The origin of the name, pedigree and native areas of the prairie dog, a description of the animal's exterior, features of the behavior of a rodent in open nature, advice on keeping and caring for an animal at home, the price of exotic. 22 photos and videos. Prairie dog, prairie dog, or, as it is also called in some sources or in the people, an earthen squirrel. In the event that someone is not personally familiar with this animal, then based on its name, we can conclude that it must be a living being, which in its appearance strongly resembles an ordinary dog, but everything is completely different.
This living creation of nature got its unusual name due to the fact that spending time on the surface of the earth, it makes loud, piercing, slightly abrupt sounds that sound most like a dog barking, apparently, that is why this cute creature was called a dog.
Studying this amazing representative of the world fauna, scientists have adopted a unified scientific classification, which says that the prairie dog belongs to the class of mammals, the order of rodents, the family of squirrels and the genus of the same name prairie dogs (lat. Cynomys).
Home territories and origins of the prairie dog
The natural distribution area of this mammal is quite wide; numerical populations of ground squirrels inhabit most of the lands of North America. Most often, these animals are found in states such as Saskatchewan, Montana, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. It is also possible to meet small social groups of prairie dogs in the northeastern part of Sonora and in the north of Chihuahua.
We can say that these cute animals are not looking for easy ways; prairie dogs choose steppe or semi-desert areas as their permanent residence, the soils of which cannot boast of abundant vegetation, as well as mountainous areas. They feel quite comfortable at an altitude of over 3000 m above sea level.
Characteristics of the external appearance of a prairie dog
If we talk about the appearance of this representative of the squirrel family, then we can conclude that it is not much like a squirrel. They are much more similar to ground squirrels.
The prairie dog is an animal of medium size, its beautiful and pretty body grows in length no more than 38-42 cm, the body weight of this animal varies from 800 to 1500 grams. In these amazing rodents, sexual dimorphism is expressed quite well and representatives of the stronger sex can be recognized with the naked eye. Females are always much smaller in size than males, their bodies are more miniature and graceful. On average, females are 300-550 grams lighter than males.
The body of a prairie dog is quite strong, stocky, and has the shape of a slightly elongated cylinder. The limbs of this prairie rodent are relatively short, but, despite their length, they have very well developed muscle tissue, so they do not take up strength. Each of their feet is covered with fur, not only from the outside, but even the soles are not devoid of fur. The limbs end in very powerful and sharp claws.
The head of this cub is wide enough in relation to the entire body with a slightly rounded muzzle, which is adorned with rather large, dark-colored eyes. The visual organs are located relatively far from each other, such an anatomical feature gives prairie dogs the opportunity to inspect their territories in a fairly wide range. The ears are relatively small and it is far from always possible to see them in the thickness of the thick wool cover.
The caudal process of a funny prairie dog is always omitted, it does not differ in a particularly impressive length, but it is also wrapped in thick, hard fur, the color of which differs depending on the specific subspecies of the animal.
The entire surface of the body of this representative of the world fauna is covered with short, but very thick and coarse textured hair. The color of the coat varies from grayish brown to light brown. At the same time, in the area of the head, the fur coat of the animal is always painted in lighter shades. In some individuals near the eyes and in the projection of the cheeks, it is possible to contemplate light blotches.
Prairie Dog Behavior in Open Nature
By their nature, prairie dogs are not just very friendly and social animals, they simply cannot tolerate loneliness, which is probably why they always live in large and friendly families. Such families usually consist of one dominant male, several females and their joint offspring. At the same time, none of such relatives is sitting idle, each has his own affairs and responsibilities. While some are engaged in construction, others look after the kids.
The nature of these mammals has endowed not with any talent for the construction trade, therefore, they almost never have problems with housing. For their permanent place of residence, these hardworking animals dig complex burrows, which in their layout more resemble spacious multi-room apartments. One such hole consists of many separate rooms, for different purposes, it can be pantries, and nesting chambers, and something like "bunkers" where animals have the opportunity to safely hide from predators or natural disasters. All these rooms are interconnected by a whole branch of long corridors that run at different angles and, in the end, are aligned in one place. According to some sources, the total length of one prairie dog house together with all tunnels and corridors is approximately 300-400 m.
In the wild, prairie dogs feed exclusively on plant foods, they mainly eat herbaceous plants that block their horizons. Occasionally they can dine with some insect passing by them.
