This dataset includes video recordings of the behavior of virgin mice with dams and pups and single cell recordings from the left paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus of virgin mice. The associated study examined neural activation related to the acquisition of pup retrieval behavior as virgin mice were enlisted in maternal care by experienced mothers.

In the study, C57B1/6 virgin female mice were bred and raised at NYU School of Medicine and kept isolated from dams and pups until eight weeks old. Co-housing of a virgin female with a mother and litter was conducted for 4 to 6 consecutive days. First the dam and her postnatal day 1 litter were placed in the cage. After the dam was acclimatized for 30 minutes, the virgin female was introduced with a tail mark for identification. When co-housing was done between a virgin female and pups, the pups were returned to the donor mother every 12 hours and immediately replaced with new pups. This was done to ensure that the pups stayed alive and healthy despite not being fed while co-housed with the virgin mice.