Development of drinking behavior in preweanling rats.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The development of drinking behavior in rats (3-20 days of age) was studied by tracing their ability to perform progressively more complex components of the drinking act. Even 3 day old pups responded to cellular dehydration by actively swallowing intraoral infusions of milk and water or by licking these fluids when they were spread in a thin film across the floor of the test container. Pups were not able to approach and maintain contact with a distant fluid source until 10-15 days of age. By 20 days of age, dehydration reduced the consumption of milk and other types of food (dehydration anorexia). Young rats are able to respond to dehydration in a manner that resembles the adult response and they thereby provide an opportunity to trace the experiential and neurological determinants of drinking behavior.