379 Contents of this Issue o Research 1. The modification of the tincats will be to exclude rodents but if any one has any other ideas I would be interested in hearing them. I am interested in the role of latrines in communication. Water voles use latrines to mark territories along waterways.
Latrines are scent marked from lateral glands on the flanks of the animal.
I plan to take samples of this scent from both live animals and their latrines for chemical anaysis. I am writing to ask if anyone has experience of taking samples of this nature from live animals or from scent marked objects. I am primarily interested in information on rodents, although useful information from other mammals would also be appreciated, as would any appropriate references. Thank you for your time. I was lucky enough to be trained by a great mammalogist who taught me to take a handful of oats, put it in my mouth, chew it into a paste, store it in the cheek of my mouth, and roll pieces into small balls with my tongue and place it on the treadle of the traps.