Female prairie voles were cohabitated in pairs with males until day 18 of pairing, after which half of the females were separated from their male partners (fs) whereas the other half stayed paired (fp). On lactation day 1, maternal care in the home cage was monitored for 60 min starting at 8:00 A.M. under undisturbed conditions. Behaviors monitored were arched back nursing (ABN), blanket nursing position/direct contact with the pups (blanket/contact), licking/grooming the pups, and total occurrence of pup-directed behavior (on nest). Maternal care was similar between fp and fs mothers, whereas the fathers (m) contributed to offspring care of fp mothers. Data are presented as mean + SEM, n = 6 per group.