Stereotypic behaviour is genetically transmitted in the African striped mouse Rhabdomys pumilio

Correlates of birth origin effects on the development of stereotypic behaviour in striped mice, Rhabdomys

“…small body size, successful reproduction in captivity and short generation times; Schradin & Pillay 2003) and, because they are diurnal (Schradin 2006), are easy to observe and are not prone to sleep disruption when tested during the day. The striped mouse is a particularly good model for studying birth origin effects on SB as about half of all CB striped mice reared in standard cages develop locomotor SBs (Schwaibold & Pillay 2001;Jones et al 2008Jones et al , 2010a. This incidence of SB is also similar to that reported in a number of zoo species (e.g.…”

Early social experience influences the development of stereotypic behaviour in captive-born striped mice Rhabdomys

“…In the second analysis, we compared the incidence of stereotypic behaviour in adult striped mice that were raised by the mother alone (uniparental care) or by both parents (biparental care). In both analyses, because stereotypic behaviour is known to be genetically (but not socially) transmitted in striped mice (Schwaibold and Pillay, 2001;Jones et al, 2008), we controlled for the stereotypic status (stereotypic or non-stereotypic) of the parents, and also investigated the potential interaction of genotype with the respective early social experiences. We predicted that early weaning would predispose young to the development of stereotypic behaviour, whereas biparental care would protect against its development.…”

Increased reproductive output in stereotypic captive Rhabdomys females: Potential implications for captive breeding

“…circuit running; somersaulting; jack-hammering; and cageclimbing; see Jones et al (2008) for detailed definitions of these behaviours). Our previous work in Rhabdomys has shown that this behaviour is genetically rather than socially transmitted (Schwaibold and Pillay, 2001), but with a greater maternal than paternal contribution to stereotypy development suggesting that maternally mediated epigenetic factors also influence the expression of the behaviour (Jones et al, 2008).…”

“…Whatever the mechanisms behind this relationship, because stereotypic behaviour typically has a genetic component (bank voles, Ö dberg, 1986;Schoenecker and Heller, 2000;mink, Jeppesen et al, 2004;Svendsen et al, 2007;domestic horses, Equus caballus, Kiley, 1977;Smith, 1984;striped mice, Jones et al, 2008;Schwaibold and Pillay, 2001), such findings strongly suggest that stereotypic genotypes may be selected for in captive conditions. Circumstantial evidence for this is that across a host of species, the F1 captive generation is more stereotypic than the wild-caught generation, although it is currently unknown whether this difference has a genetic, developmental, or environmental basis (Mason, 2006b); and that, in our randomly bred captive colony of Rhabdomys a greater proportion of F2 mice (56%) than F1 mice (41%) showed this behaviour (Fisher's Exact Test, p = 0.0011; unpublished results).…”