| Abstract: | Male mice (N = 34) were individually raised with a castrated male cagemate from 5 to 15 weeks of age. Half of them were subsequently isolated in clean cages for 2 weeks, while the other half were housed in isolation for 2 weeks in cages that had previously housed a strange male. After 14 days of isolation-housing, one subject from each condition was placed into pairs and observed for 30 min in a neutral arena. On the next day, weights of their preputial glands were measured. Males exposed to strange male odors were more likely to be dominant during the 30-min test and to have heavier preputial glands than were males that had been housed in clean cages. |
