Infanticidal Behavior in Mice?
In the Laboratory, Infanticide Is a Maladaptive, Abnormal Maternal Behavior. the Mother May Perform Infanticide Shortly After Giving Birth. Other Mice Can Also...
In the laboratory, infanticide is a maladaptive, abnormal maternal behavior. The mother may perform infanticide shortly after giving birth. Other mice can also perform infanticide such as the pups' father or an unrelated male or female mouse. Infanticide is distinctly different from passive cannibalism.
Do mice practice cannibalism?
Species known to occasionally engage in cannibalistic behavior include pigs, rabbits, hedgehogs, hamsters, ground squirrels, and rats and mice. In the lab, certain strains of rats and mice are even more prone than others to eat their young.
Why do mice kill their babies?
Mice commonly eat their babies and I believe that it is primarily stress related. Our colony manager does not breed mothers who eat their young more than twice, because he feels that if they do it twice, there is a problem with the mother, assuming other breeding pairs in the same room are not doing this.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
