Olfactory bulbectomy: influences on maternal behavior in primiparous and multiparous rats

Bilateral olfactory bulb ablation resulted in deficits in several components of maternal behavior in lactating, primiparous female rats. These females frequently cannibalized pups shortly after parturition. Furthermore, bilaterally bulbectomized, primiparous females spent less time nursing their pups and retrieved fewer pups than unilaterally bulbectomized or sham-operated females. In contrast to the situation in primiparous females, in multiparous females bilateral bulbectomy failed to influence any parameter of maternal behavior.