“…In addition, sex differences have also been reported for social play behaviors, in which males often show increased play fighting (Pellis & Pellis, 1990; Pellis et al., 1997). Notably, sex differences in response to consummatory and social rewards have also been observed in rodent models of ELS such as maternal separation (MS) or limited bedding and nesting (LBN), which typically reduce sucrose preference/consumption in adult male rats and exert stressor‐specific effects on palatable food (i.e., MS‐induced increase in consumption in adult males and females, LBN‐induced decrease in males, increase in females) and social play (i.e., MS‐induced decrease in females, LBN‐induced decrease in males) (Birnie et al., 2022; Rincon‐Cortes, 2023). Yet, less is known about potential sex differences in response to natural rewards during early development and in normative conditions, as most studies have been conducted in adult male animals after an experimental manipulation (e.g., adversity exposure, genetic mutation, etc.)…”