Do Prairie Dogs Make Good Pets? Discover the Pros and Cons

Do prairie dogs make good pets? Looking at their cute little faces, you’d assume it’s a slam-dunk. But the reality is that prairie dogs, like some other animal, have particular wants that have to be met by a caring and succesful pet proprietor. If you’re contemplating bringing home a prairie canine as a companion, you’ll need to know the way to hold them blissful and wholesome. Read on to find the professionals and cons of prairie canine possession and what you are able to do to assist your little pal thrive!

What Are Prairie Dogs?

Prairie dogs are any of five species of herbivorous burrowing floor squirrels within the genus Cynomys. These rodents are native to the grasslands of North America. The most typical species of pet prairie canine is the black-tailed prairie canine (Cynomys ludovicianus). The different 4 species are:

• Gunnison’s prairie canine (Cynomys gunnisoni)
• Mexican prairie canine (Cynomys mexicanus)
• Utah prairie canine (Cynomys parvidens)
• White-tailed prairie canine (Cynomys leucurus)

Do Prairie Dogs Make Good Pets?

Prairie dogs make good pets for individuals who are ready to look after them. Everyone’s state of affairs and tolerance for pet care is completely different. Check out the next execs and cons of prairie canine possession to get a really feel for whether or not or not it’s best for you.

Do Prairie Dogs Make Good Pets?: Pros

Here are a number of execs of prairie canine possession:

• They’re pretty long-lived. For pet house owners who desire a long-lived pet, this can be a particular professional. The typical lifespan of a captive prairie canine in good well being is between eight and 10 years, which is longer than that of many different rodents.
• They’re diurnal. Unlike some rodents, prairie dogs are diurnal, which implies they’re lively in the course of the day and sleep at evening.
• They’re affectionate. Prairie dogs make very affectionate pets when socialized correctly. They love interplay, whether or not with people or different prairie dogs, and are at all times keen to interact.
• They don’t have to be walked. Although some prairie dogs could take pleasure in walking with you outdoor (and sure, there are leashes made particularly for prairie dogs), they don’t require that sort of train. As lengthy as they’ve adequate area to maneuver round and burrow of their enclosure in addition to a while outdoors their pen, they need to be completely blissful.

Do Prairie Dogs Make Good Pets?: Cons

Here are a number of cons of prairie canine possession:

• They’re pretty long-lived. Although this can be a professional for some individuals, others don’t need the duty of long-term pet care. If you deliver home a young prairie canine, you need to put together your self for as much as a decade of possession.
• They require appreciable care. Prairie dogs aren’t a kind of pets you may feed sometimes after which depart to themselves. They want lots of care and a spotlight to thrive. This contains near-constant socialization with their house owners and – ideally – different prairie dogs. You can discover extra details about their wants within the subsequent part, “Caring for a Prairie Dog.”
• They want lots of area to maneuver and burrow. Prairie dogs want giant cages or enclosures to be blissful and wholesome, together with locations to burrow and conceal. If they don’t get this, they’re more likely to develop well being points like anxiousness.
• They might be aggressive if not correctly socialized. Like any pet, prairie dogs want correct socialization to deliver out their greatest traits. Unsocialized or uncared for prairie dogs incessantly exhibit aggressive tendencies towards others, together with their human house owners. They might also be nippy with youngsters who don’t know the way to deal with them.
• Their enamel by no means cease rising. Because their enamel continue to grow all through their lives, prairie dogs have to always chew objects to put on them down. This means they sometimes chew stuff you don’t need destroyed.
• Owning a prairie canine is unlawful in some states. For numerous causes, some U.S. states ban pet prairie dogs. Make positive to test your state’s or nation’s laws earlier than buying a prairie canine. Also keep in mind that, in the event you determine to maneuver from one state to a different, it’s possible you’ll not have the ability to deliver your pet with you.

Caring for a Prairie Dog

Prairie dogs require considerable care and attention. Be positive you may present the next earlier than bringing a prairie canine home with you:

Food and Water

Try to feed your pet prairie canine a food regimen that mimics their natural diet in the wild. Prairie dogs are vegetarians, so don’t embrace any meat merchandise. In the wild, they largely eat grasses, brush, and roots. Prickly pear cactus provides them a lot of their water consumption. Captive prairie dogs depend on high-fiber pellets, contemporary hay and grasses (together with timothy hay or timothy hay cubes), contemporary fruits, and contemporary greens like uncooked candy potatoes and carrots. Make positive to offer them with loads of contemporary water. Avoid feeding them meals that may make them overweight like nuts, dried fruit, different sugary meals, and dog food. Prairie dogs ought to have access to meals and water across the clock as they’re grazers.

Housing

Above all, prairie dogs want adequate area to maneuver round and loads of hiding locations the place they will burrow out of sight. Keeping them in a cage with out filth to burrow in or anyplace to cover is more likely to trigger anxiousness and anxiety-induced points from an excessive amount of stimulus.

The extra prairie dogs you have got, the larger the enclosure must be. Make positive to scrub the enclosure out a minimum of as soon as every week to keep up a hygienic surroundings. Also, keep in mind that prairie dogs are adept at escaping insufficient enclosures, so solely buy housing particularly designed or accredited for prairie dogs.

Prairie dogs can survive a variety of temperatures so long as they’ve someplace to burrow. For this motive, you may hold them both inside or outdoors. However, their most well-liked temperature is round 70°F.

Companionship

Prairie dogs are highly sociable animals within the wild that spend most of their time with different prairie dogs. They want the identical sort of frequent socialization in captivity to be blissful and wholesome. It’s greatest to maintain a couple of prairie canine at a time to make sure they get sufficient companionship. If you’re in a position to spend a major period of time along with your pet, you might be able to hold only one.

If you propose to deal with males collectively, neutering all of them first to stop undesirable aggression is sensible. Females ought to be good to stay with each males and different females with or with out being spayed. However, in the event you don’t need the females getting pregnant, it’s greatest to both spay them or neuter any males with whom they share housing.

Exercise

While you don’t have to walk your prairie canine, it would require some type of train. An exercise wheel within the enclosure is an effective way to maintain your pet lively and stave off boredom. Time out of the enclosure can also be necessary to present it the possibility to roam about extra freely.

Health and Reproductive Care

Like different pets, prairie dogs require common well being care, together with vaccinations. One of the most typical issues related to these small rodents is dental illness. Always present them with one thing secure to chew on to assist stop dental points.

Spaying and neutering your prairie dogs can stop a slew of well being issues and undesirable pregnancies down the street. Although most females solely get pregnant yearly, they’ve litters of between two and 10 pups. Pregnant or nursing females might also show aggression towards different prairie dogs or their human house owners. For this motive, you need to hold them in a separate enclosure. If you do end up with a litter of pups in your arms, you should definitely present them with ample area to develop and develop.

Do Prairie Dogs Make Good Pets?: Summary Table of Pros and Cons

Conclusion

Prairie dogs make good pets for people who find themselves dedicated to caring for them. These rodents are pleasant, affectionate animals so long as their house owners socialize them correctly. Be positive to purchase prairie dogs from a good, moral breeder to keep away from pointless well being issues.