EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL AND UNDERNUTRITION ON CANNIBALISM OF RAT PUPS

Pregnant Long-Evans hooded rats were treated (po) with alcohol (4 or 6 g/kg/day) throughout pregnancy. Pair-fed and ad lib fed animals served as controls. Alcohol-treated and pair-fed animals did not differ in the incidence of cannibalism when tested within 24 hr of parturition, but all four groups cannibalized pups to a greater extent than did ad lib fed controls. On Day 2 of testing, alcohol-treated mothers continued to cannibalize pups whereas pair-fed and ad lib fed animals did not kill pups. © 1979 Academic Press, Inc.