Reaction of male Mongolian gerbils to odors in a social situation

The current study was designed to examine the possibility that odor from substances rubbed on the back of young stimulus animals will influence the social behavior of male Mongolian gerbils. Thirty adult subjects were tested for four 5-min sessions with young conspecifics that had water, perfume, urine, or ventral gland sebum rubbed on their back. The subjects showed significantly longer investigation duration and higher approach frequencies toward the subjects treated with urine or sebum. The results demonstrate that gerbils are attracted to relevant odors in a social situation.