The role of the preputial glands in sexual attractivity of the female rat.

This study shows that olfactory cues contribute to attractivity of the female rat but that the preputial glands are a minor source of such olfactory stimuli. In the experiments described, a residential plus-maze was used. The amount of time resident male rats spent in the vicinity of an estrous female rat was used as a measure of female attractivity. In the first experiment it was shown that male rats were attracted to anaesthetized estrous female rats but that these females were less attractive than unanaesthetized estrous females. In the second experiment it was shown that after removal of the preputial glands females were still attractive for male rats. The results of the third experiment demonstrated that estrous preputialectomized female rats remained attractive for male rats when they were anesthetized. When the resident male rats could make a choice between an estrous preputialectomized female and an estrous control female there was a tendency for the latter to be preferred. It can be concluded that olfactory cues enhance the attractivity of an estrous female rat, but that it is not the only sensory modality used by the female to attract a (distant) male. The preputial glands are of minor importance as a source of olfactory signals.