Allo-Grooming - Normal

Normal allo-grooming is an affiliative interaction that strengthens social bonds among cagemates and assists the animal in obtaining information about food sources.

Normal allo-grooming is a more casual, less intense form of grooming between two mice. In this interaction, an actor mouse frequently uses its forepaws for stability when grooming the recipient. During grooming, the actor mouths and licks the fur on the recipient's body. The actor will also use its teeth to clean the hair shaft by pulling the fur from the base of the hair shaft upward or outward.

The easiest way to differentiate between normal and vigorous allo-grooming is by looking at the recipient's behavior. In normal allo-grooming, the recipient will usually be preoccupied with something else in the cage and may even move around while being groomed. However, during vigorous allo-grooming, a recipient will remain rigid and usually motionless.

Affiliative Interactions

Affiliative behaviors are social interactions that function to reinforce social bonds with a group or which are of mutual benefit to all animals involved in the interaction.

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