How do you take care of a prairie dog?

Answer 1

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 chicken-pox. Just like chicken-pox can kill, the same is true for monkey-pox.) 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.)

1st: 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.

2nd: (*** 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".

3rd: If you can't, for whatever reason, You will have to wait until early spring and If you have to wait it out, I recommend getting VERY heavy duty gloves. If you can, see if you could 'rent' a pair from the cops who train the K9 dogs where and how to bite. Another thing that worked for me was to put on three pairs of heavy duty garden gloves.

4th: 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 "Yeehaws" (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.

5th: Food- trail mix ( Don't go overboard with the chocolate and yogurt pieces. If they like them, pick those out to use when you train your PD) 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 is ok, make sure the one you get is basically 1/2 fruits + veggies and 1/2 nuts (LOTS of peanuts IN THERE SHELL) a 1/4 of seeds and no more than a handful or safflower seeds. The sunflower/safflower seeds should be treats. Those type of seeds is like potato chips to us. If you want to my hay, then get Timothy Hay... Nothing else. If you give your PD any other hay, like Alfalfa you will be slowly killing your PD.

6th: Cage- A 2 story cage is ok, just make sure that he won't get is feet caught when he jumps down. DO NOT leave a grate in the cage because it will hurt their feet. I let my PD make his own bedding. I will put between 3 to 4 sections in the cage and let my PD have a bunch of fun from ripping the paper up. 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!!!

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: Misc.: Be careful when you try trimming your PD's nails. I do two things. 1 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, 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 a little bit give him SMALL dab of peanut butter. His cute little tail should be going a bit crazy. And just let his little nose smell the freedom, and he should be looking more at the peanut butter. When he sits in the door of the cage WITHOUT running away for about 5 minutes, let him know he did a good job by telling him and by putting a bid dab in his cage, either near or in his food bowl, when you've got to doing nail clips, it is gonna get difficult. When you can hold your PD in your hand, without him squirming. You may need to stop now and then.... 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.

　

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 2

with a gun