View Full Version : Prairie Dog pics*
silent_truth
12-27-03, 09:52 PM
I've been asked to repost the pics of my prairie dog named Ernie in a separate thread, so here they are and I added a couple more just for fun. Thanks for looking!
-Adam
http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Dec/200312276276198376458616.jpg
http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Dec/200312276582217049190964.jpg
http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Dec/200312273637156428822578.jpg
http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Dec/200312278245280057772847.jpg
Ernie would like to say Happy New Year! His new resolution is not to bite the hand that feeds him anymore....we'll see how that goes. :rolleyes:
BellyDraggers
12-27-03, 10:06 PM
Nice pics we have always like prairie dogs!.
Cheers
Scotty & Les
Awww I love those buggers!!! Very cute :D Is he quite bitey?
Where did you get that cage? I have some big ones like that for my rat colonies but I'm looking for some smaller ones for the weanlings.
Zoe
silent_truth
12-27-03, 11:47 PM
Ernie's not too bitey, but he likes to wrestle and he is a little defensive of his cage, but once he's out and in my hands, he's usually okay to hold. However, he's still got a long way to being trustworthy, so the adventures continue!
Zoe, I got the cage in the pic from a Super Pet that I work at. I forget the exact price but I think it's around $100. It works really well, as everything can be wiped down and the bottom tray slides right out for easy maintenance. I like this design a lot.
Thanks to BellyDraggers and Zoe for the nice comments! Ernie is quite a show-off so he loves having his picture taken.
-Adam
Thanks! Do you know if that have any smaller ones?
Clownfishie
12-28-03, 12:08 AM
What a cutie! :D
silent_truth
12-28-03, 12:25 AM
Thanks Clownfishie! Ernie's ego just jumped another level;), but he loves the praise.
Zoe, I think that there are cages very similar to mine that are smaller. They may not have two doors, if they are smaller, but I know that we sell chinchilla cages with two levels and a single door. We carry a variety of styles similar to this.
-Adam
cage looks exactly like on of ourrat cages. we got it from superpet for aboout $120. we much prefer martin's cages, easier to clean. www.martinscages.com
MartinW
12-28-03, 01:49 PM
Hey silent_truth, you said they can be trained. What can you train them to do? Can they be trained to go in a litter box like cats? I doubt I'll get one but I'm curious to know more. Plus I think I remember hearing pd's are illegal in Ottawa.
Martin
These are different, because the frame doesn't sit in the drop-pan; the pan pulls out like a drawer.
silent_truth
12-28-03, 02:29 PM
Martin, from what I understand they can be trained to recognize their name. However, I'm a firm believer that if you spend enough time with most animals, they can do a lot more than what is considered the norm. At my workplace, I've seen them learn to open basic locks on the cages. I'm not sure if they can be litter trained, but I know that in nature, the prairie dog colonies designate a certain area for a "toilet" so that they don't contaminate their food source with their own waste.
Zoe, you are correct, I forgot that there is indeed a different design for the pull-out pan feature. I'm not sure if we carry the same style in a smaller size then, but I would check out the store's website. It lists most commonly available cages. I hope this helps some.
-Adam
Hamster of Borg
12-28-03, 03:50 PM
I have four. They all come to their names and squeak on command. They don't really potty train, but generally will always go in one spot. They are one of the few rodents that actually crave human attention... even ignoring food for a few moments with their owner. All I know is that if I had gotten into prairie dogs 15 years ago, I never would have messed with other rodent pets. :)
Right now, all prairie dogs are illegal to sell/buy/trade or transport in the US because of the monkey pox scare last summer. The law is up for review at the end of next month and it is anticipated that it will be lifted and they will be allowed to be sold again. I don't know what Canada did about it though.
Please look up the proper diet of prairie dogs - if what I see in that bowl is what I think it is.
Ham
silent_truth
12-28-03, 03:59 PM
Hamster of Borg:
The food I feed to my prairie dog is as follows:
It includes a mixed diet of Nutri-block, a pelleted rodent diet and I throw in a few assorted seeds just for flavour. (in the pic you can see the assorted seeds, pellets and nutri-block). I also provide large stocks of timothy hay, fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. It doesn't all fit into the bowl, so that's why only a couple things show up in it. Glad you like prairie dogs as much as I do and sorry to hear about the hopefully only temporary ban on their trade in the U.S.
