Anyone Have Pet Prarie Dogs????

[CoopCrazy]

I have soemone who is offering me a pet Prarie Dog and am just wanting to know what other owners say about them.. Thank you

 

[geepy]

They bite really, really hard.

I have a scar to prove it.

I had 1 about 20 years ago as a pet. They are really fun to watch, and they like to tunnel. I think they do better if there is more than one tough. You might want to google them to see what kind of housing they need, like I said it's been awhile since I had one.

 

[auskittle]

I didn't even know it was legal to own one. In other words, no. When you get it please post alot, i think it's kind of interesting, owning a prairie dog.

Good Luck!

Also, praire dogs are very social to their own kind, and WILL NOT do good alone. I'd say you need about 3 to keep them happy.

 

[Katy]

I think they're cute but around here they're considered vermin. They can ruin a pasture when they move into it.

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

My neigbors have one it escaped in the floor of there house everyone thought it died and in spring pooped back out..It lives in the front yard/under there house...Mean little thing it will chase you down the street to bite and scratch you up..They where oven mits to pic it up!!

 

[Imp]

Second hand info here, but about 15 years ago they were in the pet stores around here. I asked in a pet store about taking care of them etc. I wasn't interested in getting, just curious. They told that they were terrible pets and were unhappy that the owner insisted on stocking them, for the $ only. I don't know if that's true.

Imp- now someone will come on here and post that their prairie dog was the best pet ever.

 

[verity]

I was teaching second grade -- one of my students got a baby prairie dog for Christmas -- in a hamster cage --- of course it got bigger and bigger and so her dad said they'd "let it go to live in the woods with all the other prairie dogs" (we have so many prairie dogs in this part of NC, you know??)

I couldn't stand for that to happen so I took it home with me --- P.D. lived in an enormous aquarium-type habitat with shavings and sand -- he was very clean and only used one corner of his home for his bathroom (this made it so easy to clean his house)

He was cute and friendly and loved our dogs and one of the cats --

My husband got P.D. out for a cuddle-session after dinner every evening -- the prairie dog would lie upside down in his arms while Bob tickled him under the chin -- P.D. would close his eyes and it sounded as if he 'purred'---

We had him for 8 years and were very, very sad when he died --

But, I don't think they make good 'pets' ---- I would never buy one and wouldn't have had this one if he hadn't needed a home --
I always felt sad that he didn't have another prairie dog to 'kiss' -- so we let him run around with the dogs after Bob had held him for a while --

When he needed to 'use the bathroom' and he was out running around, he would scurry back to his house and hoist his plump self back in and go right to his special 'bathroom corner' then he'd climb back out to finish his games --

He was very friendly but we were very careful not to let young children hold/pet him -- when there were children in the house, the wire top stayed firmly in place --

Prairie Dogs are very clever and learn to recognize different people amazingly quickly --

Be kind -- don't get one as a pet -- unless it is from a rescue group ---

 

[alpinefarm]

I believe prairie dogs have been popular in Japan as pets.

 

[lasergrl]

ALL pet prairie dogs are rescues. They are not bred in captivity well, so almost all are wild caught infants. The babies are trapped by exterminators. If they werent sold as pets they would be killed. They are caught in vaccuum trucks, and sometimes the dens are flooded and they are grabbed as they run out. The babies are sold and bottlefed by brokers.
They make excellent pets for the right person. One mistake commonly made is not spaying or neutering them! If they arent "fixed" before a certain age they go into rut and can get quite tempermental and nippy. Most neutered nes are sweet all year. They do need more attention then a hamster type pet and they need special caging that is readily available online, such as Martins cage brand.

 

[CoopCrazy]

I appreciate all the advice folks.. I will not be getting the LIL PD as someone with 10 years experience took it ... I am actually glad they did as I will be busy enough this Spring with processing and fencing.. Thanks for all the advice folks.. You all ROCK