SEDL / STP / STP625-EB / STP27058S

Equipment and Methods Available for Measuring the Behavioral Response of Rodents to Odors

Salmon, TP
Staff research associate and specialist in vertebrate ecology, Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, University of California, Davis, Calif.

Marsh, RE
Staff research associate and specialist in vertebrate ecology, Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, University of California, Davis, Calif.

Pages: 10    Published: Jan 1977

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Abstract

Odor attractants or repellents for modifying the behavior of rodent species have received considerable evaluation, but no single apparatus or method has evolved as the most effective. Some of the most useful types of equipment and procedures for olfactory-behavioral studies are described or discussed. Emphasis is placed on the equipment and methods most likely to prove effective and practical for evaluating odor attractants with a potential for use with traps or rodent baits.

Examples of devices used to monitor and record responses to introduced odors include electric eye, body capacitor, sensing grids, and mechanical treadles connected to counters and event recorders. Time-lapse photography and closed-circuit television monitors have their place, as does direct observation, but the labor involved makes them relatively expensive means of collecting data. A simple maze may be the most useful of all the apparatuses reviewed.