Black tail prarie dog

[HELENA]

KaHane is getting a few prarie dogs in and I'm thinking of keeping a pair. Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with them or have any info that they would like to share:D
Thanks:)

[marisa]

I am sorry I don't but YOU ARE SO LUCKY!!!!

I want a praire dog soooooo bad. I have wanted one for years. They are adorable. I just can't have the time I want to spend with one or a pair because of my Jack Russell. They wouldn't mix well, and my dog is very selfish!

I have read lots on the internet but I don't have any personal experiences for you. But if you look on google there are a million links to other people who love prairie dogs.

:D If you do get one or two, get pictures!!!! :)

Marisa

[sSNAKESs.com]

damn!! I have no experience either but, i DEFINATLY want to see some pics when you get them!! Congrats on those!! and I am also SO jealous!!! :P

[rethius]

wow, out here praire Dogs are a pain in the ***, We hunt them on friends ranches, can never seem to get rid of them!
-Jeff

[aqua_demon]

I live right by a giant praire dof town i can go catch them like that anyone that wants one e-mail me at aquaOdemon@aol.com and tell me how much youll pay, ill find out more and see if i can ship them so just e-mail me

[Tim and Julie B]

I think that is illegal!

HELENA: I only experiance with one was at the local pet store. The owner brought in two. They sold right away. Then he found out they were illegal to sell. Check the by laws in your area before you tell to many people about them. I found that they were very friendly and curious but not as rowdy as a ferret. Although it did bite my friend. It was really funny!:D

[marisa]

I am not sure if its illegal....BUT purchasing anything from someone willing to "catch" it will give you a world of problems.

aqua demon if you are willing to catch them I hope you are also planning on paying for deworming, vet check up and vaccinations before you plan on selling them.

Marisa

[snakes_all_day]

here in texas prarie dogs are a pain because they dig holes every were and the damn cows step in them and break there legs we shoot em every time we see em. but i guess if you keep it as a pet it relly doesent matter

[Hamster of Borg]

And pay for the fines when TX Parks & Wildlife shows up at the door asking for your permits. They take the sale of prairie dogs rather seriously, and without the proper collection and commercial vendor permits the fines are pretty stiff.

I still haven't figure out why people kill them yet. They eat native grasses, not farm crops (unless you happen to grow timothy hay). Their worst offense is digging holes - so I guess people should be out killing pet dogs, armadillos, badgers too... they dig holes as well. Besides, you'll never get rid of them unless you clear out a whole town which can be hundreds - not to mention there are several groups in TX working on relocating unwanted prairie dogs if you just take the time to make a few phone calls instead of slaughtering them.

I have three, they're incredibly loving pets. Once they bond to an owner, they treat you just as if you were another prairie dog in their family. They are distrustful of strangers, so they're not really something you can hand around to your friends to show off. Their diet is hay and grasses mainly. A few other things can be thrown in as treats. There are a couple companies that make commercial prairie dog foods now, specifically formulated for their needs (and since they can't have alfalfa). In the fall-winter males go into rut (which is why many people suggest getting them neutered). Rut basically is a several month long PMS run. Where they get tempermental and pretty much just want to be left alone. Breeding them in captivity is a rare hit or miss thing, very few prairie dogs will even try to breed in captivity, so neutering isn't a big deal. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer.

http://www.ravnos.org/photos/rodents/prairiedogs.jpg

Ham

[snakes_all_day]

we do kill badgers and kyoties wich is a dog but i could not bring my sel to kill an armidillo i have cought the before thoe

[Baby "G"]

Sorry I can't help either...but I really want some of those cute guys too.
The pet store around here was selling them until recently, I guess they're having "permit" problems right now and the little guys are temporarily not for sale.
They're pretty pricey too....so I won't be getting one for a while..

[Xetox]

Looks like tasty food for my pets ;)

No really they are cute, and would prolly make great pets!

snakes all day, I have a hard time reading your post where are you from? or do you not know how to spell?

