Basic Prairie Dog Care

LIFE IN THE WILD 

 

The free-ranging black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a social rodent that lives in “towns”. Prairie dog towns consist of many wards, with family units called coteries. Generally, each coterie includes an adult male, three adult females, and their offspring. Prairie dogs have a very unique communication system that uses body language and verbal cues. The prairie dog gets its name from a warning “bark” emitted when excited or afraid. Wild prairie dogs survive on a diet consisting mainly of grasses and other plants. They also occasionally eat burrowing owl eggs and hatchlings.

 

 

DIET

 

Pet prairie dogs may live 5-10 years. The bulk of the diet should consist of grass hays (i.e. timothy) and grasses. Prairie dogs or “P-Dogs” should also be offered rodent chow (we recommend Oxbow® brand guinea pig food www.oxbowanimalhealth.com) and dark, leafy greens, such as the following:

 

 

Other vegetables and fruits may also be offered in smaller amounts, but only as treats and should not make up any more than 10% of your dog’s diet:

 

 

Avoid seeds and nuts as treats as they are very high in fat, and prairie dogs already have a tendency towards obesity.

 

Make fresh water available in a water bottle. Position sipper tube low enough to allow the pet easy access. He will only drink a fraction of the total bottle volume, but the bottle should be emptied, cleaned and filled with fresh water daily.

 

 

HOUSING

 

Provide the largest cage possible for your pet prairie dog. Rodents are notorious chewers so cages of stainless steel, durable plastic, or wire are recommended. Avoid cages constructed from wood or soft metal. Cages with a solid plastic base with closely spaced metal bars are ideal for both containment and ventilation purposes. Aquarium tanks do not provide sufficient ventilation and should be avoided.

 

Provide ample nesting material and deep bedding for burrowing, resting, and to soak up urine. It may be necessary to place the cage inside a box to catch the bedding that is flung out of the enclosure while the prairie dog is digging. Select clean, absorbent, non-toxic, and odor free bedding. Recycled paper products (i.e. CareFRESH®, Absorption Corp www.absorbent.com) or aspen shavings make the best lining materials. There are a number of beddings that should be avoided:

• Cedar shavings contain chemicals that are toxic and can cause irritation.
• Corncob bedding has a tendency to mold and can lead to intestinal obstruction if ingested.
• Sawdust or any pine shavings can cause irritation to the eyes and the respiratory tract.

 

Also provide shredded paper towels or tissue as nesting material. Avoid the commercially available fluffy cotton wool products as these materials are indigestible and can lead to intestinal obstruction if eaten.
Provide access to multiple nest boxes and plenty of sticks for gnawing, such as untreated wood twigs and logs that have been aged for at least 3 months. Apple tree branches can be eaten fresh off the tree. Stay away from: cherry, peach, apricot, plum and redwood, which are all poisonous.  Be aware that prairie dogs are excessive chewers, and they can be extremely destructive if not supervised.

 

Prairie dogs do not hibernate, however when temperatures drop below 55°F (13°C) they may have dormant periods of semi-hibernation or torpor.

 

 

NEUTERING

 

Male prairie dogs should be castrated. Intact males tend to become very aggressive and irritable during their breeding season. Castration is an intra-abdominal procedure so the presence of abdominal fat is significant. Since prairie dogs tend to gain additional body fat during the winter months, the best time for castration is between May and October. Castration is best performed during the first year of life. Sexual maturity is reached between 2-3 years of age.

 

If your prairie dog is overweight, its testicles are likely to be hidden within the intra-abdominal fat making the surgery longer and more technically demanding. Your veterinarian will want to discuss a weight reduction plan with you.

 

 

HEALTH

 

• Dental disease - Prairie dogs possess open-rooted teeth that grow continuously throughout life. Malocclusion or crooked teeth growth is sometimes seen. Dental problems may also cause respiratory problems. Odontoma involves an abnormality of the incisor teeth, which leads to pressure on the palate that in turn causes respiratory difficulty. Respiratory signs may include open-mouth breathing, and occasional nasal discharge. Odontoma is usually preceded by a history of trauma to the incisors, such as vigorous chewing on wire cages.
• Obesity is a significant problem in the captive prairie dog. Moderate weight gain during the winter should be expected, but the prairie dogs should return to normal weight by spring. Obesity can lead to gall bladder disease, liver disease, and/or heart disease.
• Respiratory disease such as pneumonia is not uncommon in the prairie dog. Obesity and poor ventilation may play a role in this problem. Signs of pneumonia include difficulty breathing, discharge from the eyes or nose, loss of appetite, and lethargy.
• Trauma - Problems related to trauma are commonly seen in prairie dogs since they will try to climb, but they are not very agile and will usually fall hurting themselves.
• Fleas can also be a problem in prairie dogs.

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