Effect of feed restriction and management on the behaviour and performance of female rats and pups

ABSTRACT

Twenty-four adult female Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups each of 8 rats reared for 2 pregnancies and 2 lactation periods. During the first gestation, all the dams were normally treated and data were recorded. After parturition, mating was performed at the end of the nursing period which extended for three weeks. In the second gestation period, the three groups were exposed to different treatments, where group I was normally treated, group II fed ad libitum, but mated directly after birth [one stress factor]. While, the dams of group III were fed on 50% of theadlibitum level in addition to mating directly after birth [two stress factors]. The results of first gestation revealed no significant difference among the three groups in respect to all the measured parameters; while, during the second gestation the direct mating alone [group II] or the feed-restriction and direct mating [group III] lead to reduction in the litter size and pups' weight development and increased mortalities in the recorded behavioral patterns the effect to reduce the active nursing and increase the passive nursing in addition to lengthening the mother-pup contact. The effect of the two stress factors in the third group was more amplified than in the on stress factor in the second. Feed restriction added to the direct mating amplified the bad effect on the performance and behavior