Paradigm for comparing sexual behavior and scent marking in male gerbils

Gerbils are popular subjects for research on social behavior and olfactory communication, yet little has been reported about their sexual behavior, apparently because researchers have found it difficult to elicit mating in stiuations where it can be observed and quantified. Here we describe a paradigm for eliciting complete copulatory behavior in male gerbils. We also report on the relationship between scent marking and sexual behavior and indicate how several environmental variables affect these behaviors. Our data indicate that (1) scent marking and sexual behavior are related, i.e., males that display sexual activity mark more often than males that do not mate; (2) male gerbils are more likely to copulate late in the light phase of the light: dark cycle than early in the dark phase; (3) housing males in pairs or groups facilitates copulatory behavior; and (4) marking frequencies as assessed in the sex arenas are positively correlated with, but higher than, marking scores obtained in the openfield.