Groups of familiar male rats form unstable partner preferences when play fighting during the juvenile period

Rats are social animals living in large groups. Within these groups, juveniles engage in vigorous rough-and-tumble play. Despite their natural ecology, most current studies of their play behavior involve pairs not groups. To investigate play under more naturalistic settings, we examined the play of eight groups of juvenile male rats, with each group comprising six, same-aged peers that lived together. Each group was tested on multiple days over the peak play period (30–40 postnatal days). On any given day, rats showed partner preferences for certain individuals in the group, however, preferences varied from day to day. Despite changes in partner preferences, rats chose to play with partners that engaged in more turn taking and with partners with whom they had more symmetrical play relationships. That some individuals within the group were consistently preferred as play partners while others were consistently avoided may have developmental consequences, with those who are favored gaining greater benefits from their juvenile play experiences.