关键词: 黄毛鼠, 回避行为, 拒食, 行为抗性

Abstract:

Objective To determine the resistance to the first-generation anticoagulant rodenticide in Rattus losea in the farmlands of Guangzhou city, China and investigate their avoidance behavior to poison bait or nontoxic bait, and to provide a basis for rodent control. Methods The resistance of R. losea was determined using the method established by Rodenticide-resistance Monitoring Cooperation Group in China. The avoidance behavior was studied by successive poison bait supply experiments. Results The percentage of R. losea which developed resistance to the first-generation anticoagulant rodenticide reached 83.33% in Guangzhou. Evident avoidance behavior to warfarin bait was seen in R. losea, and the bait shyness rate reached 30.00%. In the successive poison bait supply experiments and nontoxic bait supply experiments for rodent that survived after resistance determination, the poison bait shyness rate deceased generally in each experiment, but there was no significant change in the avoidance behavior to nontoxic bait. As the time of poison bait supply increased, the proportion of R. losea individuals with bait shyness rose, and the degree of nontoxic bait shyness was even higher than that of poison bait shyness in the first poison bait supply experiment. The daily intake of poison bait also deceased significantly, and the daily intake was still lower than those in the first and second poison bait supplies when R. losea was given nontoxic bait after the poison bait supply experiments. Conclusion The avoidance behavior of R. losea in Guangzhou to poison bait and even nontoxic bait indicates that R. losea has developed resistance to the first-generation anticoagulant rodenticide, which would be a big challenge to rodent control. This study provides an important guidance for improving rodent control effect.

Key words: Rattus losea, Avoidance behavior, Bait shyness, Behavior resistance