Are prairie dogs an endangered species?

Answer 1

I will answer after you learn the correct spelling of your question "in dangered" what the heck does that mean?

Answer 2

Prairie dogs are scared of anything that makes a loud noise or makes a sudden movement as long as it is not bigger than the prairie dog. specific animals are: hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, and snakes (because those animals eat them).

Answer 3

Prairie dogs make great pets if you know what you're doing. For the past 3-4 years, after the monkey pox scare (Which wasn't their fault. A Gambidan {African} Rat had given it to a bunch of prairie dogs. The people who had them were At Fault. They should have NEVER kept one species so close to another until after the duration of quarantine was over.) (Also, all monkey pox is, is a virus similar to chickenpox. Just like chickenpox can kill, the same is true for monkey pox. They have the same Death Rate.) pet stores have been able to sell them again in the U.S. However, to make sure that you get a HEALTHY PD, there are several things you can do.

You can do one or all of the following.

1) Make sure that all of the hair on them is uniform (the same) blend of colors. If the PD is shedding, there should be an obvious line where the new hair is and the old. THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY BLACK SPLOTCH'S ON IT!!!

2) Buy your PD from a reputable pet store, preferably one that has sold them in the past.

3) Ask the pet store BEFORE you buy you PD if when you take your PD to the vet, and if the vet says that your PD is ill, what will the pet store do? (They should offer to take the PD back, or pay for any vet bills.)

How to care for your new best friend!!!

1st: When to get your PD: Try to get your PD (Prairie Dog) Between Early April / Late July, If, and only if you don't want to breed your PD, you need to get your PD to a vet, who knows what he's doing, and get your PD fixed. (*** Make sure you can find a vet who knows it is a PD, and not a beaver, squirrel chipmunk.... If you can't find one, look for a vet who sees 'exotics' ***) The reason for this is because around late September and mid to early October, your PD will act as if it were possessed and usually it gets really bad around Halloween. Which is why this is called "Ghost time".

2nd: If you can't get them fixed in time: If you can't have your PD fixed, for whatever reason, you will have to wait until early spring. If you don't you risk killing your PD because the hormones that are raging through him will suddenly stop and it has been known to kill PD's. If you have to wait it out, I recommend getting VERY heavy duty gloves. If you can, see if you could get a pair from the cops who train the K9 dogs where and how to bite bad guys. Another thing that worked for me was to put on three pairs of heavy duty garden gloves.

3rd: Getting them used to you. When you bring your PD home, put it into its cage immediately. Make sure the cage is in a quiet area. If you are putting a new PD with an old one, put them into separate cages but near enough together so that they can both smell and talk with each other. A good idea to do is cough a couple times until your old PD "Yeehaw's" (Throwing up his arms and does a little yeehaw). Give them a couple of days to get used to there surroundings. Several times a day, sit and quietly talk to you PD, give it treats and CAREFULLY pet it through the cage. You can slowly open the cage and put your hand in there and pet them like that. Just make sure that they cannot get out of the cage unless you want them to. Then put in a shirt (one you don't mind destroying) that you've been wearing for more than two days into the cage. This will get them used to your smell and will help them bond with you.

When your PD bites you (notice that I didn't say if, but when) if you are holding him DO NOT PUT YOUR PD DOWN OR INTO THE CAGE!!! Doing so is only teaching it that when it bites you it will be put down/into the cage. It is very difficult to 'unteach' it something you had already trained it to do.. I recommend that until your PD has bonded with you to hold it with some paper towels nearby. (The only time to put it back into its cage when bit is if it is a severe or deep bite. Tap your PD on the nose, say no in a firm voice THEN put it back into the cage. If possible, it would be better to hand your PD to someone else than to put it into its cage)

4th: Putting new PD's with your bonded PD(s): When putting a new PD with an old PD, you should (after having their cages close together) put each other into the opposite's cage. You do this so they can safely learn how the other one smells. Put them in each other's cage for about 15-20 minutes per day.

Next, put a rag in each cage. After the rags have been in the cages for 2-3 days, put the rags in the opposites cage. This will also get them used to each others smell.

Then, you are going to put them together outside of their cages. You will need to use a neutral room. Do not use the room or area where the cages are kept. (I prefer the to use the bathroom as the neutral room) It is best to have someone with you to hold one of the PD's. If you can't get someone to help you, hold the PD that has bonded to you already, leaving the new one on the floor. Give the new PD a few minutes to explore the surroundings. While you do this, let the bonded PD you are holding see the new PD on the floor. As long as neither of their tales frizz up and their teeth aren't grinding things are going well. If either of them display this behavior, put the bonded PD back into its cage then put the new one back and try again in a couple of days. If they do not show the above mentioned signs, then put down the old PD with the new one. As soon as the above mentioned signs occur, separate them immediately. If they are behaving let them get to know each other. What will hopefully happen is a few things. One or both of them should open their mouths and kind of 'kiss' each other. What that does is to see what each other taste/smells like. That is one of the biggest way PD's use to know if they already know each other. They should also smell each other and get to know each other better. Do this in 15 minute sessions. They may play fight. As long as they aren't grinding their teeth and their tails aren't frizzed out you should be ok. But if blood is spilled, separate them immediately. Then try again the next day.

