Reaction of Bank Voles (Myodes glareolus Schreber, 1780) to Traps with the Odor of Synanthropic House Mice (Mus musculus s.l.) (Mammalia: Rodentia): A Field Experiment

Abstract

Our hypothesis that exoanthropic forest rodent species (e.g., bank voles) avoid the urinary odor of the synanthropic house mice was tested in field experiments in August 2016. One count of the small mammals was carried out in each of two 4-ha fields by the capture–mark–recapture technique over 12 days. Two hundred live traps (100 points, 2 traps per point) were exposed and controlled twice a day (early in the morning and in the evening) in each count. One trap in each pair served as the reference, while the second was the experimental one with 20 μL of the urine of synanthropic house mice applied to a foam rubber surface every day. Generally, bank voles chose the odorless trap more often (60.8% vs. 39.2%, χ² = 3.7, p = 0.054). Adult individuals had a nonsignificant tendency to avoid the odor-emitting traps. Immature (subadult and juvenile) bank voles reliably avoided the odor-emitting traps (a 2 : 1 ratio, χ² = 5.74, p = 0.017). A general linear model showed the influence of the age of voles on the choice of the odorless traps. The potential repellent role of sulfur-containing compounds in mouse urine is discussed.