster to vaginal secretion and dimethyl disulfide: Attraction versus sexual behavior

Abstract

The attractiveness of dimethyl disulfide, a presumptive pheromone in hamster vaginal secretion, was comparable to that of whole secretion when these odorants were presented to males in the absence of other stimuli associated with hamsters. Dimethyl disulfide was significantly less effective than whole secretion in attracting male hamsters away from the anterior body regions of other, anesthetized males. In contrast to whole secretion, dimethyl disulfide did not promote intromission attempts by male hamsters toward anesthetized males. Dimethyl disulfide may function to attract males into the vicinity of females or may be a general attractant not specific to females, and additional compounds may be responsible for the ability of vaginal secretion to facilitate overt sexual behavior. The attraction of sexually naive males to the secretion from estrous females was comparable to their attraction after mating experience, but recent copulatory experience significantly increased the ability of estrous secretion to promote intromission attempts. Vaginal secretion from lactating females was comparable to that from nulliparous, estrous females in its attractiveness to adult males and in its ability to facilitate overt sexual behavior. The maternal odors to which male hamsters are exposed during neonatal life may include those which will attract and sexually excite them in adulthood.