Attraction of gerbil pups to maternal nest odors: duration, specificity and ovarian control

Gerbil pups are attracted to the odors of their maternal nest. This attraction develops by three weeks and is still strong at six weeks, but ceases by nine weeks of age. Removing either the mother's scent gland or her ovaries, a procedure that decreases scent gland size, decreases pup attraction to maternal nest odors. These data suggest that the mother's scent gland is the primary, though not the sole, source of the maternal nest attractants and that ovarian steroids stimulate attractant production. The gradual decline in pup attraction to maternal nest odors with age also parallels the decrease in maternal scent gland size. Pup attraction to nest odors becomes more specific as pups mature. Based on pup responses to odors of other mothers and their young, we suggest that nursing pups approach a species-typical pheromone produced by all lactating females, but that weaning pups imprint on scent gland odors specific to their mother. Other maternal odors and/or odors produced by the pups may also make the nest attractive to the young.