Allosuckling in domestic guinea pigs cavia porcellus

Author(s)

Adriana Toyoda Takamatsu

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Psicologia (IP/SBD)
• Defense date: 2007-08-02

Examining board members

Cesar Ades; Vera Silvia Raad Bussab; Mateus José Rodrigues Paranhos da Costa

• Advisor: Cesar Ades
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology
• Indexed in: Banco de Dados Bibliográficos da USP-DEDALUS; Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações - USP; Index Psi Teses - IP/USP
• Location: Universidade de São Paulo. Biblioteca do Instituto de Psicologia; T QL737.R634; T136a

Abstract

Allosuckling seems to challenge the general principle according to which maternal care should be retricted to offspring. While already reported, allosuckling in domestic guinea pigs Cavia porcellus - a species in which males may breed with several females, in a harem system, and in which pups are precocious and able to ingest solid food shortly after birth - has not been, to now, systematically described. The aim of the present research, performed with common guinea pigs (Phase 1) and albino guinea pigs (Phase 2) was to describe female-pups interactions throughout development, and to compare such interactions in isolated females with their litter (FS condition, 20 females) and in paired females with their litter (FP condition, 19 pairs), a condition in which allosuckling performance is likely to happen. In spite of pups\' attachment to their mothers (in condition FS, pups remained nearer to their mother than to the other lactating female and had longer and more frequent nursing episodes with her), allosuckling was relatively frequent (approximately 60% of pups were allonursed). Allosuckling peak occurred during the first week of life and markedly decreased thereafter, being mainly under the control of pups. Results do not favor a functional explanation of allosuckling as a competitive strategy of pups for a surplus of food, but suggest it is an opportunistic strategy which is made possible by the specific nature of guinea pigs social organization. (AU)