THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 15, 1996 TAG: 9609130283
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: COASTAL JOURNAL
LENGTH: 92 lines
If you succumbed to the appealing, quizzical stare of a prairie dog and impulsively purchased one from a pet shop, take a lesson in owning prairie dogs from the Cox family in Lake View Park.
Son Zack Cox couldn't resist two of the curious little beasts last year. He went off to buy golf shoes, his mother Shirlene Cox said, and came back with two prairie dogs instead. Zack Cox was prepared to keep the animals in an aquarium as recommended by the pet store.
The Coxes quickly realized that an aquarium was no home for an animal whose natural habitat is huge expanses of prairie land in the Western Plains states. There, the little animals live in large groups and stay busy all the time, digging burrows and tunnels.
Dad Doug Cox went to work building an outdoor pen for the little critters, both males, named Nesta and Fat Boy. He constructed the pen out of galvanized wire on all sides and on the top and bottom. The wire must be galvanized or else the busy prairie dogs will chew right through the wire with their big beaver-like front teeth.
The pen goes two feet deep under the ground and the Coxes pile dirt up in the pen to give their pets about 3 feet of tunneling space. They add new dirt periodically to replace the dirt that gets flung out of the pen.
When the Coxes first got the prairie dogs, they had a bad odor, Shirlene Cox said. It became obvious that digging in dirt was an important part of a prairie dog's hygiene, as if they ``bathe'' in it.
``Now they're really very clean,'' she added, ``and they don't smell anymore.''
The pen is 6 feet by 4 feet and about 4 1/2 feet tall. ``It can't be too tall,'' Shirlene Cox said, ``Because they climb the wire and sometimes fall.''
When we walked out to the pen, Nesta was hanging onto the wire, looking our way as if expecting Shirlene Cox to have a bowl of food in hand, which she did. Both critters like vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, broccoli and grapes. Their favorite treat is peanut butter crackers.
Nesta is the friendly one and Fat Boy, more cautious. While Nesta likes to be hand fed and have his tummy rubbed through the wire, Fat Boy hangs back. Neither wants to be held and the Coxes don't push them.
``We know they are wild animals,'' Shirlene Cox said. ``And you have to respect them and not go beyond their limits.''
The mannerisms of the little brown critters with their piercing black eyes and a black tip on their stubby tails remind Doug Cox of squirrels. Always inquisitive, prairie dogs, like squirrels, sit up on their hind legs to get a better view of the world.
When Zack Cox coughed, they both reared up, instantly alert and curious about the odd sound. Nesta whistled a high-pitched call.
``Whoo, whoo,'' he barked, as he raised his paws up and down, an alarmist through and through.
Shirlene Cox lamented the fact that pet stores will sell just one prairie dog to customers. In the wild, the little animals live in huge groups. ``They really need companionship,'' she said.
The whole experience of owning prairie dogs was a learning one for the Coxes. They couldn't find any books or information on caring for the creatures. But if a prairie dog has to end up in captivity, it couldn't do much better than to end up at the Cox home. Animal lovers, all, they have dogs, cats, a bird, a rat and a tiny critter called a sugar glider, daughter Jessie's new Asian flying squirrel.
So if you have a prairie dog, take advantage of the Coxes' experience and give your pet a natural environment. ``Whenever I see them in pet shops,'' Shirlene Cox said, ``I go in and tell them, `Prairie dogs should not be in aquariums.' ''
P.S. Anne Henry called to say that the original W.T. Cooke School was demolished in new construction around 1960 and was not incorporated into the present building, as Wednesday's column said.
ENDANGERED PIPING PLOVERS are the topic of the Virginia Beach Audubon Society meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church, 2020 Laskin Road. Teta Kain, photographer and naturalist from Gloucester, will speak and show slides. The meeting is free and open to the public.
ATTEND A BELL RINGING at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Francis Land House to commemorate the signing of the United States Constitution Sept. 17, 1787. That evening ``musick master'' R.P. Hale will perform on the dulcimer and harpsichord at 8 p.m. The concert, co-sponsored by the Tidewater Friends of Folk Music, costs $8 ($6 for Friends members.) The bell ringing is free. Call 431-4000 for information on both events. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know
about Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555.
Enter category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by MARY REID BARROW
Zack, left, Jessie and Shirlene Cox observe their two prarie dogs in
the pen that Doug Cox built for them in their Lake View Park back
yard. The pen contains lots of dirt for burrowing. Both critters
like vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, broccoli and grapes.
Their favorite treat is peanut butter crackers. by CNB