I can, in fact, has prairie dog!
February 20, 2009 11:13 AM Subscribe
The ban on prairie dogs as pets in the US was lifted on September 8, 2008, five days after my last question about them. Fantastic! Now where will I be able to get one in Massachusetts?
Pups are born in the spring, so I expect them to not be available to take home until the summer or later, but what organizations can I get in touch with to express interest or possibly reserve one in the meantime? Who do I need to talk to?
(see my previous post for replies defending prairie dogs as excellent pets)
Pups are born in the spring, so I expect them to not be available to take home until the summer or later, but what organizations can I get in touch with to express interest or possibly reserve one in the meantime? Who do I need to talk to?
(see my previous post for replies defending prairie dogs as excellent pets)
The rescue idea really seems like the best bet, if you're set on it.
lemuria is right on to point out the vagaries of the exotic pet trade. Icky stuff.
posted by batmonkey at 2:53 PM on February 20, 2009
lemuria is right on to point out the vagaries of the exotic pet trade. Icky stuff.
posted by batmonkey at 2:53 PM on February 20, 2009
Prairie dogs cannot be domesticated successfully as adults. You basically have to start with a baby. Where do you get a baby prairie dog? Well, prairie dogs don't breed successfully in captivity, so you have to go to wild colonies to capture them. You can try trapping them, but babies stay underground more than adults, so you wind up capturing a lot of adults. It's much easier to dig up the wild colony, and easier still to smoke or flood most of the babies out of the colony (some of them don't make it).
Since there are no prairie dog colonies in Massachusetts, you'll have to travel out of state to trap or dig up your baby prairie dog. If that's inconvenient, you can rely on the exotic pet industry to capture your baby prairie dog for you.
posted by gum at 4:02 PM on February 20, 2009
Since there are no prairie dog colonies in Massachusetts, you'll have to travel out of state to trap or dig up your baby prairie dog. If that's inconvenient, you can rely on the exotic pet industry to capture your baby prairie dog for you.
posted by gum at 4:02 PM on February 20, 2009
Best answer: I'm sorry. Massachusetts law still prevents you from having a prairie dog. Permits are not granted for keeping these cuties as pets.
posted by Gable Oak at 5:10 PM on February 20, 2009
posted by Gable Oak at 5:10 PM on February 20, 2009
I can't even describe how much I'm laughing right now- I'm sure in my Alberta city of a million plus people there are about five prairie dogs sharing every square meter of public land. I grew up on a cattle ranch using prairie dogs for target practice (cow + burrows = broken legs).
If you're trapping your own, flooding is the best- using a hose floods it slowly enough the adults usually get the babies out in time. It looks like you've done lots of research, but are you looking at getting one or a pair? They're really social animals, so a spayed/neutered pair? They prefer a LOT of space so hopefully you've got all the space/enclosure issues sorted out.
As for the medical care, they're small burrowing rodents; any vet familiar with gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits etc would be able to do checkups and so on. Coming from a place where prairie dogs are pests, is there a way to clearly mark yours as pets if they get loose outside? A colored ear tag or something? Best of luck and thanks for doing so much research before committing to a pet :)
posted by variella at 5:30 PM on February 20, 2009
If you're trapping your own, flooding is the best- using a hose floods it slowly enough the adults usually get the babies out in time. It looks like you've done lots of research, but are you looking at getting one or a pair? They're really social animals, so a spayed/neutered pair? They prefer a LOT of space so hopefully you've got all the space/enclosure issues sorted out.
As for the medical care, they're small burrowing rodents; any vet familiar with gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits etc would be able to do checkups and so on. Coming from a place where prairie dogs are pests, is there a way to clearly mark yours as pets if they get loose outside? A colored ear tag or something? Best of luck and thanks for doing so much research before committing to a pet :)
posted by variella at 5:30 PM on February 20, 2009
Just get a guinea pig. There are already way too many exotic pets running around.
posted by orme at 7:09 PM on February 20, 2009
posted by orme at 7:09 PM on February 20, 2009
Prairie dogs are indeed small rodents. There are so many small rodents that are domesticated (rats, guinea pigs, etc) that I just can't see wanting prairie dogs, unless you live out in the countryside where they'd feel more at home.
Don't get me wrong, I love prairie dogs. I spend a week, twice a year, every year, photographing them in North Dakota. They are social animals, very loving towards their "family" members, and not so accepting of "strangers". Endangering some of them in order to get some young ones as pets just doesn't seem fair to the animals (talking about flooding their homes, etc). We have pet rats at home (currently 16 of them), and it's very cool to observe the similarities between rats and prairie dogs ... but I just can't fathom having some as pets; they're best enjoyed in the wild.
posted by dwbrant at 1:54 PM on February 23, 2009
Don't get me wrong, I love prairie dogs. I spend a week, twice a year, every year, photographing them in North Dakota. They are social animals, very loving towards their "family" members, and not so accepting of "strangers". Endangering some of them in order to get some young ones as pets just doesn't seem fair to the animals (talking about flooding their homes, etc). We have pet rats at home (currently 16 of them), and it's very cool to observe the similarities between rats and prairie dogs ... but I just can't fathom having some as pets; they're best enjoyed in the wild.
posted by dwbrant at 1:54 PM on February 23, 2009
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Do you know for sure that there isn't still a state ban on owning this animal, even though the federal ban has been lifted?
Do you have a nearby vet who can care for an exotic animal?
How do you feel about "deep, painful bites"? What will you do if your pet starts giving you those?
The exotic pet trade tends to be a nasty thing. If you're definitely prepared to take care of a prairie dog, I'd contact a rescue like this one in the Midwest to see if they know any animals who need homes closer to you. That way, you're not participating in the capture of more wild animals. I'm seeing some mentions of a prairie dog rescue in Connecticut, but they don't seem to have a website.
posted by lemuria at 1:31 PM on February 20, 2009 [4 favorites]