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AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR AND REPRODUCTION IN THE MONGOLIAN GERBIL, MERIONES UNGUICULATUS, RELATIVE TO AGE AND SEXUAL EXPERIENCE AT PAIRING

The Mongolian gerbil is normally a very tame and tractable animal. In certain situations, however, it may behave aggressively as, for example, when sexually mature animals are paired. Schwentker (1963) regarded the Mongolian gerbil as monogamous, observing that when old females lost their mate they did not usually accept another. Marston & Chang (1965) reported that polygamous mating groups were less successful than monogamous pairs and that careful supervision of mating groups was essential. They also noted that it was not possible to carry out test matings owing to the female's aggressiveness towards a strange male. In accord with these observations, Barfield & Beeman (1968), who made a study of the oestrous cycle, found it necessary to introduce each female to a specific male to avoid aggression during the non-receptive periods. The