Postparturitional reestablishment of pup cannibalism in female gerbils

Nonbreeding female Mongolian gerbils readily cannibalize all accessible pups. Among breeding females this behavior ceases a few days prior to parturition. If the litter remains with the female, cannibalism of newborn test pups returns between 11 and 20 days postpartum. If the litter is removed a few hours after parturition, however, 40% of the females will cannibalize on Days 1–5 and 72% will cannibalize on Days 6–10 postpartum. Thus, the presence of a litter appears to suppress pup cannibalism. The evidence suggests that the replacement of a litter 6–10 days old with newborn pups can prolong the suppression of pup cannibalism.