Effect of conspecific urine odour on behaviour of soft-furred field-rat, Rattus meltada

Given a choice to feed on millet in two separate food baskets placed on two sides of the cage, the soft-furred field-rat, Rattus meltada pallidior preferred millet in which 1% conspecific urine, either of male or female, was added indicating the conspecific urine or its odour functions as phagostimulant for this rodent. Evaluation of the responses of male and female metads towards the urine odour of the either sex revealed that they prefer uni-sex odour. Both the sexes of field rat stayed in the urine side of the cage for a longer duration (P < 0.001) and the males sebum-marked and the females urine-marked with a higher frequency in the urine environment as compared to the other side of the cage.