Effects of physical attributes and chemical composition of novel foods on food selection by Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)

• Published in: Journal of pest science Vol. 87; no. 1; pp. 99 - 106
• Main Authors: Hegab, Ibrahim M., Pan, Hemin, Dong, Junyan, Wang, Aiqin, Yin, Baofa, Yang, Shengmei, Wei, Wanhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Arachis hypogaea; Beans; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbohydrates; Chemical composition; Corn; Ecology; Entomology; Food; Food composition; Food processing; Food selection; Forestry; Life Sciences; Millet; Novel foods; Nuts; Organic chemistry; Original Paper; Oryza sativa; Peanuts; Physical characteristics; Physical properties; Plant Pathology; Plant Sciences; Potatoes; Rats; Rattus norvegicus; Rodents; Solanum tuberosum; Soybeans; Sugar; Wavelengths; Norway; Novel food; Food selection; Food composition; Food shape; Food color
• ISSN: 1612-4758; 1612-4766
• DOI: 10.1007/s10340-013-0511-0

An organism’s food is a fundamental aspect of its survival niche. Free-ranging rodents are presented regularly with different types of novel food. To investigate the novel food selection process in Norway rats concerning chemical and physical characteristics, 288 laboratory bred Norway rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) were tested with a 2-h free choice for each animal. First, rats were tested against eight kinds of novel foods: corn, beans, broiler ration, soybeans, peanuts, rice, potatoes, and millet. Rats preferred corn over the other novel food types, and there was a significant positive correlation between the selective coefficient and carbohydrate content; rats chose novel food with highest energy content. Rats also appeared to be less neophobic to foods of high sugar content. Regarding physical characteristic, rats effectively differentiated between spectral colors of different wavelengths, and red-colored food was more attractive for rats than foods of four other colors. Small-sized food received the highest numbers of visits and longest feeding bouts compared to other sizes. These results suggest that the carbohydrates content, red color, and small size of novel food play a role in the novel food selection of Norway rats.