By Aliza Ibrahim
Prairie Dogs are burrowing
rodents . Adults stand about 12
inches tall and weigh about one
to three pounds .They sleep in
their burrows at night.
Prairie dogs are actually related
to squirrels.
Prairie dogs live in large
colonies that are also called
towns or villages. Undisturbed
colonies have thousands of
residents and extend for miles
in all directions. Within
colonies, prairie dogs live in
family groups called coteries.
Each coterie defends a home
territory of about one acre (.40
hectare) from surrounding
coteries. The typical coterie
territory contains about 70
burrow entrances.
Prairie dogs are found in the grasslands of North America. They are found
in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In Mexico, prairie dogs are found
primarily in the northern states, which lie at the southern end of the Great
Plains: northeastern Sonora, north and northeastern Chihuahua, northern
Coahuila, northern Nuevo León, and northern Tamaulipas. In the US, they
range primarily to the west of the Mississippi River, though they have also
been introduced in a few eastern locales.
When kept as a pet, Prairie dogs should be fed a high fiber pellet diet along
with Timothy hay grass or Timothy Hay cubes. Exotic Nutrition has
formulated a diet high in fiber, made from all natural, locally grown grain
products. Exotic Nutrition's Prairie dog diet & Prairie dog 'PUP' diet
emulates the natural nutritional needs of Prairie dogs.
They eat mainly green leafy plants,
insects and prairie plants. Prairie dogs
are not dog species but are instead a
type of rodents. They usually come
out from their burrows to get food in
the wild.
Prairie dogs are colonial animals that live in complex networks of tunnels with multiple openings.
Colonies are easily identified by the raised-burrow entrances that give the diminutive prairie dogs
some extra height when acting as sentries and watching for signs of danger. The tunnels contain
separate "rooms" for sleeping, rearing young, storing food and eliminating waste.
Prairie dogs are very social and live in closely-knit family groups called "coteries." Coteries usually
contain an adult male, one or more adult females and their young offspring. These coteries are
grouped together into wards (or neighborhoods) and several wards make up a colony or town.
Prairie dogs have a complex system of communication that includes a variety of pitched warning
barks that signal different types of predators. Prairie dogs earned their name from settlers traveling
across the plains who thought that these warning calls sounded similar to dogs barking.
Breeding takes place in March
and early April, and a litter of
usually four to six young is born
30 to 35 days later. Young
prairie dogs are born hairless,
helpless, and with their eyes
closed.
BREEDS OF PRAIRIE DOGS:Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Gunnison's Prairie Dog
Mexican Prairie Dog
Utah Prairie Dog
White-tailed Prairie Dog
Typically, prairie dogs survive three to four years in the wild,
although they have been known to reach eight years in captivity.
Prairie dogs weigh 2 to 3 pounds and measure 12 to 15 inches in
length with a 3- to 4-inch tail. While grass is their favorite food,
they also consume roots, seeds, and leafy plants seasonally.
They live in underground communities called towns. Prairie dog
towns have social structures that include wards, and smaller
social groups called coteries. Each coterie usually consists of one
male, three or four females, and several young. Prairie dogs are
very social animals. They participate in such activities as kissing,
nuzzling, and grooming, and they communicate through
vocalizations that warn others of the presence of predators.
A prairie dog cost from $150-200. The price depends on the store
or the breeder that you'll buy from.