Abstract
In this study, mice’s preferences for nestboxes of various sizes were investigated by using, in social conditions, a progressive elimination procedure. Male and female groups (Experiment 1) preferred the medium-small nestbox (15 cm in diameter) as a nest site, followed by the next smaller or next larger one; the largest boxes were chosen last. The order of initial exploration gave different results, with the mice ranking the nestboxes in this case by decreasing order of size. No systematic gender- or group-size-related effects were observed. Six groups of 2 male mice and four groups of 3 male mice (Experiment 2) were subjected to two elimination tests among nestboxes that differed in either both their inner and outer dimensions (matched condition) or their inner dimensions alone (mismatched condition). Except for the smallest nestbox, which was rejected by the mice, the order of preference for nestboxes was linear, in the direction of increasing size. No difference was observed between matched versus mismatched conditions. By contrast, the initial visits (and the number of visits) took the order of decreasing nestbox size, but only in the matched condition, in which the outer dimensions varied; in the mismatched condition, in which the nestboxes were identical on the outside, the various inner dimensions were not found to have any systematic effect on exploratory activity. These results are discussed in terms of the relevance of the spatial features, depending on the motivation (exploration or nest establishment) underlying behavior at a particular time.
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The author is supported by the C.N.R.S. as “Chargée de Recherche.” This research was also partly supported by a grant from Fondation de la Recherche Médicale Française to Henri Durup, Director of the Département de Psychologie Animale.
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Buhot, M.C. Mouse exploration and choice of nestboxes differing in size. Animal Learning & Behavior 15, 382–394 (1987). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205045
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205045