Hamster of Borg
12-28-03, 06:52 PM
Here's my crew, of course the two middle ones are much larger now... the pics are nearly a year old:
http://www.ravnos.org/photos/rodents/prairiedogs7.jpg
Seeds and rodent blocks are not considered to be good for prairie dogs, I think it is mainly the fat content - my guess would be that if they get plenty of exercise that shouldn't be a real issue. Mine are on pretty much just a hay and fresh native grasses diet, with some timothy pellets mixed in sometimes. I also throw in some things like Mini-Wheats and Cheerios for treats every now and then but feed them no seeds at all.
Ham
Originally posted by Zoe
These are different, because the frame doesn't sit in the drop-pan; the pan pulls out like a drawer.
We have one of these cages, you can see it and alot of our favourite rats @ http://rats.lexxdog.com
I find the mess spills out too much, the martins cages keeps it in cause the pan extends past the bottom of the cage.
Such a cute little guy! Is he fixed? That may be a reason for the biting if he is not, eep...prairie dog bites hurt :eek: I would get him a buddy if you can, they are best kept with friends :)
jason h
12-28-03, 11:17 PM
I have two and they are great! ones a little bitey but the other one is awsome ,and loves to be handled and played with!! and mine will sqeek if you cough(even if theyre asleep)hehehe I love them!!
silent_truth
12-28-03, 11:49 PM
Linds: Yep, Ernie is fixed. That was crucial to me before I even considered taking on a prairie dog. I think the biting stemmed from the sudden change of environment, but with any luck he will be easily handleable by spring time. (fingers are crossed) You're right though, pd bites hurt and I've seen the results many times. Multiple employees at my workplace have been bitten and lets just say, there was a demonstration of how blood can fly. It wasn't pretty.
Jason: did you get both at the same time? I would love to add a friend for mine, but I'm worried about the territorality issue considering he will have been on his own for close to a year when I will be ready to possibly take on another.
Thanks
-Adam
Try to avoid seeds and lab blocks, prairie dogs in the wild have a diet mainly of dry grasses so their bodies arn't used to the richness of seed mix and lab blocks. My friend adopted a 2 year old that had been raised on lab blocks and hay and he suffered a painfull death about 4 months later. His liver and intestines were just shot from the bad food.
Not trying to scare you but its safer to stick with timothy hay based pellets like Bunny Basics by Oxbow and different grasses and hays with richer things like lab blocks being a once a month treat and limited fresh veggies.
Good luck and he looks like quite a sweety!!
NiagaraReptiles
12-29-03, 07:43 AM
Oxbow actually makes a Prairie dog food as well (Prairie Delight). I kinda doubt many places will stock it, but we have always ordered it through a vet clinic. It's good stuff! My g/f has used it for several years with her Dogs and they are doing great on a diet of that and Timothy Hay.
Definately are cute little things :)
JonK
silent_truth
12-29-03, 12:39 PM
Okay sounds good. I will look into a diet based more heavily on grasses. I just got a big bag of timothy hay yesterday and I will search for a pellet of some sort that has a high grasses content.
Hopefully I'll find something at the store I work at. I will also stop giving him the seeds. He really likes them but if they are bad for him, it's better not to in the long run.
Thanks all!
Hamster of Borg
12-29-03, 12:53 PM
As long as it is a timothy based pellet, they can't have alfalfa either - which if you're already feeding timothy I'm sure you're probably aware of.
Rav
silent_truth
12-29-03, 01:04 PM
Oh yes, I'm staying away from alfalfa. I always make sure the food I feed doesn't include that. Thanks for the reminder though. I remember in the '80s and early '90s everyone I knew who kept rodents or any type of herbivorous mammal swore by alfalfa as at least a treat if not part of the diet. It's good that an individual understanding of particular species has progressed since then to provide better nutrition and care.
matt_89
12-30-03, 01:26 AM
wow, i didn't know people even had prarie dogs as pets.... are they hard to find or a good pet? does anyone know of a good website with info about them?
silent_truth
12-30-03, 01:38 AM
Hey Matt, here's some info I just found. It's not much, but a more indepth search on google will reveal more about their care. Enjoy!
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/prairiedogs/a/aa040803a.htm
and one more: http://www.animalsexotique.com/prairpet.html
matt_89
12-30-03, 01:49 AM
sounds good, thanks silent.:)
CHRISANDBOIDS14
12-30-03, 01:50 AM
Cute little guys!
matt_89
12-30-03, 02:32 AM
i thot this was a pretty good pic...http://spot.colorado.edu/~sharonc/prairiedog.jpg
silent_truth
12-30-03, 02:44 AM
that's an awesome pic and I really like the way they use their "hands" so delicately whether it be for grooming or social interaction. Great find!
TheRedDragon
01-01-04, 07:17 PM
Awww, what a cutie. :)
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