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WELCOME TO XENA'S PAGE |
Meet Xena the newest addition to my prairie dog family. She belonged to friends of mine. Because of some changes in their lives they found that they had less and less time to spend with her. This worried them a lot because they knew that prairie dogs can die of lonliness. So, although they love her very much they decided to ask me if I would take her. My girls had met Xena at a Renniasance Faire in Gig Harbor, WA last year (August, 2000) . They had gotten along so well that they were grooming each other and even took a nap together. So I had no hesitations about saying that they could bring her over. So on June 19th Xena arrived in and took up residence in the prairie dog room. Tansy puffed herself up to show how "big and bad" she was but Lily just ignored her. We put her in a seperate cage for the night 'just in case'. The next morning my girls decided that Xena was an INTRUDER and Tansy attacked her. Fortunately we had her on a leash so was able to pull her off. Lily at first acted like she was going to be friendly but then, as Xena pushed for the contact she'd been without since she was a pup, Lily attacked her too. Lily obeys voice commands so I was able to call her off. We put Lily and Tansy in their cage and allowed Xena to run loose; hoping that they would sniff noses through the cage wire and get reaquainted. As we watched we qickly discovered that there was a communication problem. Xena didn't 'speak' my girls version of prairie dog. She had been an 'only child' and had her own way of communicating. To get us to pay attention to her she would mouth our fingers. This was her version of 'clicking teeth'. She'd open her mouth really wide when she greeted Lily and Tansy but wouldn't follow through. I took turns letting the girls and Xena change places in the cage. I also completely seperated them by taking turns putting either my girls or Xena in my master bathroom. I also let them take turns running around the house for a 'big adventure'. Another thing I did was change bedding back and forth giving Xena their bedding and them hers. Another part of the problem was that she smelled different than they did. Both my sister Fran and I noticed the difference in their smell. Xena very much wanted to be a part of the family. When she was loose she would bring a piece of her bedding to the cage door and hold it up as if to say "See I brought my own blanket. Please let me in." Tansy greeted this effort with slaps and loud teeth chattering; telling her what she was going to do to her if she didn't go away. I felt so sorry for her. After a few days Lily decided that Xena belonged to her family. On the 26th she started being friendly so we put them together and Tansy, who was still being nasty, was the one seperated. Tansy didn't like this at all. By the 28th she was ready to be friendly. She didn't like being alone. |
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Xena is a very sweet, very loving prairie dog. She craves attention from both people and the other pds. She looks a lot like Lily having the same build but is lighter in color and a bit smaller. She is learning my girls 'language'. She IS smart. Like Lily she does have a TEMPER! When she's mad she's really MAD ! If she doesn't want to be messed with she lets you know it by chirping and slapping the way Lily does. ( It takes her longer to settle down after having a temper fit.) She was not a bit happy about having to wear a harness every day but is coming to accept it as part of being allowed out of the cage in the morning. |
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Xena is very active. She didn't have a room to run about in her former home so this is a new experience for her. To say the least she LOVES it! She climbs on everything and only stays still long enough to get 'loved'. |
THANKS FOR VISITING! |
Like all prairie dogs, Xena has a lot of curiosity. Here she's trying to figure out how to open this bin to get at the corn cob bedding inside to dig in it. This is great fun!. |
LILY |
TANSY |
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As much as Lily likes digging and Tansy likes chewing Xena loves to climb. She's quite an expert at it. She will brace her back against things that are close to the wall and work her way up to the top as demonstrated in the next picture. I had to move the cords up so she can't reach them. She's also good at climbing the dresser as shown in the second picture.. |
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This page was last updated on: November 12, 2007
This should make GREAT bedding! |
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I just LOVE this! |
This is Xena is laying on top of Tansy. |
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Tansy (on top) and Xena in mom's lap. |
Xena in a 'prairie dog' pocket. A good place to take a nap. |
It may not look like it but these cords are really out of her reach. |
Note: I respond to everyone who signs my guest books if they leave their email address. If you don't hear from me within 48 hours it means that my response to you has bounced. Please try again. |
If you have a question that you would like answered right away please Email me............................................................... |
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Due to her partial blockage Xena didn't get all the nutrition she needed to promote a healthy coat. When she moulted only part of her coat came in the way it should. It took 2 years and 4 moults befor she regained a soft, healthy coat. Here you can see that she got pretty bald. |
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