Argen G, Meyerson BJ. 1977. Influence of gonadal hormones and social housing conditions on agonistic, copulatory, and related sociosexual behaviour in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus). Behav Processes. 2;265-82.

The Mongolian gerbil is colonial, but its social organization within its colonies is not known. Pair formation has been suggested by breeders and has been observed under semi-natural conditions. Family units remain stable under such conditions. In the solitary-living hamster (Cricetus auratus), agonistic behaviour decreases in male-female encounters during female heat. This report concerns the influence of female and male gonadal hormones on agonistic behaviour in gerbils studied in cagemate and non-cagemate encounters. Further, the occurrence of mating, marking, and drumming was studied in the same situations. No effects were found of either the female or the male endocrine condition on the low amount of agonistic behaviour between cagemates. A reduction in the high amount of agonistic responses in encounters between non-cagemates was indicated. It was related to the castrated-male and induced-oestrous female conditions. Copulatory behaviour was not influenced by social maintenance conditions. Marking and drumming were most frequent in females in oestrous and intact males. The occurences in the females were influenced by the individual's endocrine condition, but not by the opponent's. Intact males in encounters with non-cagemates marked more frequently when the females were in anoestrous. Drumming in the intact males increased in tests with oestrous versus anoestrous females but occurred more frequently in encounters with non-cagemates than in those with cagemates. The behaviour of castrated males was not influenced by the endocrine or by social housing conditions. The limited variation in agonistic behaviour relative to the endocrine conditions may reflect a non-solitary social organization.