Odor preferences of female house mice (Mus domesticus) in seminatural enclosures

Preferences for male odors by female house mice (Mus domesticus) were examined with respect to age, dominance status, and spatial relationships. Mice were free living in 6 field enclosures. Estrous or nonestrous females were placed in an aquarium with soiled bedding from live traps as the odor source. Females were tested for preferences between (a) adult and juvenile male odors, (b) dominant and subordinate male odors, and (c) ''near'' and ''far'' male odors. In dominance odor tests, estrous females preferred odors from dominant males; nonestrous females exhibited no significant preferences. In adult-juvenile and spatial odor tests, there were no significant differences between odor preferences of estrous and nonestrous females. However, most females preferred odors from adult and ''near'' males. Male dominance status appears to be the strongest influence on female odor preference in these seminatural enclosures.