Blocking olfactory input alters aggression in male and female California mice ( Peromyscus californicus)

Anogenital distance (AGD) is longer in male than in female neonatal rodents, but can be altered by the prenatal environment. The aim of this experiment was to examine the effects of the sex composition of the litter on AGD in a species with a small litter size. We found that the AGD distributions of male and female California mice, Peromyscus californicus, overlap before weaning (33 days of age), but after weaning, males have a larger AGD than females. Because AGD is significantly correlated with body mass in both males and females, we analyzed the effect of the sex composition of the litter on AGD, using ANCOVA on logarithmically transformed data, with the logarithm of body mass as the covariate. We showed that the sex composition of the litter does not affect AGD in males but has an effect on the AGD in females at birth and this effect is significant at 33 days of age. Females from litters composed of more than 75% males had a longer AGD than those born in litters composed principally of females. This study shows that intrauterine litter composition affects AGD in females of a species characterized by small litter sizes, as has been shown in rodent species with large litter sizes. Thus, AGD can be used as a predictor of masculinization of females due to intrauterine position.

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Prolonged separation delays wound healing in monogamous California mice, Peromyscus californicus, but not in polygynous white-footed mice, P. leucopus

Physiology & Behavior ◽

10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.01.035 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 87 (5) ◽

pp. 837-841 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Lynn B. Martin ◽

Erica R. Glasper ◽

Randy J. Nelson ◽

A. Courtney DeVries

Keyword(s):

Wound Healing ◽

Peromyscus Californicus ◽

California Mice

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Enriched laboratory housing increases sensitivity to social stress in female California mice (Peromyscus californicus)

Applied Animal Behaviour Science ◽

10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105381 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 105381

Author(s):

Vanessa A. Minie ◽

Radmila Petric ◽

Stephanie Ramos-Maciel ◽

Emily C. Wright ◽

Brian C. Trainor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Stress ◽

Peromyscus Californicus ◽

California Mice

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Environmental enrichment delays the development of stereotypic behavior and reduces variability in behavioral experiments using California mice (Peromyscus californicus)

10.1101/2021.01.05.425454 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vanessa Minie ◽

Stephanie Ramos-Maciel ◽

Emily Wright ◽

Radmila Petric ◽

Brian Trainor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Enrichment ◽

Model Systems ◽

Stereotypic Behavior ◽

Psychiatric Disease ◽

Behavioral Experiments ◽

Environmental Complexity ◽

Preclinical Research ◽

Peromyscus Californicus ◽

Cage Size ◽

California Mice

AbstractDomesticated mice and rats have shown to be powerful model systems for biomedical research, but there are cases in which the biology of species is a poor match for the hypotheses under study. The California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) has unique physiological and behavioral traits and has emerged as a powerful model for studying sex differences in the biology of psychiatric disease, which is particularly relevant considering the new NIH guidelines that require the inclusion of sex as a biological variable. Despite its growing role in preclinical research, there is a lack of studies assessing species-specific housing needs, which presents a challenge for research facilities seeking to ensure good welfare and obtaining high-quality experimental data. Indeed, captive California mice present a high prevalence of stereotypic backflipping behavior, a common consequence of suboptimal housing and a potential source of experimental outcome variability. Using three different cage systems, the present studies show that increasing housing space as well as social and environmental complexity can delay the development of stereotypic behavior in male and female California mice. Critically, this reduction in stereotypy is accompanied by increased effect sizes of stress in an established model for social anxiety. These results suggest that increased cage size and enrichment could enhance welfare in California mice while simultaneously increasing the quality of behavioral experiments.

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