Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Rates of urine excretion by house mouse (Mus domesticus): Differences by age, sex, social status, and reproductive condition

  • Published:
Journal of Chemical Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A series of five experiments was used to test hypotheses about factors affecting excreted urine output per day in male and female house mice (Mus domesticus). Urine was collected in metabolism cages over a 24-hr period. Male house mice excrete urine at a rate 1.5–2.0 times that of females. Daily average urine output increases with age for both sexes and for mice of the same age; urine output per day is correlated with body mass. Females in estrus produce more urine than females in diestrus. Urine output per day increases during the latter two thirds of pregnancy and remains high throughout lactation. Density does not influence urine output per day for either sex over the range of densities tested. Castration reduces urine output per day in male mice, but ovariectomy in females does not alter rates of urine production. Dominant males produce more urine than subordinate males, but there are no similar effects for female mice. The findings have potential implications for our understanding of the functional and ecological uses of urine by house mice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, P.K. 1961. Density, social structure, and non-social environment in house mouse populations and the implications for regulation of numbers.Trans. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 23:447–251.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barkley, M.S., andGoldman, B.D. 1977a. The effects of castration and silastic implants of testosterone on intermale aggression in the mouse.Horm. Behav. 9:32–48.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barkley, M.S., andGoldman, B.D. 1977b. Testosterone-induced aggression in adult female mice.Horm. Behav. 9:76–84.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barkley, M.S., andGoldman, B.D. 1977c. A quantitative study of serum testosterone, sex accessory organ growth, and the development of intermale aggression in the mouse.Horm. Behav. 8:208–218.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bing, F.C., andMendel, L.B. 1931. The relationship between food and water intake in mice.Am. J. Physiol. 98:169–179.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bowers, J.M., andAlexander, B.L. 1967. Mice: individual recognition by olfactory cues.Science 158:1208–1210.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bronson, F.H. 1976. Urine marking in mice: causes and effects, pp. 119–141,in R.L. Doty (ed.). Mammalian Olfaction, Reproductive Processes, and Behavior. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R.E. 1979. Mammalian social odors: a critical review.Adv. Stud. Behav. 10:103–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R.E. 1985a. The rodents I: Effects of odours on reproductive physiology (primer effects), pp. 245–344,in R.E. Brown (ed.). Social Odours in Mammals. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R.E. 1985b. The rodents II: suborder Myomorpha, pp. 345–457,in R.E. Brown (ed.). Social Odours in Mammals. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carr, W.J., Mortorano, R.D., andKrames, L. 1970. Responses of mice to odors associated with stress.J. Compl. Physiol. Psychol. 71:223–228.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chew, R.M. 1951. The water exchanges of some small mammals.Ecol. Monogr. 21:215–225.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chew, R.M. 1965. Water metabolism of mammals, pp. 43–178,in W.V. Mayer and R.G. VanGelder (eds.). Physiological Mammalogy, Vol. 2. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chew, R.W., andHinegardner, R.T. 1957. Effects of chronic insufficiency of drinking water in white mice.J. Mammal. 38:361–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christian, J.J., andDavis, D.E. 1964. Endocrines, behavior and population.Science 146:1550–1560.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, T.P. 1984. Ethological isolation between local populations of house mice (Mus musculus) based on olfaction.Anim. Behav. 32:1068–1077.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, V.J., andBellamy, D. 1974. Effects of female urine on social investigation in male mice.Anim. Behav. 22:239–241.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Desjardins, C., Maruniak, J.A., andBronson, F.H. 1973. Social rank in the house mouse: Differentiation revealed by ultraviolet visualization of urinary marking patterns.Science 182:939–941.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Drickamer, L.C. 1992. Oestrous female house mice discriminate dominant from subordinate males and sons of dominant from sons of subordinate males by odour cues.Anim. Behav. 43:868–870.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drickamer, L.C. 1995. Odors in traps: contextual cues and most recent capture influence capture rates for house mice.J. Chem. Ecol. 21:541–555.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Drickamer, L.C., andMcIntosh, T.K. 1980. Effects of adrenalectomy on the presence of a maturation-delaying pheromone in the urine of female mice.Horm. Behav. 14:146–152.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, J.F., andKleiman, D.G. 1972. Olfactory communication in mammals.Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 3:1–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halpin, Z.T. 1986. Individual odors among mammals: origins and functions.Adv. Stud. Behav. 16:39–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, J.E. 1976. Recognition of territorial boundaries by olfactory cues in mice (Mus musculus L.).Z. Tierpsychol. 41:295–306.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hayashi, S., andKimura, T. 1974. Sex-attractant emitted by female mice.Physiol. Behav. 13:563–567.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hurst, J.L. 1987. The functions of urine marking in a free-living population of house mice,Mus domesticus Rutty.Anim. Behav. 35:1433–1442.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurst, J.L. 1989. The complex network of olfactory communication in populations of wild house mice,Mus domesticus Rutty: Urine marking and investigation within family groups.Anim. Behav. 37:705–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurst, J.L. 1990a. Urine marking in populations of wild house miceMus domesticus Rutty. I. Communication between males.Anima. Behav. 40:209–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurst, J.L. 1990b. Urine marking in populations of wild house miceMus domesticus Rutty. II. Communication between females.Anim. Behav. 40:223–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurst, J.L. 1990c. Urine marking in populations of wild house miceMus domesticus Rutty. III. Communication between the sexes.Anim. Behav. 40:233–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R.B., andNowell, N.W. 1973a. Aversive effects of the urine of a male mouse upon the investigatory behaviour of its defeated opponent.Anim. Behav. 21:707–710.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R.B., andNowell, N.W. 1973b. Aversive and agression promoting properties of urine from dominant and subordinate male mice.Anim. Learn. Behav. 1:207–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R.B., andNowell, N.W. 1977. Aversive potency of male mouse urine: A temporal study.Behav. Biol. 19:523–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kareem, A.M., andBarnard, C.J. 1986. Kin recognition in mice: age, sex and parental effects.Anim. Behav. 34:1814–1824.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, B.H., Vandenbergh, J.G., andCole, J.L. 1974. Aggression, social pressure and asymptote in laboratory mouse populations.Psychol. Rep. 34:239–244.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Levine, S., andTreiman, D.M. 1964. Differential plasma corticosterone response to stress in four inbred strains in mice.Endocrinology 75:142–144.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maruniak, J.A., Owen, K., Bronson, F.H., andDesjardins, C. 1974. Urinary marking in male house mice: Responses to novel environmental and social stimuli.Physiol. Behav. 12:1035–1039.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, A.J., andWolff, P.R. 1982. Sex differences in mouse urination patterns.Anim. Behav. 30:1207–1211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, E., andDrickamer, L.C. 1975. Castration, sexual experience, and female urine odor preferences in adult BDF1 male mice.Bull. Psychonom. Soc. 5:84–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, F.P. 1970. The response of wild house mice (Mus musculus) to live-traps marked by their own and by foreign mouse odour.J. Zool. London. 162:517–519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rugh, R. 1968. The Mouse: Its Reproduction and Development. Burgess Publ., Minneapolis. Minnesota.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scharrer, E., andScharrer, B. 1963. Neuroendocrinology. Columbia University Press, New York. 259 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokal, R.R., andRohlf, F.J. 1981. Biometry, 2nd Ed. W.H. Freeman, San Francisco. 859 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokolov, W., andKotenkova, E.V. 1976. Patterns of smell signalization in house mice (Mus musculus).Zool. Zh. 55:1710–1714.

