Do Laboratory Mouse Females that Lose Their Litters Behave Differently around Parturition?

ABSTRACT: Efficiency in laboratory mouse breeding is hampered by poor reproductive performance, including the loss of entire litters shortly after birth. However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood and establishing the cause of death in laboratory mouse pups can be complicated. Newborn mouse pups are generally hidden in nests, dead pups are often eaten by the female, and the widespread practice of leaving periparturient females undisturbed complicates inspection, which may delay the discovery of pup loss. In order to efficiently prevent problems with litter loss, it is important to find key factors for survival. We investigated differences in periparturient behavior between female laboratory mice whose pups survived until weaning and females whose entire litters were lost. Video

SUBMITTER: Weber EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5005013 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature