Determinants of suckling versus drinking in weanling albino rats: Influence of hydrational state and maternal contact

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Abstract
Preferences of weanling albino rats (15, 20, and 25 days of age) for nonnutritive suckling or drinking were determined using a Y‐maze. Age, hydrational state, and the opportunity to contact the mother all influenced choice behavior. When tested in a maze that allowed continuous maternal contact in the “drinking‐goal box,” dehydrated rats chose to drink, while nondehydrated rats chose to suckle. Testing dehydrated rats in a maze that precluded maternal contact in the “drinking‐goal box” eliminated drinking preference at all ages. These observations identify maternal presence as an important condition for the expression of drinking behavior during the weaning period and confirm our previous demonstration of dehydration's inhibition of suckling behavior.

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