Breeding prairie dogs
Usually, the mating season in these rodents starts from the beginning of spring, the duration of pregnancy is approximately 30-35 days, at the end of this period from 1 to 8 naked and blind babies are born (on average 3-4). The female brings offspring only once a year. After 60-65 days, children stop feeding on mother's milk and switch to adult feed. Young prairie dogs become sexually mature at the age of 2 years. Usually, parents leave their homes to their children as an inheritance, and they themselves dig a hole nearby.
Rules for caring for a prairie dog at home
What is the best age to buy a pet?
Very often people who seek to buy some exotic animal try to acquire it even in infancy, it is believed that this way the animal is better tamed and becomes more domesticated. But when it comes to the prairie dog, this is a very dubious statement. It is best to bring an animal into your house that has just stopped feeding on its mother's milk, otherwise you risk losing your pet. The thing is that during the period of breastfeeding in prairie dogs, the so-called layer of "baby fat" is formed, if this process is interrupted, then the processes of natural defensive reactions can be disrupted and the animal can die even from slight hypothermia. Therefore, it will be better to acquire an animal about 2-4 months of age, when its body is already adapted to adult food.
Prairie dog care
In the event that you still managed to bring such a crumb, unadapted to adult life, into your house, you should not panic. You need to find out what to feed this baby, adult food will still be too tough for him. So, there are two options for food. First: it is necessary to mix in equal proportions whole milk with a special solution of electrolytes, which is intended for children suffering from gastrointestinal tract disorders (such solutions are sold in all pharmacies, the most popular among them is Pedialyte). The second option is much simpler: in some veterinary pharmacies, specialized milk for puppies is on sale, for these rodents it is also suitable.
The main attribute for such milk feeding will be a regular plastic syringe, which is sold in pet stores and is intended for feeding chicks. Feeding should be done slowly and carefully, food should be gently injected into the mouth of the animal, carefully making sure that the mixture does not get into the lumen of the trachea, otherwise the prairie dog cub will die from asphyxiation.
It is necessary to feed such babies every two to three hours; this should be done with exceptionally warm milk.
Accommodation for a pet
It doesn't matter if you brought a cub or an adult to the house, he needs a dwelling. As the latter, it is best to use a spacious terrarium, the size of which should be selected, taking into account the maximum dimensions of your pet. Whatever the comfortable living conditions for this wild animal in your house, you can’t trample on nature, so it will be good if you provide him with the opportunity to do his favorite thing, namely, digging a hole. To do this, a wide layer of substrate must be placed on the bottom of the terrarium, it can be a mixture of sand and earth, mixed in equal proportions. If your prairie dog lives in a cage, it is good to place soft, dry grass on the bottom. But here there is one BUT! The grass is good, but, as practice shows, the prairie dog begins to satisfy its needs in this hay and then everything quickly stinks, and the pet is smeared in its urine and feces. My terrarium has a tray at the bottom under the cage, so when my pet pees or poops, everything simply falls down. Little hay in just one corner.
In the evening before going to bed, I put his crib in a cage for the animal, she likes to sleep there. The photo above shows how she is already asleep. What is most interesting - she never shits on her bed !!! Prairie dog is a smart animal!
But not all the time they will be busy with construction, so that this fluffy animal does not get bored when you are not at home, you can give him several toys, believe me, he will find a use for them. Only toys should be made of denser materials, since this rodent is used to trying everything with its sharp teeth. In addition, you can put different branches and snags in his apartment, he will be no less happy with them.
Restroom
Prairie dog toilet training can be a bit of a hassle, but it usually comes with a positive result. In nature, the entire family usually fulfills its natural needs in one place, and then they simply bury the waste. So it can be in captivity, as a toilet, you can put a small cat litter box in one of the corners of the terrarium, it is advisable to place it in the corner where the animal spends the least time. Soon, the animal will figure out what and how to do with this device, ingenuity and love of cleanliness will take its toll.
The cage should be cleaned every morning. It takes me 5-10 minutes.
Bathing
A procedure such as bathing a prairie dog should be taught gradually, if you simply immerse the animal in water - it will be very stressful for him. At first, you can gently direct a stream of water from a tap or shower to the lower limbs of the rodent, and then above. But it is important to remember that water should not get into the ears, as this can lead to inflammation and you will have to seek help from your veterinarian. If it so happened that the head of a prairie dog was under the stream of water, then you need to gently wipe the animal's face and ears with a soft towel, trying not to scare the animal. Soon he will be happy to take a bath.
