Primary Assay — Prairie Vole
Parental Care
Microtus ochrogaster
Both prairie vole parents provide care, including pup retrieval, hovering, and licking. Time-on-pups and retrieval latency are sensitive to oxytocin manipulation.
Quantitative Output
Measured Parameters
Every parameter is automatically tracked frame-by-frame in the ConductVision pipeline for Microtus ochrogaster.
| Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pup retrieval latency | s | Time to retrieve scattered pups |
| Time on pups | min/h | Hovering / nursing |
| Licking and grooming bouts | count/h | Maternal/paternal care |
| Nest quality score | index | Nest construction |
References
Citations for Parental Care
- Rilling JK, Young LJ. (2014). The biology of mammalian parenting and its effect on offspring social development. Science, 345(6198), 771-776. PMID: 25124431
Compatible Equipment
Hardware for Prairie Vole Research
3-Chamber Partner Preference Arena
Pair-bond quantification
USV Recording Microphone Array
Vocal communication
Home-Cage Video Tracking
Cohabitation behavior
Open-Field Arena
Anxiety-like measures
Pup-Retrieval Test Cage
Parental care
Related Assays
Other Prairie Vole Primary Assays
12
Partner Preference Test
Microtus ochrogaster
After cohabitation, prairie voles show selective huddling with the bonded partner over a novel stranger in a 3-chamber a…
12
Pair-Bond Formation (Cohabitation)
Microtus ochrogaster
Pair-bonds form rapidly after 24 h of mating or 6 h with mating, modulated by oxytocin and vasopressin. Cohabitation dur…
12
Open Field
Microtus ochrogaster
Open-field activity in voles indexes anxiety-like behavior modulated by social bond status. Center time and locomotion r…
Run Parental Care on ConductVision
Our team will configure the protocol, camera rig, and analysis pipeline for your prairie vole facility.
