Applied Animal Behaviour Science 264 (2023) 105947 Available online 11 May 2023 0168-1591/© 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Mitigating neophobia behaviour of Bandicota bengalensis in accepting poison bait and traps using sulphur compounds as additives Gurjap Kaur, Neena Singla *, 1 Department of Zoology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab 141004, India A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Bait acceptance Carbon disulphide Radial maze Rodents Sulphur compounds Trapping ABSTRACT This study aimed to assess the potential of five different sulphur compounds, namely carbon disulphide, dimethyl sulphoxide, dimethyl sulphide, allyl sulphide, and dimethyl disulphide as bait additives in mitigating neophobia behaviour of Bandicota bengalensis towards poison bait and traps. The efficacy of different concentrations (5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 ppm) of each of the sulphur compounds in enhancing bait acceptance was evaluated by exposing them to rats in a laboratory setting. The results showed significantly higher acceptance of bait containing 5 ppm concentration of all the compounds. Moreover, exposure of bait mixed with 5 ppm of all the compounds under multi-choice condition in radial maze revealed higher consumption by female rats of bait admixed with carbon disulphide, while male rats consumed the baits containing carbon disulphide and dimethyl sulphide to a greater extent. Female rats showed significantly higher acceptance (76.22%) of 2% zinc phosphide bait admixed with 5 ppm of carbon disulphide while male rats showed significantly higher acceptance of 2% zinc phosphide bait admixed with carbon disulphide (70.83%) and dimethyl sulphide (60.28%). Field experiments showed that 2% zinc phosphide bait mixed with 50 ppm carbon disulphide significantly reduced rodent activity in wheat crop fields. In laboratory and semi-field conditions, carbon disulphide at a concentration of 5 ppm and, in crop fields, at a concentration of 50 ppm, increased the efficacy of multi-catch traps for B. bengalensis. The study suggests that using carbon disulphide can enhance poison bait acceptance and trapping, thereby mitigating neophobia behaviour and improving rodent control success. 1. Introduction The lesser bandicoot rat, Bandicota bengalensis, is a common rodent pest species found throughout Southeast Asia that causes significant damage to crops (Chattopadhyay et al., 2010; Singla and Babbar, 2010; Sidhu et al., 2020). With the growing demand for food supply, reducing agricultural damage caused by rodents in developing countries has become a research priority (Belmain et al., 2015; Liu, 2019). The most commonly used method for controlling rodent populations is the use of acute rodenticides such as zinc phosphide, which provides immediate relief from damage by killing rodents within a few hours. However, poor bait acceptance and sub-lethal dosing can reduce the efficacy of zinc phosphide baiting, and may also induce bait-shyness that can last for extended periods of time (Shepherd and Inglis, 1993; Veer et al., 2002). Trapping is another common method used for controlling rodent populations, but the efficacy of traps can be reduced by the lag time it takes for neophobic rodents to enter them (Stryjek et al., 2019; Tak´ acs et al., 2017). To improve the effectiveness of rodenticide baits and traps, suitable additives need to be identified. Many researchers have evalu- ated the efficacy of various bait additives for enhancing trapping and poison bait acceptance by different rodent species (Kaur and Parshad, 2005; Witmer et al., 2010; Naeem et al., 2011; Singla and Kanwar, 2014; Shahwar et al., 2015). Furthermore, Harris et al. (2003) in New Zealand found that the use of sulphur compounds as additives in traps signifi- cantly increased the capture rate of rats. Similarly, in the United States, Barnett et al. (2014) demonstrated how the application of peanut butter in traps significantly elevated trap success rates. Sulphur compounds with a garlic-like odour have been evaluated as rat attractants when. combined with different baits and rodenticides (Bean et al., 1988; Veer et al., 2002; Kaur and Parshad, 2005; Alam and Hasanuzzaman, 2016) because these compounds are similar to the social odours released by rodents (Galef et al., 1988). Singh et al. (2007) found that adding garlic oil to poison bait significantly increased its attractiveness to rats, * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: neenasingla@pau.edu, neenasingla1@gmail.com (N. Singla). 1 ORCID: 0000-0002-2078-475X Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Applied Animal Behaviour Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/applanim https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105947 Received 4 March 2023; Received in revised form 6 May 2023; Accepted 10 May 2023