Prairie Dog

Photo by Caden Van Cleave: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-a-prairie-dog-12569403/

Prairie Dogs are tough to keep as pets, especially in the city. They are really cute, but need a lot of attention and have lots of needs that are difficult to deal with indoors.  They are also illegal to have as pets in some areas.

Prairie dogs are an important part of the ecosystem, but it is thought that they are too plentiful in some areas. So there is a process where prairie dogs are vacuumed out of their burrows into a refurbished septic truck.  They are then relocated, used to feed some endangered species or put up for adoption. 

If you do get a prairie dog, it is recommended that you get a black-tailed one instead of a white-tailed one. Black-tailed prairie dogs tend to be more sociable and white-tailed ones actually hibernate, so that needs to be managed if they are your pet.

Cage

Prairie dogs live in large colonies when they are in the wild.  So you would want to have a group of them as pets. The minimum size cage for one would be 24 inches by 24 inches by 30 inches.  They should not be housed in a wooden cage because they will chew through it.

In the wild, they don’t have a lot of chances to climb, so a tall cage may not be the best.  They could hurt themselves by falling off a ramp or stairs.  The cage needs to have great ventilation and be easy to clean. The cage would need to be inspected often because prairie dogs will find any weakness in the structure and escape.  You want to discover any weaknesses before this happens!

They like to have separate areas for sleeping, eating, building, and using the bathroom. They can be litter box trained, as they usually have a bathroom area among their tunnels when they are in the wild.

They want to be in the middle of all the action, so their cage should be placed in a high-traffic area. They need full spectrum light and an ideal temperature of 70 degrees F, with little variation.

It is also recommended that they have plenty of time outside their cage to explore.  The best prairie dog-proofing of a house is to put protectors on all corners to prevent chewing, encase all electrical wires in PVC pipe, put tiles on the floor, and even tile wainscotting so they can’t chew or climb out.

It is generally recommended that pet prairie dogs be kept outside.  They really need to burrow to be happy.  They love to make little tunnels and rooms for themselves underground. Even if you own a home in the city with a backyard, the yard is probably not big enough or secure enough for prairie dogs.

Photo by Ingrid Dietrich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-a-prairie-dog-7103880/

Bedding

Shredded paper is good bedding for prairie dogs.  They should have plenty of bedding to burrow in.  You also need to keep it clean.

Food and Water

They should have plenty of hay like timothy hay or orchard grass.  You can also buy prairie dog pellets. They also need mealworms as a protein source. If you can’t find prairie dog food and mealworms, you can feed them dog food from a bag and live crickets. Occasionally they can have some vegetables as a treat.

They will need water from a bowl or bottle available at all times.

Photo by Petr Ganaj: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-prairie-dog-eating-a-carrot-6743061/

Sociability, Activity, and Toys

Prairie dogs like to be with others of their kind.  It doesn’t seem like males or females are different in behavior or temperament, but you do want to be careful to neuter them so you don’t get a lot of baby prairie dogs if you mix the sexes.

They also want a lot of attention from you. Lots of attention. They can be quite cuddly and fun to be around, but what they want is hours and hours of attention from you every day. If they don’t get that attention, they could become depressed and/or destructive.

They will have a barking sound when they are excited and also have a noise they make when they are scared to alarm other prairie dogs of danger. You will notice that they make a fun sound when they see you!

They will definitely bite if they are scared and their bites can be quite painful.

They want their cage to be where you are most of the time. So a living room would be a great place.  They want to be able to see what is going on around them.

They like to chew on wooden toys. They also really like to burrow and make lots of tunnels.  Lots of bedding helps with this, and you can also give them tubes to run around in. A 15-inch solid exercise wheel may be a good idea, but you have to be sure it is mounted well and is safe for them.

Size

They tend to be 14-17 inches long and weigh 1-3 pounds.

Lifespan and Health

Photo by patrice schoefolt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-a-prairie-dog-5732405/

Prairie dogs live 8 - 10 years in the wild and usually less than that in captivity because of stress and diet problems.  You will need to check them for parasites and trim their nails.

Prairie dogs are hosts to many diseases.  A monkeypox outbreak was traced to prairie dogs.  They can even get the plague. Obesity, heart problems, and respiratory difficulties are common with prairie dogs.

Other, less common, small furries are chinchilla, degu, ferret, hedgehog, and prairie dog. You can click on each of these pet names to find out about their care. These pets are less common for a reason.  They can be hard to take care of, especially in a city. If you have an opportunity to adopt one of these less common pets, think twice. It can be really tempting to take in a cute little prairie dog if you see one that needs to be adopted. Just be aware that it is really difficult to care for them properly in a city.

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