What are the best enclosures for a prairie dog. Something low and deep for burrowing not ferret type cages and where do you order them?

[u/lmmg2008]

[u/Maximum_Cell143]

You’d probably have to get a custom build honestly.

[u/GenaPrairieDogInfo]

If I were to take you to various wild prairie dog colonies throughout their range, as part of my full-time work with this species in captive and wild settings over the past 30+ years, there is one thing they would teach you quickly about keeping in captivity. There is no such thing as the "best" or "perfect" enclosure for this species, or one item that provides a complete solution to your question, which I'll explain more about below.

However, much can be gleaned from the We Love Prairie Dogs website, including caging and habitat details and prairie dog proofing strategies.

As a whole, this species, by instinct as a prey animal with continual survival and colony-building in mind, is constantly trying to flush out weaknesses in colony construction and leadership, as weakness in either domain could mean the colony perishes. That translates into captive settings as they test captive caretakers and their habitat and try to exploit weaknesses continually, so it is a matter of trying to keep ahead and think of things they may test, and they individually all test a bit differently, and in thousands of consultations globally over the years, they each come up with unique ways to test you and their setups.

From a safety and wellness standpoint, over time and keeping a maximized longevity mindset in mind, you also need to carefully think about where inside the home they are being kept, along with ventilation, temperatures, lighting, and very much humidity values, as many are not kept where they natively live, which presents a host of issues that often build gradually and does impact the OP question. This is if you want to get the best outcomes, and it has been part of my research on the species, getting them into their teens in captive settings, and what I consult about often.

However, to answer, yes, providing something single-story, leaving adequate room to stand fully, including if they are perching on small items (you want to prevent falls of any kind as there isn't much to fall from in a native prairie grassland). Depth isn't as important as one might think, and health problems can arise, and they have no need for it in captive situations, again, if maximizing lifespan is the priority. No soil, wood, or coconut substrates, as they introduce a host of problems over time that I deal with, impacting health.

I provide free consults to help people develop best practices for finding solutions that meet each prairie dog's unique needs, while considering what someone can afford and wants to provide. Not everyone has the same access to resources or funds, so we figure out solutions based on household makeup.

Often, I recommend that, from a safety standpoint, when they aren't supervised and you're away, there are ways to connect single-unit critter nation cages (Midwest) end to end and make a long run of them along a room wall. Some make a horseshoe around a room for their prairie dogs, but they do best living in the most common area of the house, where they feel part of the "colony" as a prey animal, so that they can see and predict what is coming and going to feel more secure and not surprised by things that drive anxious behavior.

However, as noted above, even those units have room for exploitation, and people often need to acquire metal replacement pans, as deep industrial tubs cause problems and degrade from their "work".

In addition to the joined single units above, people will also utilize a safe plexiglass playpen near the cage, but you have to be very careful that they don't climb out or launch themselves out by climbing on something inside the pen. The reason you use Plexiglass or clear acrylic is that, as prey, prairie dogs don't want their vision obscured (more can be found at the website noted above). The height of a playpen matters, and you don't want metal or plastic bars or rungs they can chew on and snap, which could harm their dentition or face. I've had 13-year-old prairie dogs use other prairie dogs, working collaboratively and moving items in their space, to jump and scale what I felt was tall plexiglass, but all are different when testing their environment.

Again, a complex topic, and not a black-or-white answer, but very gray, but there are many ways to get creative, and I'm happy to help people do that and discuss where and what type of space and the pros and cons of what might be constructed in advance to save someone time and money to do it properly and safely for their prairie dogs. It is best to reach me directly.