    Google Scholar 

  • Svare, B.B. 1981. Maternal aggression in mammals, pp. 179–210,in D.J. Gubernick and P. Klopfer (eds.). Parental Care in Mammals. Plenum Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Svare, B.B., andMann, M.A. 1983. Hormonal influences on maternal aggression, pp. 91–104,in B. Svare (ed.). Hormones and Aggressive Behavior. Plenum Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Welch, J.F. 1953. Formation of urinating “posts” by house mice (Mus) held under restricted conditions.J. Mammal. 34:502–503.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winn, B.E., andVestal, B.M. 1986. Kin recognition and choice of males by wild female house mice (Mus musculus).J. Comp. Psychol. 100:72–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolff, P.R., andPowell, A.J. 1984. Urine patterns in mice: An analysis of male/female counter-marking.Anim. Behav. 32:1185–1191.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zikmund, V., andLichardus, B. 1961. Möglichkeiten der Beeinflussung des ADH-Spiegels unter der Osmolarität des Blutserums mittels Hypnosuggestion.Endokrinologie 40:266–270.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, 62901, Carbondale, Illinois

    Lee C. Drickamer

Authors
  1. Lee C. Drickamer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Drickamer, L.C. Rates of urine excretion by house mouse (Mus domesticus): Differences by age, sex, social status, and reproductive condition. J Chem Ecol 21, 1481–1493 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02035147

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02035147

Key Words

Search

Navigation