Hello,

I have a PD who is coming up on three years old. She is super sweet and I love her to death. Recently she has developed some interesting black markings on her face. Two symmetrical black lines along her cheeks and black rings around her ears. And one black line across her nose. It's unusual and it's shown up after 3 years. My last PD did not have any markings like this, I had him for 8 years. Is it because she is a female? Is this normal? And no it is not from chewing on cage bars and rubbing away the fur, or a fungal infection, it is coloration on her fur. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it possible she is mixed? Please let me know!!

Angela

Their fur can vary quite a bit from prairie dog to prairie dog, though at a glance you'd probably not really notice. It can even vary from season to season, as they shed out their winter fur and get their summer coat.

Almost all prairie dogs in captivity are the black-tailed variety, wild caught in Texas. The other species of prairie dogs do not have overlapping ranges, and they're not often bred in captivity, so the chances of her being some kind of mix is highly unlikely.

Sounds like she just has some unique patterning, which could shed out when the seasons change again. They all have different fur, just like they all have different personalities.