by Aurora Anne Taylor

Created on: August 05, 2010

Prairie dogs may seem like a cool pet at first glance.  They are extremely intelligent, playful, and they definitely have the cuteness factor.  Anyone wanting to keep a prairie dog as a pet, however, needs to think long and hard before they make what could be a 10 to 14 year commitment to what is not an easy pet to keep.  Here are a few things to consider before getting a prairie dog as a pet:

Prairie dogs are wild animals.  In most instances, that adorable creature in your pet store, even if it is a baby, was sucked out of the ground by a giant vacuum, ripped from its home and its family, placed in a box and shipped to your town.  If they are older, chances are they will never adapt well to captivity.  Even if acquired as a baby and socialized continuously, your dog may revert to being defensive, biting, kicking and scratching with little notice, with very sharp claws and teeth!  (those claws need to be trimmed regularly by the way) Also, because they live in holes, they love to dig and will not think twice about ripping a hole into your furniture and using it as their makeshift home or chewing cords.  They must therefore be constantly supervised when allowed out into the house and continuously pulled from hiding places.

Prairie dogs are not hamsters.  You can't just stick them in a small cage and throw them one kind of food over and over.  They need Timothy Hay, occasional nuts and seeds, vegetables and a little fruit and, ideally,  a specialized but expensive Prairie Dog food to stay healthy.  They get fat quite easily and this often contributes to their demise, so it is important not to feed them a lot of things that are high in protein or fat such as alfalfa based products or junk food.  They also need exercise and a large cage with lots of bedding into which to tunnel to stay happy.  They are also extremely social animals and need daily interaction.  A dog who is thrown into a cage and ignored will pine away for you, even if he is in the same room.  He needs touch and he needs play, especially if he does not have a companion. 

Although generally hardy, prairie dogs have some special health considerations.  These ground squirrels need to be spayed or neutered in order to keep them healthy and tame.  A dog who is not 'fixed' will develop hormonal health problems and associated behavioral issues as well.  While spaying and neutering dogs and cats is commonplace

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