Although castrating a male ferret may leave its reward circuits intact, sexually naive ones are sure to bang only estrous ones if given T(estosterone)P(ropitionate) but not E(stradiol)B(enzoate).
E2 (endogenous estradiol) is the product of aromatase interaction with T but does not exhibit its much more potent masculinizing effect on the females' CNSs due to antagonism of such by AFP* - the compensating use of T for XY feti and E2 for XX ones explains the high metabolic cost of male pregnancies.
Mathematically, it takes only 48 hours for EB to induce normal sexual behavior in spayed ferrets when progesterone is then given, although neither ovulation nor lordosis will occur in non-ovariectomized ferrets if their CNS has been masculinized.
*Please help me phrase this in material realist abstraction (rationalism).
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