1. Classification
  2. Biological and physiological features
  3. Housing conditions
  4. Main health problems

Classification

Class: Mammals
Order: Rodents
Suborder: Sciurognaths
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Cynomys
Species: Ludovicianus

There are five species of prairie dog, all North American.

Common name: Latin name:
Black-tailed prairie dog Cynomys ludovicianus
Mexican prairie dog Cynomys mexicanus
Gunnison's prairie dog Cynomys gunnisoni
White-tailed prairie dog Cynomys leucurus
Utah prairie dog Cynomys parvidens

Biological and physiological features

  • Adult weight: 0.5-2.2 Kg
  • Body length: 28-32 cm
  • Tail length: 6-10 cm
  • Feet: 4 toes on the forelimbs and 5 toes on the hindlimbs
  • Dental formula: 22 continuously growing teeth
upper jaw 0 0 2 3
I C PM M
lower jaw 1 0 1 3

Biological parameters

  • Way of life: diurnal, terrestrial. Builds elaborate burrows.
  • Social system: matrilineal, with a harem
  • Natural hibernation: no
  • Body temperature: 35.3-39°C
  • Food intake: 40-150g./day
  • Water intake: 50-200 ml./day
  • Respiratory rate: 70-100 movements/min.
  • Heart rate: 83-138 beats/min.
  • Lifespan: 5-10 years; in general, females live longer than males

Reproductive physiology

  • Age at sexual maturity: 2-3 years
  • Breeding season: January-March
  • Cycle length: 2-3 weeks
  • Type of ovulation: spontaneous (occurring only at the moment of mating)
  • Gestation length: 30-35 days
  • Newborn characteristics: naked and blind
  • Number of young per litter: 2-10, with an average of 5
  • Weaning age: 6-7 weeks
  • Number of litters per year: 1
  • Number of pairs of teats: 4

Living environment

  • Large cage: 100x50x50, i.e. 5000 cm2 of floor space per animal, plus a further 1000 cm2 per additional animal
  • Outdoor keeping: this is possible in an enclosure with wire mesh buried at least 150 cm deep along the enclosure boundary
  • Bedding: a thick layer of hay is needed, essential to let the prairie dog satisfy its instinctive need to dig
  • Feeder: it is fixed to the cage, and water is provided in a vertical bottle for exotic pets
  • Accessories: to recreate an environment close to the natural one, provide tunnels, preferably of terracotta, and dark shelters to let it hide, in the absence of a real burrow.

Ambient values

  • ambient temperature: 20.5-22°C
  • lighting duration: 12 hours
  • humidity: 30-70%
  • ammonia level: <8ppm
  • Sociability: it is very sociable and gregarious by instinct; it can be kept in a group or in a pair all year round.

Feeding

  • The prairie dog is strictly herbivorous and, in the wild, sometimes feeds on a few insects.
  • To give: good-quality hay ad libitum, rabbit pellets, a seed mix and, as a supplement, greens (grasses, dandelion) and fresh fruit.
  • Be careful: it is prone to obesity.

Handling

  • The prairie dog is a sociable animal and easy to handle if it is handled regularly.
  • Watch out for bites and scratches if it feels stressed or frightened.
  • Tip: you can wrap it in a cloth to avoid being scratched, or use leather gloves.
  • Method: you should grasp the prairie dog with one hand around the thorax, while supporting the hindquarters with the other hand in heavy individuals.
  • Note: the prairie dog does not have loose skin at the neck, which means it cannot be held there.

Main health problems

Digestive disorders

  • Dental malocclusions: incisors and cheek teeth
  • Enteropathies (intestinal disorders), which may be: nutritional, environmental, bacterial (salmonellosis, Tyzzer's disease, enterotoxaemia), parasitic (protozoa) or hepatic (carcinoma: cancer) in origin.

Skin disorders

  • Mycoses
  • External parasites: fleas, mites
  • Pododermatitis (foot infection): of bacterial origin

Traumatic disorders

  • Vertebral fractures

Respiratory disorders

  • Coryza
  • Bacterial pneumonia, due to Pasteurella multocida. Its prognosis is poor.

Tumoral disorders

  • Nephro-adenoma: benign kidney tumour
  • Gastric adenocarcinoma: stomach cancer
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma: liver cancer

Zoonoses

Plague and other yersinia, Tyzzer's disease, rabies, mycoses, ectoparasites