Removal of vibrissae in male mice does not influence social dominance

The hypothesis was tested that vibrissae in male mice are essential in the development of social dominance. Male mice were either sham-treated or de-whiskered and then housed in groups of either three or two animals. To determine dominance, three different methods were used: behavioural observations, food-deprivation tests and tube tests. It was found that the intact mice did not become dominant more often than the de-whiskered mice, indicating that removal of vibrissae does not influence the social status of mice. The outcomes of the three tests did not correlate, probably because they measure different aspects of dominance.