Prairie Dog Diet

The prairie dog is a member of the squirrel family. Known as ground squirrels, they have short tails, live almost exclusively underground and are native to the grassland plains of the western region of North America. Families, also called prairie dog towns, usually consist of the young of one male and a few females. Supple vegetation is a prairie dog's singular diet.

  1. Wild Herbivore

    • The prairie dog subsists on a combination of grasses, roots, seeds and leaves. When food is in abundance and the prairie dog indulges, obesity is the leading health risk for the rodent. However, since burrowing a network of underground tunnels is a daily activity, the wild prairie dog is able to combat the excesses of its diet.

    Domestication

    • Prairie dogs grow to a maximum size of about 20 inches from head to tail and adults weigh about 4 pounds. Susan Brown, doctor of veterinary medicine, suggests a diet of rabbit pellets for those prairie dogs kept as pets. In order to curb the pet's obesity, Brown recommends a portion of one-fourth to one-third cup of rabbit pellets per animal per day. While timothy or grass hay can be fed at will, alfalfa hay should be excluded from the diet due to its high calcium-to-phosphorus ratio that the animal might have problems metabolizing. Grain, bread and fruit supplements might also be fed in moderation. To avoid water contamination, a water bottle with a sipper tube is ideal.