Old Prairie Dogs?

I rescued a prairie dog 4 1/2 years ago. She was supposed to be around 4 or 5 at the time. I know she's getting older and I was just wondering when... when she might not be with me any more. I have grown to love her soooo much. She has started sleeping very deeply and I feel like a new mother with an infant and I hold my breath to see if she's still breathing. She is very healthy. I can find all sorts of info on PD's but none on longevity in captivity. What is old for a PD?

[babypd]

HELLO LILFROGGY!!!

Welcome! You will have lots of fun here, and the people are great! Prairie dogs that are fed correctly and their living space is free of dust and clean, and have no health problems will live a long life. I have read in prairie dog pet books anywhere between 8-12 years. Make sure your feeding her a high fiber diet, such as Timothy hay which is their staple diet. You can give them treats such as shredded wheat, but very sparingly. Just love your girl, give her the right diet, and yearly check-up with an EXOTIC Vet, clean cage and she will live fine!!! You rescued a very precious life and just think you will have many great years to come with your sweet prairie dog. YAHOO!!

P.S. There is a great book by Pat Storer called "Priaire Dog Pets" that have great tips for prairie dog owners, that's the book I bought when I first got my pd's a few years ago, and that's what really helped me out. If you have any other questions, please let us know, we will do whatever we can to help you out

Thank you so much for the reply. My vet went back to school to learn about my "Dixie Krystal" He found many various answers to longevity. I plan to call in am and let him know and recommend the book also. Until the moment I saw her I never knew people kept PD's as pets. I even got in touch with fish and game to make sure it was legal to keep one. ~chuckles~ That was many moons ago. She is the best judge of people. We can't imagine life without her.

[babypd]

We would love to see a pic of your girl, if you have one, or whenever you get a chance, please post one up!!

[Scarlette]

Yup, babypd is right. I believe the average age is around 9 years when kept in captivity.

[Dallas]

Another great book is Bringing a Prairie Dog Pup into Your Home, by Betsy Callis, Lynda Watson & Karen Stoika. That's my personal favorite.

Good Luck with your new baby!

[Scarlette]

I agree with Dallas! That is a great book and has been my PD "bible" from day one, not too mention numerous emails to Karen the first few weeks I had them.