Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2072565 | Animal Reproduction Science | 2016 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
The reproductive characteristics of a laboratory population of the vole Microtus fortis calamorum were examined. Voles were allowed to breed under laboratory feeding conditions. Over a period of 3 months, 61.82% of the 110 vole pairs examined produced 3 or 4 litters. There were 1-9 voles in each litter and the mean litter size was 4.67 ± 0.28 (mean ± SE). Most litters included 3-7 young voles, accounting for 83.62% of all litters. The mean farrowing interval was 25.9 days (range from 19 to 95 days), and the most farrowing intervals were 20-25 days, accounting for 79.9% of the total. When based on litter size, the reproductive index was 6.23, but was 3.42 when based on pup survival. The survival rate of offspring to weaning was 55.03%. The high rate of infanticide that occurred after removal of males from cages indicates that, in the laboratory, both parents need to be present prior to weaning.
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Authors
Meiwen Zhang, Qunhua Han, Guo Shen, Yong Wang, Bo Li, Cong Guo, Xunjun Zhou,