After doing this 3-4 times a day for about 2 weeks, and if they are positive sessions where they get along, you can try putting together in the same cage. If they have already determined which one is the Alpha PD, use the Beta's cage. If that hasn't been established yet, put them into the new PD's cage. After about an hour of this, separate them and put the bonded PD back in it's cage. After 4-5 days of doing this, you may be able to keep them in the same cage, so try putting them into which ever cage they will live in. Keep an eye on them for the first week or so. If anything happens that they cannot resolve, start from the beginning.

It is possible that you may never be able to get your PD's to like each other. If that happens, make sure you spend an equal amount of time with each of them, and give them the equal amount of treats, unless a PD has a health issue.

5th: Food- Trail mix (Don't go use the one with the chocolate and yogurt pieces. Get the kind that is only nuts and dried fruit. Make sure that it doesn't have any added sugar or salt on them.) Fruit (Fresh and flash frozen but fresh is better) but .... YOU MUST WASH FRESH FRUITS AND FRESH VEGGIES BEFORE GIVING TO YOUR PD.... , nuts, veggies, the kind you can get at the pet store are ok. Make sure the one you get is basically 1/2 fruits + veggies and 1/2 nuts (LOTS of peanuts IN THEIR SHELL). The sunflower/safflower seeds should be treats. Those type of seeds is like potato chips to us. You want to give it lots of hay. 90% of their diet should be hay. Only get only Timothy Hay... Nothing else. If you give your PD any other hay, like Alfalfa you will be slowly killing your PD. It gives them gall stones and is a very painfully and slow way to die. There is a dispute between PD owners about monkey biscuits. Some say they are good for them, some say that they aren't. I use the monkey biscuits as treats and only give them 4-5 per week. Both of my PD's lived for 10+ years. (One for 13 and the other for 11)

Make sure that any toys that have hay with it is Timothy Hay. If your not sure, don't use it.

As far as water bottles, I prefer a plastic water bottle, kept on the outside of the cage, with the magnetic balls inside the tube. If your PD repeatedly puts holes in the water bottle, you'll need to get a glass one. I don't like the metal water bottles because you can't see if it is empty or not and it is more likely possible to have bacteria inside because you cannot see if anything is growing inside of it when the water goes bad.

6th: Cage- A 2 story cage is ok, just make sure that he can't get is feet caught when he jumps down. DO NOT leave a grate in the cage because it will hurt their feet and cause them to develop "Bungletoe". I let my PD make his own bedding. I will put between 3 to 4 sections of newspaper (Make sure that you DO NOT put in newspaper with color pictures. Or the coupons/circulars. The dye used can make them sick) in the cage and let my PD have a bunch of fun from ripping the paper up. I would put a few sections through my shredder and would also put loose newspaper as is into his cage. Also, you can give him any CLEAN rag to make his bed. Socks are a big yes too. BUT YOU MUST SNIP ANY LOOSE THREAD. If you don't your PD might suffocate. So please be careful. better safe than sorry!!!

ALSO, your PD is most likely very smart. They do have thumbs and know how to use them!!! Chances are that given time they will figure out how to unlock the door to get out of their cage. I've tried everything from clips, to locks. I ended up having to use a combination lock. I told my PD that if he could open that lock I'd get him on The Tonight Show!!! He tried, but never figured it out.

Food bowls should be made out of clay. You can litter train your PD, but I found it easier and less of a mess to train mine to use his cage. I used to put a litter bowl into his cage, but he would dig in it making a huge mess.

7th: Understanding what your PD is saying: A prairie dog talks both with its body and the sounds it makes. Here are a few things you should know...

A) When your PD had it's tail frizzed up and/or is grinding its teeth STAY FAR AWAY!!! It is telling you it's pissed off about something. Let it calm down.

B) When your PD throws its arms in the air and makes a "Yeehaw" sound, it could be saying anything from "Hey your home!!! Whatcha get for me" to "Bless you" (when you cough or sneeze) to "I am so happy I can't contain myself!!!"

C) When your PD pounces on you then jumps back it is saying "I am in a playful mood and want to 'play fight' with you!" This can be a fun activity. However, make sure that it stays in play mode. If your PD begins to hurt you, you can do one or more of the following:

a) Tap your PD on the nose and say "No" in a calm but firm voice.

b) While your PD is hurting you say "Ow!!! That hurts!" (Seriously! It works!!!)

c) Either put him back in his cage, or if he is already in the cage close the door.

D) DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES MAKE THE FOLLOWING NOISES AROUND YOUR PD!!! They include but are not limited to: chirping sounds, tsking sounds, kissing sounds, or anything similar. These are aggressive sounds to PD's and what you are saying to your PD is "I'm gonna kick you butt!" To do so is risking losing a finger or worse!!!

8th: CARE: Be careful when you try trimming your PD's nails. I do two things. Start with him within the first few days. What you need is something that he ONLY gets when you train him. Peanut butter (NOT the nuts and shell form but the creamy one.), cheese cake (This was the only thing that worked as an 'I'm Sorry' with my PD when I was gone for an extended period of time) , or something he would beg for, and ONLY give to your PD while training. EXAMPLE: Open up the Peanut Butter, sniff it and show great enjoyment. Bring the open jar and let your PD know it tastes SOOOO good. Then open the cage (ps... if he is running away when open the door just open the door, it is not a good idea to try to trim his nails. By doing so you risk getting bitten and your PD may never bond to you.) His cute little tail should be going a bit crazy. And just let his little nose smell the peanut butter. Slowly put some on your finger and let him eat off of it. Then when you've gotten to the nail clips, it is gonna get difficult. When you can hold your PD in your hand, without him squirming. Be careful to only cut the TIPS off. Just parrots, dogs, and cats, they bleed and hurt if cut too much. I have tried nail files and electric nail files. Trust me when I say it's not worth it. You may need to stop now and then to give him, and you, little breaks. I normally do my PD's nails one paw at a time. In-between paws I would put him in the cage to cool down a bit. .... DO NOT GIVE THE TRAINTING REWARD UNTIL YOU ARE DONE WITH WHAT YOU STARTING ON. You can use these technique to train him to do basically anything.

(NOTE: You will get bitten!!!! Make sure you wear your gloves!!! It will take months to get your PD used to this.)

OR.... What I resorted to was putting sandpaper on his wheel for 2-3 hours. If you want to use this trick, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE OUT THE SANDPAPER!!! If left in there for too long, you risk hurting his hands and feet.

DO NOT PUT A PRAIRIE DOG IN A CAGE IN A ROOM BY HIMSELF!!! These are VERY social animals. By not handling them DAILY for at least a few hours a day is torture to them. They can go insane if not cared for, played with, and socialized with every day. If you can't put in the hours, then a prairie dog is not the pet for you.

9th: Bonding: It takes a while for your PD to bond with you. It takes ALOT of hard work, sweat, blood (literally), and tears. But it is worth it. Once you've gotten your PD to bond with you, it will have accepted you as family and will protect you as such. HOWEVER, once your PD has bonded with you, it will also let you know if it doesn't like a particular person. I would have my dates sit in the living area, where my PD's cage was, while I get my purse, shoes, whatever. If my PD was flipping out, I'd make an excuse that something has just come up and if we could do this another time. The one time I had ignored what my PD was telling me, I had dated a guy that was a real idiot (and a few other names that are too rude to put on such a public forum). After that mistake, I always respected, my PD's reactions.)

Once my PD had saved my life. The short story is someone broke into my house, I always slept with my PD in my nightshirt. The guy who broke into my house was attacked by my PD. It game me time to get a hammer and knock the guy out. When the cops were called and I told them what happened they asked where my prairie DOG was. When I showed them my PD in a towel I had wrapped him in (I wasn't sure if they would want the blood on him or if I could have washed it off. I sided on the side of error) they couldn't stop laughing... Oh yeah, the guy that was on my floor unconscious was 6'8", and weighed about 350+ lbs. of all muscle.)

10th: Toys: Great toys for PD's are things that entertain them and/or grind their teeth down. Parrot chew toys, a wheel (Make sure it is at least 12-18 inches in diameter. The ones without spokes are best.), dried bone from one or you steaks, and anything you can give to a rabbit, hamster, mouse, or rat. But NO plastic! They do have balls that are big enough for a PD to run around in. They should be used if you want them to be able to get out of their cage and not having to devote 100% attention on them. However, do not put them into the ball and ignore them for hours at a time. Make sure you check on them every 15 minutes. They can get out by either figuring out how to pop off the lid or just by chewing a way out.

11th: Misc.: Some people have put harnesses on their PD's when they either want to take them out of the house, or want a secure and easy way to get them out from under the sofa or bed. When I tried to harness mine he would take it off. I've tried everything from Velcro, to belt-buckle harnesses, to buttons. My PD would look me in the eye and take them off. I ended up training him to come when called. Took forever but was worth it. I had to put him in a crate when I took him on a trip from home.

So, have fun!!! If you have a specific question feel free to write to me at: Leahla1979@yahoo.com.

May both you and your PD have many happy and loved years together!!!!

　

Leahla...

Answer 4

Much of their natural prairie habitat has been converted into cultivated land or otherwise ued for human habitation.

Answer 5

Yes