Age and weight at weaning affect corticosterone level and development of stereotypies in ICR-mice
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
1997 |
Authors: |
H. Würbel, M. Stauffacher |
Publication/Journal: |
Animal Behaviour |
Keywords: |
escape behavior, exploratory behavior |
ISBN: |
0003-3472 |
Abstract:
Artificial weaning in laboratory mice elicits increased levels of exploratory and escape behaviour. Under barren housing conditions patterns of exploration and escape subsequently develop into stereotypic behaviour. Weaning weight in wild house mice,Mus musculus domesticus, is known to affect offspring fitness, thus reduced weaning weight represents a risk to fitness. In male ICR-mice,Mus musculus, precocious weaning 3 days prior to standard weaning age tended to decrease growth rate in the long term, and differences in weaning weight of mice weaned at the standard age persisted into adulthood. Both plasma corticosterone levels 48 h after weaning and adult stereotypy levels were higher in precociously weaned mice, but also in animals weaned at the usual age but at a low weight. These results suggest that potential costs in terms of fitness may affect stress levels at the onset of stereotypy development and predispose ICR-mice to perform stereotypies at a high level when adult.