Prairie Dogs Susan A. Brown, DVM Prairie dogs are heavy bodied rodents which have been referred to as burrowing squirrels. They are native to the grassy plains of western North America from the Dakotas south to northern Mexico. In the natural state, prairie dogs reside in colonies.
Prairie dogs form extensive and elaborate burrows within which they live.
They tend to be active during the day unlike many other rodents which prefer the night life. These rodents are gray to brown in color with an adult body weight of two to three pounds on average. The natural diet for prairie dogs consists primarily of grasses. In captivity, the diet should be comprised of rabbit pellets and timothy or other grass hay. Timothy or grass hay, on the other hand, can be offered free choice.