METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) – Julia and Micah Dardar like to take their two dogs, Bella and Popcorn, on daily walks. The dogs walk happily on their leashes, even if they make passersby stop and stare.
That’s because Bella and Popcorn are prairie dogs, each no bigger than a squirrel.
Dr. Gregory Rich, director of West Esplanade Veterinary Hospital and Bird Clinic, says prairie dogs can be great pets. They’re curious, they like to be cuddled, and they’re easy to take care of.
“It’s not (a pet) you have to have a doggie door built into the house to have them inside and outside,” he says, and they don’t require much medical care or vaccines.
But Dr. Rich says prairie dogs do need lots of exercise and interaction with each other, or with their owners. He says their cages should have places for them to burrow and hide, as they do in the wild, and he says they should not be allowed to roam freely inside a home.
“If you let them run,” he says, “they’re going to chew electrical cords, chew telephone wires, chew baseboards,” and for that reason, he says they’re better suited for older children or adults who can watch them and play with them.
Dr. Rich says prairie dogs are considered “exotic” animals, so potential owners should check with their parish animal control office to make sure they’re allowed to keep them as pets.
Prairie dogs will eat puppy chow, but like rabbits, they also need to eat the right kind of hay (“Timothy Hay”)to keep their teeth short.
Fortunately, Dr. Rich says prairie dogs rarely bite, and when one opens its mouth to reveal its tiny teeth, Dr. Rich says it’s “smiling.”
