In the present studies, we tested separate cohorts of 6–8-week–old (“pre-obese) and 4-month-old (“obese”) SP1 male mice and age-matched NTg controls to assess 1) how meal pattern parameters change to reflect the increased food intake in SP1 mice, 2) whether synphilin-1 expression alters appetitive behaviors or unconditioned licking responses to sucrose that differed from those of NTg control mice, and 3) whether there are developmental feeding behavior changes related to hyperphagia and obesity. Here, SNCAIP is linked to obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.