Cues for spontaneous alternation by gerbils

Twenty male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were tested for spontaneous alternation behavior in a T-maze under five cue conditions: (1) all cues present, (2) only S’s own odor trail, (3) only orientation cues, (4) no cues, (5) only another S’s odor trail. Significant alternation was found only in the first two conditions, indicating that odor trail is the only alternation cue for gerbils under testing conditions which also yield considerable orientation alternation in rats. There was also a tendency for gerbils to “alternate” the odor trail left by the noncagemate, but to follow that of a cagemate. A previous failure to find evidence of alternation in gerbils may have been due to a lack of opportunity for the animals to engage in trail-marking behavior.