It is better not to bathe the animal at all until 6 months. It's enough just to wipe it once or twice a week with a damp cloth or cotton sponge soaked in water, that's enough. Prairie dogs are generally clean.
Ambient temperature
The temperature of the external environment when keeping prairie dogs at home is a guarantee not only of a comfortable life for animals in captivity, but also of their life in general. By their nature, these little animals are very heat-loving creatures, so you just need a source of artificial heat. It is good to use a thermal cord or a thermal mat as it (they can be purchased at a pet store). It would be best to place the heating devices in one of the corners of the cage, so the animal will choose the necessary conditions for itself. The average temperature in the terrarium should range from 19 to 26 degrees.
If the indicator of the thermometer drops to the 16-17 mark, be sure that your pet is no longer very comfortable, but at a temperature of 11-12 degrees, it can completely go into hibernation, from which it is not so easy to get it out.
Removing a pet from hibernation
If the system malfunctions, and your pet still fell asleep soundly from hypothermia, this is, of course, a problem, but by no means a sentence. In order to wake up your animal, they wrap it up in some kind of warm clothes and carefully put it on a heating pad; soon you will notice that the animal is already starting to wake up. However, such experiments should not be carried out often, this can have a very negative effect on the health of your pupil.
How to feed your prairie dog at home
Although this pet can be called exotic, but capricious or fastidious - in no case. At home, his food should not be very different from that which his relatives consume in the wild. So the basis of his diet should be grass, in summer and spring - usually these are succulent cereals or bulbous plants. A healthy adult should eat at least 900 - 1200 grams per week. In the fall, you can offer fallen leaves, only this delicacy must be checked for rot or mold before serving it to a prairie dog.
In the photo on the left - timothy hay, on the right - alfalfa hay (feed number 1) In winter, when fresh grass cannot be found as the basic product of the earth squirrel ration, fresh hay should be, you can feed it with different harvests, for example, meadow grass, oats and timothy grass. Also, occasionally you can treat the animal to fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts, only in small quantities and from the age of 6 months. In no case try to share food from your table with him, he may not refuse, but problems with his health are inevitable.
In the photo compound feed for rabbits Prairie dog should be given regular compound feed for young rabbits. Attention! Only 2 full tablespoons a day, no more! You can give 1 spoon in the morning and one in the evening.
In the photo on the left - cookies and dried mealworms - on the right In Thailand, they sell special cookies for prairie dogs - a mixture of different herbs, mixed feed, honey, plus vitamin supplements. Such delicacies can also be given in 1-3 pieces. in a day. Another delicacy is dried mealworms. You can give 5 worms a day, usually we give it for lunch. Rodents love it!
If compound feed, cookies and worms need to be dispensed on schedule and limited in volume, then hay (alfalfa, timothy and meadow grass) must be constantly present in the cage!
But as for clean drinking water, it should always be freely available for prairie dogs, as they very often suffer from dehydration, moreover, this is one of the most frequent reasons for the death of these pets. You need to buy a drinking bowl for rodents for 120-200 ml in the cage.
Walking
From time to time, this pet must be released from his house for a free walk, only this must be done under your careful supervision, otherwise you risk seeing not the most pleasant changes in your apartment. He will not miss the opportunity to climb on the table and knock over a few plates, or taste books or a wire from an electrical appliance. But if the dog knows that it is being watched, it will behave more decently. In addition, you can take this comrade out for a walk on the street, having previously put on a special harness-leash on him, only this should be accustomed to the animal from childhood.
The dog fell asleep after a walk in the park
Play with your pupil, he really needs your attention, otherwise he may simply die of melancholy, in the literal sense of these words, and if you do not have enough time, then it would be better to have two dogs at once, together they will not be bored.
Prairie Dog Health
Do not forget to periodically show your animal to the veterinarian, these animals are quite vulnerable to respiratory diseases. In addition, like all representatives of their squad, they have a penchant for the plague, therefore, before you bring this exotic to your house, it is better to go to the clinic with it. In addition, the doctor will advise you on what vaccinations your friend needs and when it is best to do them.
Prairie dog cost
The average price of one prairie dog in Russia ranges from 30,000 to 70,000 rubles. In Thailand, the price is 150-180 dollars. The animals are very popular!
Other photos of prairie dog:
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