Construction of a home is always a delight to tourists. If the earth is damp, prairie dogs make mud balls and remove them to the surface. If the earth is dry, it is carried out in armfuls. The noses and heads are used to tap the earth to firmness around the entrance hole and inside the crater. Mr. Clapp has commented that when there is general repairing of mounds, rain should be expected.
Prairie dogs are vegetarians by circumstance only, being omnivorous in captivity.
Mackenzie Park attendees have only to sprinkle the grass to provide food. They subsist without water by obtaining the necessary moisture from their green food. The animals are self-hibernating, the climate determines their sleeping habits. In Prairie Dog Town during the winter, they appear after noon each day when the temperature is above freezing and the weather is fair. When the mercury drops to 20 degrees, the dogs stay inside their habitats.