Reduced mate preference for dominant over subordinate males in old female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

•We examined the effects of female age on mate preference in Syrian hamsters.•We evaluated young and old females with dyads of dominant and subordinate males.•Scent marking by young females favored dominant males over subordinate males.•Scent marking by old females did not favor dominant males over subordinate males.•Mate preference for dominant males appears to be reduced in old female hamsters that have reached an age when fertility has declined.

Why some females choose to mate with a ‘preferred’ male, whereas others choose to mate with an ‘inferior’ male is not always clear. Generally, the choosiness of females is thought to decline with advanced age, but relatively few studies have investigated this concept, and reports of this phenomenon in mammals are lacking. To address this deficiency, young and old female golden hamsters were evaluated for their preference for dominant vs. subordinate males. Females observed male dyads as a dominance relationship was established. Dominant and subordinate males were then placed within enclosures at the opposite ends of a Y-maze, and the first approach, scent marking, and time spent near each male were evaluated in young and old females during pro-oestrus—a time when females solicit visits by prospective mates by leaving vaginal and flank scent marks. Whereas the proportion of time spent near the dominant male was significantly greater than random for both young and old females, the proportions of vaginal and flank scent marks left for the dominant male were significantly greater than random for young females, but not for old females. Overall, these results are consistent with a decline in the preference for dominant males by old female hamsters.