[gonesnakee]

Most ranchers everywhere consider them as pests & treat them as such. It is because of the hole thing. Gophers do not just dig one hole they dig dozens. So if you have a colony established in your pasture you have literally hundreds of holes. Gophers also bring in badgers, which go around trying to dig out the gophers everywhere. So now you have hundreds of gopher holes in your pasture & dozens of huge holes that the badger creates. Big deal just a bunch of holes. Holes such as the above break horse's & cow's legs all the time & gopher holes are big enough to break a fowl or calfs leg. Ranchers buy large pastures to set up their livestock in, not to cater to gophers. Its not just the ranchers either. Rich folk on expensive acrerages just can't stand to have their lawns & gardens destroyed by pesky vermin either. At least ranchers will address things themselves, not just call the exterminator. I know the gophers have every right as a living creature, but ranchers/landowners don't see it that way. It is sad to say, but by shooting them in most cases does them a favour. It thins them out, but doesn't wipe them out. I would much rather risk being shot to death then die a slow painful death over a period of a week or weeks due to poisoning. Most ranchers set poison baits everywhere for gophers. The gophers aren't the only animals that eat the poison either plus everthing that eats the bodies of the poisoned gophers is poisoned as well. That includes other gophers as well as they are cannibals, but it also includes birds of prey, foxes, weasels & any & all scavengers etc. I myself would rather see them shot than have the whole countryside subjected to poisoning. I grew up around this my whole life so if I seem insensitive thats why, but its a fact of life in cattle country. Something for you all to think about on your next trip to McDonalds or any other burger or steak joint. If I offended you sorry, I'm just relaying some facts of life to you. Mark I.
P.S. I'm not a rancher so please don't hate me or them. I am the keeper of a large # of snakes though, so I'm responsible for the deaths of thousands of rodents yearly. I put this statement here for all of you hypocrits out there. Remember that before you get on your high horses. M.I.

[Tim and Julie B]

Texans will pretty much shoot anything! Why the hell would you shoot a badger? There population is seriously declining. Do they do any thing but dig holes?
Pairie dogs or any other animal that is slowly being pushed out of it's range and comes in to contact with people is considered a pest. That is why wildlife in general is threatened. No one truely owns land. It has been here for millions of years before us and it will be here for millions of years after us. We just occupy it for a while. What one person does for themselves indirectly effects everybody as a whole. Having said that ranchers have to make a living. I wish there was another way but there is not. It is a grey area in which both sides are right. So this is an argument that can't be won.

Hypocrites....no. There is a big deferance between farming an animal for food (like ranchers) and shooting wild animals. I liked your statment all the way up tothe P.S. part. I will never condone the killing of a threatened species like a Fox or Birds of prey though as many farmers/ranchers do. There has to be an ethical line. Although I am agreeing with you on some points.

"If the horse appears high then maybe you need to change your perspective."- Tim.

[Hamster of Borg]

Of course, prairie dogs are not the same animals as gophers... but aside from that, the comment I made is that there are options to blowing them away. There are many groups in Texas right now running all over the whole state rehoming entire prairie dog populations. The prairie dog numbers are dwindling fast, at what point are we blatantly contributing to the demise of yet another species? What will ranchers do when they're put on the protected species list? Which is happening more quickly than they'd really want to know. Besides, when you buy land, I guarantee you, the prairie dogs were there first. And something tells me not many fowl have their legs broken by prairie dog holes. All those gimped chickens out there...

Prairie dogs do make excellent pets, for those people who have the time and the inclination to work with them and give them what they need.

Rav

[snakes_all_day]

i am from texas and heck yea badgers dig holes that is why we blast them but no we do not shoot every thing but if it digs a hole we kill it sry bout you.

Jay
Box

[Youkai]

snakes all day - watch the language. It's rude, and there are children who visit this site. There is a time and place for that, and it certainly isn't here.

Oh, man. My pointer dug another hole in the backyard. Guess I should go blow it away?

[Trace]

Hello Jay!

I edited your post for language... please refrain from swearing on this site. Thank you. I really don't want to shut this thread down on Helena, I think she deserves some informative replies.

Trace

[Youkai]

Helena, there are probably forums and mailing lists dedicated to these neat little guys. Maybe join one or two, and hang out for a while? Ask a few questions if you have them. It would probably give you a good idea of what you'd be getting into. Of course...people on a mailing list dedicated to them WILL be biased. ;)

[reverendsterlin]

prarie dogs aren't either badgers or moles or hedgehogs, about the only country to really buy any as pets is Japan. Basically the problem with ranchers is broken legs on livestock and their feeding preference. Collection is usually by a suction machine. Not a problem in Texas. Badgers are a bit different, Badgers live in a variety of habitats, but they most commonly are found in open country such as prairies and plains. They avoid heavily wooded areas andhabitats with rocky soils. Badgers are restricted to North America, and occur west of the Great Lakes region throughout the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. Locally, they are most common in portions of West and South Texas although they occasionally are sighted in the eastern part of the state. Badgers usually den in shallow burrows except during breeding season, when they will dig a nest chamber deep below the ground. These "badger holes," called setts, are evidenced by the large amounts of mounded earth that surround them. Badgers usually are solitary creatures except when they breed late in the summer. Due to delayed implantation and development, the one to five pups are not born until March or April although the actual embryonic development of the pups takes only six weeks. The female cares for the blind and helpless pups by herself until they are grown and leave the den site late in the fall. Badgers normally may live for 10 to 12 years.

