Studies were conducted to assess the behavioral responses of silky pocket mice, Perognathus flavus, to test odors associated with two naturally occurring predators (northern grasshopper mouse, Onychomys leucogaster, and Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus), a novel test odor (sugar glider, Petaurus breviceps), and a control odor (water). Pocket mice were tested in a chamber in which they had access to two cages containing food; one of these cages contained no odor (control), while the other contained a predator odor. When both cages contained no test odors, pocket mice showed no preference for one cage over the other; they spent equivalent amounts of time in and in front of each cage, and in the frequency of feeding bouts within cages. In [...]
