Badgers are probably the main predator, but coyotes, weasels, golden eagles, hawks, swift fox, and other predators take prairie dogs. Bullsnakes and rattlesnakes take young prairie dogs but generally not adults. The black-footed ferret was once a primary prairie dog predator, but it is now considered an endangered species and no wild ferrets have been verified in Nebraska since the 1940s. A prairie dog is susceptible to a number of diseases, the most notable being plague. Plague is an infectious disease transmitted by the bite of an infected flea.
Plague can be devastating to prairie dog populations, wiping out entire colonies in some areas.
Although it can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected flea, plague has not been found in prairie dogs in Nebraska and is now treatable in humans. In many ways, a prairie dog town can be considered a biological oasis. Many wildlife species associate with prairie dogs. Some species feed on prairie dogs, but others utilize the burrow systems or the unique habitat to fulfill their needs. Vacapt burrows are used by cottontail rabbits, several species of small rodents and by burrowing owls.