[Leo-Land]

I've seen farmers shoot them for target practice in Wyoming when I went there on vaction. I guess they are pests to their crops huh?

The local pet store here sells them. They are pretty cool, but I would rather have a ferret.

[gonesnakee]

Hi all again. First off I've spent some time in Texas & not many people are like "snakes all day" (thank God!), but unfortunately idiots are everywhere LOL. Futhermore I am not agreeing or disagreeing with people here (except s.a.d., I think sad is appropriate, LOL) but rather trying to present info. that has to be acknowledged. There are 2 sides to every coin & alot of grey area inbetween. Oh & Tim on the hypicrit thing I was refering more to guys like me who don't mind having thousands of mice/rats killed for the purpose of food for our "pets". Just think of all the people out there that would rather of kept what we called "food'" as "pets" or worse yet the people that eat snakes, DOH! LOL. That and the whole "hate the cattle industry", but eat beef & wear leather shoes thing. I know that prairie dogs & gophers are different but they's one in the same to the guys doing the "blasting" unfortunately. No matter what its one of those moral dilema things that can go on forever with the "KILL EM ALL" & "SAVE THE WORLD" attitudes, but all we can eally hope for is a happy medium (?). Mark I. - GONE SNAKEE!

[gonesnakee]

Reverendsterling, Great info. on badgers. They are very cool animals & most interesting to watch "dig out gophers". Are they an actual member of the weasel family like skunks & such?
Mark I.

[Tim and Julie B]

Gonesnakee: Well said! I agree with that I kept rabbits as pets growing up and now when I see a frozen one it still kind of bugs me. It is grey.

Rev.: Great info on Badgers. I was recently asked if I would take in a domesticated one. But decided not to. I know nothing about them and simply do not have room.

snakes all Day: For your info I was joking. It is an old joke that Texans shoot anything (some do). If it makes you feel any better to know. My mom was born in Austin raised in San An. I have two uncles, six cousins and a Grand mother that live in Texas. Plus I love the Long Horns. I hope this makes you feel better. Unless of course you are a A&M fan!(jk). Just to clarify what does scy bout you mean?

[damzookeeper]

Originally posted by aqua_demon
I live right by a giant praire dof town i can go catch them like that anyone that wants one e-mail me at aquaOdemon@aol.com and tell me how much youll pay, ill find out more and see if i can ship them so just e-mail me

As far as I know it is illegal. Prairie dogs are endangered species.
Are you sure you don't mean ground hogs. lol.

[damzookeeper]

Originally posted by Leo-Land
I've seen farmers shoot them for target practice in Wyoming when I went there on vaction. I guess they are pests to their crops huh?

The local pet store here sells them. They are pretty cool, but I would rather have a ferret.

Ferrets are great. We have a little girl named bella. :) She is a sweetie and we love getting ferret kisses. :)

[snakes_all_day]

man you can bye prarie dogs at the pet store buy my house the ranchers pay them to take them away they have thousand of the sry for cusin

[NewLineReptile]

I agree with Hamster of borg i have had one as a pet as a kid and they are a real cool pet and i would take another one any time for a pet being that mine died a few years ago :( but if you get one you will see how cool of a pet they really are good luck

[Solid Snake]

i hate when people brag about killing animals, it sickens and angers me.

[Solid Snake]

i have 2 prarie dogs and they are the coolest little guys. i like it when the stand on their hind legs and just stand up, its so cute!

my friend has a farret and man are they fun to hold. they kinda remind me of snakes in a way they're really long.

not very hard to raise them, since i have so much time on my hands (until school hits) doh.

[reverendsterlin]

DZK:As far as I know it is illegal. Prairie dogs are endangered species. Are you sure you don't mean ground hogs. lol.

Growing up here where they live I think may give me a clue about the difference between P.D. and G.H. And you should be better informed about USA legalities before you comment on them. They are shot here on sight by many. Damn I hate that this site is begining to show the symtoms of why I left KS.

[NewLineReptile]

Well in Canada they sell prarie dog at most pet store and i know the one i had was no ground hog but that was a few years ago maybe longer so you might be right i dont think so but you could be