I've had my boys for four months now. They came to me and my husband at the age of 2 years. At first they seemed to get to know us very well. The other one is very social and we have no problems with him. But the other was very very shy with the first owner too. He almost never let pet himself and never came out of under the sofa.
At first in our home we were surprised he was very nice, chatty and even came to our lap. Now, for last two months he has been very strange, he is just under sofa, aggressive, attacing to our other boy... and now tonight I was sitting on the floor and playing with the other boy and he attacted at me from under the sofa! He bite my leg a big wound and I had to go to the hospital to tie it. What on earth is going on? They are bouth neutered, so it shoudn't be anythig about it.. He has bitten me once before but then I was petting him when hi was at the cage so I thought he was only defending his area like rats sometimes do.. Today he also tried to taste my husband.

Some pd's can still experience rut even though they've been spayed or neutered. It sounds to me like your guy is going through rut. Be patient and with time he'll be back to his sweet self.

Yes, I also was thinking that it could be rut... How long does it usually takes then and what should we do with him. Personally we really don't want to keep him out of cage if he is suddenly attacking without a reason and we are also sorry for his friend our other PD, who is suffering from this rut too.. Can we do something to stop this bossing around?

My one girl normally gets cranky with me and I just leave her in the cage, but I still talk softly to her and give her treats through the cage. If she's not so cranky the next day, then I'll take her out for snuggle time. She's never really fought with my other female so I've never really been concerned about that.

If your male is beating up his cage mate then you may have to separate them, but keep the cages right next to each other so they don't feel so alone. Take it one day at a time. If you walk up to the cage and he chitters and attacks the bars just leave him in there and talk softly to him. Do the same thing the next day. If he seems like he's having a better day, then try taking him out. If he gets cranky and tries to bite then put him back in the cage. He will learn that bad behavior will mean he can't come out to play. Just keep in mind that if he is going through rut he really can't control his mood swings.

My girl usually gets cranky this time of year but is normaly back to her sweet self the end of January/early February.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

I always heard that prarie dogs were nasty. I guess people were just referring to their rut season (see I learned a new word..lol)

Yeah, prairie dogs can be nasty, but they can also be the most loving and dedicated pets one will ever have the pleasure of being owned by. I've been rescuing these guys for yrs and some I've taken in were from owners who shouldn't even be allowed to own a bug let alone a prairie dog, but these furies never cease to amaze me. Even though they have been severely abuse, with some love, patience and time I'm able to earn back their trust. They're such loving and forgiving creatures that you just can't help but see our Lord in each one.

I'm a real advocate of having both genders fixed because in the long run they are much better pets/family members for it. In the wild all those aggressive hormones are a necessity for survival, but in captivity they are not welcome. Now even if they are spayed and neutered their little bodies can still go through some changes with the seasons, but nothing near to what it could be. I feel it's a myth that males are worst during rut than females, because out of all the ones I've rescued and all who've taken a bite, the females are by far the worst bites I've ever had. Now I'm generalizing here so please forgive me, but I've noticed that males tend to give more of a warning before they bite than females do. I've had several girls give a great big smile only to reach out and grab ya with a not so loving touch. LOL I insist all are fixed before being placed so this will help insures they don't end up in shelters or being put down because of misunderstood rutty behavior. Prairie dogs can go through such a violent rut many owners can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and get rid of them before rut is over. Some of the most wonderful pds I have were rescued during rut season because their owners just didn't have the patience to wait it out. Going through rut is heartbreaking because the pd who loved and adored you no longer even knows who you are. Rut is almost like a switch and as soon as spring shows up so does your prairie dog. Rut is only one tiny drawback compared to the enormous rewards they bring into our lives.

I've taken in pretty much every type of exotic out there, but none have stolen my heart like a prairie dog. I've never seen a wild animal domestic so well which proves to me they're meant to be in our lives and homes. Once they're a part of the family the bond is so strong they'd die to protect you. I feel so honored and blessed by God to have their love.

I appreciate these posts. I have had my boy since May 2014 and he has been the sweetest blessing to me. When it came time to have him snipped last month I was unable to do it at the time and figured I would just do it this month but I am too late. All of a sudden a few weeks ago I was playing with him like normal and he attacked me. I have a nasty wound on my arm. It really hurt my feelings and I didn't understand because he was my snuggle bunny. Even feeding him is a major feat. He makes this low grinding and chirping sound to warn me to stay away. This morning he seemed to be his old self and let me touch him a few times but I did it one too many I guess and he turned on me and clawed me good. I knew what was going on but just wanted to know how long my sweetie would be so mean to me . So after research and reading up on it I have a better understanding about it and hopefully he will be back to his old self around February or March. Then I will definitely get him snipped. Until then I will be patient with him. My only questions are, if I give him treats, will this be rewarding this behavior and if I don't take him out of the cage until this is over (for fear of him attacking someone else) will this isolate him to much? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!