Just seen this on Yahoo News. Four people in Wisconsin have been infected with Monkeypox virus from pet Prarie Dogs. It said it's the first time that this virus has hit the Western Hemisphere. Here's the link: Monkey Virus
MA, that's exactly what I was thinking! Why would people WANT a Prarie Dog to begin with? They are wild animals and should be left that way.
It is crappy that someone would sell these to people knowing that they may have a disease. Looks like someone didn't read up on all the facts before they started selling these animals.
Prairie dogs are native here and I don't think that one would be happy, in captivity.
The Desert Museum has a huge prairie dog town and people will spend hours, watching them play. The new babies emerged from the nests, within the past two weeks and they are SO cute. These prairie dogs are in a natural habitat and don't know that they're captive.
I read somewhere that prairie dogs are often considered a health thread and that whole colonies are emptied out using some sort of huge vacuum cleaner.
Is that true?
They look soooo cute, I can't imagine that they're really that dangerous.