Destruction at It's Finest

The destruction has escalated quite a bit, and frankly it's scaring me. Field Notes 11/4. The chewing has gone from what's expected from animals to complete reconstruction of their hut. The hut doesn't even look like a hut anymore, and don't even get me started on the wheel. The wheel has been removed from the tank and stays on the floor for it's own safety. Why do they obsess over chewing on everything? I ask myself this everyday that I see more and more of the hut being gnawed away. That can't be good for their teeth nor their health. In fact, it isn't because when I researched it I found out that it can cause mouth sores and internal damage. (Resources)

"Do not provide branches, wood, or plastic items for chewing to wear down their teeth."(Resources) I read this just after adding apple tree branches, and letting them chew on their hut and wheel. Now I'm very confused on what to give them to chew on. My mom said that giving them more Timothy hay as their diet will help. Well our fingers are crossed with this one.





               

Picture of hut after immense amount of chewing by Kayla Polley









 On a lighter note, my prairie dogs are more playful than ever before, yet I'm not sure why. They push and shove, pin down, chase each other, and roll and tumble around. Field Notes 11/6. They have never played this hard before, and it's absolutely hilarious to watch. Plus, I caught them on camera playing like little kids. It was perfect timing. They make me think of little kids on a play ground, and just playing until their heart is content. Never running out of energy, and making me wish I was a kid again so I could have that kind of fun just once more. They really are quite amazing creatures in my opinion.

 

Video of them playing by Kayla Polley

 

Even after watching this video a million times it still makes me laugh so hard!

 

 

Works Cited

"Resources." We Love Prairie Dogs. N.p. 2006. Web. 8 November 2014. 

 

Water. What Water?

Never in the six months have I had my two prairie dogs have I seen them drink water. This really started to bug me because I feel like they are thirsty all the time. However, they are perfectly healthy which wouldn't add up due to the lack of water. Come to found out that they very rarely drink water, and this is especially true with the wild ones. According to Bill Rogers, wild prairie dogs don't drink water because they get it from the vegetables they eat, but as pets a supply of water is needed. ( General Care and Feeding)

Everyday my mother puts a bowl of water in their tank, but everyday they either dump it or fill it full of bedding. Not once have they even remotely considered drinking out of the bowl. However, this week I was proven wrong. Guss ( the female) actually attempted to drink, and drank lot of it at that. My mom and I just stared with our mouths open in shock that they actually consumed water after six months. This made me think if they have ever drank before this occurrence, and if so are they doing it secretly? This is still a mystery to me.

Fun Fact: The scientific term for black-tailed prairie dogs is Cynomys Ludovicianus

Another bizarre thing that has been going on with Guss is that she has started to pee on top of the hut, yet she has never done this before. My thought was that she was marking her territory like a dog. However, they are not potty trained so I guess she decided to use that as a bathroom. (We tried to potty train them, but they didn't understand the concept of a toilet.) I even researched it and I found nothing on marking territory that involves peeing. So, it as well remains a mystery.

Picture of soiled hut by Kayla Polley
 

Before I end this blog, I wanted to add a picture that relates back to my blog "Coasting." I had mentioned that we finally got the wheel mounted and sturdy so that the dogs couldn't flip it over. I was finally able to take a picture of it without being interrupted by prairie dogs trying to bite my camera.

Mounted wheel picture by Kayla Polley
 

Work cited

Rogers, Bill. "Prairie Dogs: General care and Feeding." Hobbyist's corner. N.p. n.d. Web. 1

      November 2014.