Effects of olfactory bulbectomy on social behavior of male guinea pigs ( Cavia porcellus ).

Studied the effects of olfactory bulbectomy on social behavior in 16 male guinea pigs. Both brief exposure pairing techniques and a group-living observation period were employed to test for disruption. During short-term testing sessions bulbectomized Ss courted females less than but mounted them as frequently as controls. While the groups did not differ in fighting behavior during short-term tests, controls scent-marked more frequently. Subsequently, Ss were observed as same-treatment pairs living continuously with females, and behavior was sampled over a 3-wk period. Under these conditions bulbectomized males, unlike controls, failed to form dominance orders, exhibited virtually no intermale aggressive activity, had markedly depressed sexual activity, and scent-marked rarely. It is concluded that olfactory bulbectomy profoundly alters the behavior of male domestic guinea pigs and that those alterations are most evident when experimental Ss are observed in a species-typical group-living environment. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)