MATERNAL BEHAVIOUR IN THE RAT: ANALYSIS OF CROSS-FOSTERING

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Abstract
Deter-minants of maternal behavior in the rat were tested by use of a fostering procedure. As the number of days the foster mother had been lactating increased, the mortality rate of the foster young also increased and body weight of the survivors decreased. Absence of the placenta resulted in an increase in the mortality rate; a decrease in body weight occurred for young fostered without the placenta to 10-day-lactating mothers. Injections of oestradiol resulted in significant increases in survival percentages and body weights, suggesting that the oestrogen content of the placenta may be significant in the maternal behavior complex. All young fostered 12 hr after birth survived through weaning, thus suggesting that the mother''s behavior during the first few hours of life is critical both for the survival of the young and for the weight of the survivors.

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