Category: Animals

While I was in Atlanta I was having lunch with one of our corporate lawyers named Bill. He suddenly blurted out if anyone at the table wanted a Bearded Dragon as a pet. I thought I had some friends who might want one so I texted a few and all I got was a maybe. His son was getting tired of it so Bill wanted to find a home where he would get more attention.

Sorry for the red light but he was under his red light when I took this. 

Later on, we met him at an exit and he gave me the dragon named Rocky with the aquarium, lights, heat lamp, and everything else you would need. We were in a cargo van so Rocky had a long bumpy ride the next day to his new home. I told the wife when we pulled up to unload…”I have a guy without a home…he needs to have somewhere to stay so I told him he could stay with us. ” She said…”you mean he is in the van????” I opened the door…a complete shock is the best way to describe it. Now Rocky has a permanent home with us. Forget the friends I thought would want him…he is the least needy soul of the entire household. Now we are starting to interact with Rocky more. He will climb on you and sit there on your shirt and chill out. 

A lady I work with lets me babysit her prairie dog (Thea) every few weeks and we have grown quite fond of her. Lori came into my office on July 9, saying she had the prairie dog (Thea) with her. I picked her up and I stopped…she was much heavier and I remarked on how much she was feeding him. She smiled and said no…that is not Thea…it’s his brother. She wanted company for Thea but all they did was fight so she asked if I wanted him. Well yes, I did! She didn’t have a name but Rudy sounded good so we went with that.

One thing I’ll say about prairie dogs is that they’re incredibly unique pets. Rudy, for example, feels almost like having a small human in the house. They’re the most curious animals I’ve ever been around. Rudy is still a work in progress. He’s come a long way, though! At first, he was quite moody, though he still loved attention. Over time, he’s been improving, but I’d say to anyone considering a prairie dog—they require a lot of attention. Rudy craves interaction, so we plan to get him another prairie dog for company in the future.

They’re pretty easy to feed, too. You can find most of their food at the grocery store: oats, Cheerios, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, and other things they love. The main staple we get for Rudy is Timothy Hay, which we buy from the Tractor Supply store.

I take Rocky to an upstairs bathroom we don’t use and he runs amuck and there is nothing in there to chew that would be dangerous. He lives in a 4-story enclosed cage around 5 feet tall. I plan to make a 10×10 wooden box and fill it full of dirt so he can have a place to dig in the spring and he can be outside some.

 I usually get a “yahoo” from him when I come home. He seems comfortable now, and even our dog Martha tolerates him but will tell on him if he gets loose. It’s funny: When a neighbor’s dog came into our house when we opened the door, Martha went to Rudy’s enclosure to guard him.

I will get Thea from Lori sometimes to take home. It’s like having two monkeys running amuck. Thea and Rudy will fight at times but it’s over in 2-3 seconds. They will whip their claws out like they are Ninjas. Prairie Dogs in the wild have a life expectancy of 4-5 years…captive they live 8-10 years. I can see why…they are afraid of nothing. He will stand on his feet and grab Martha’s nose when she bends down to look at him. 

This will end our private zoo, which includes two turtles, a Bearded Dragon, a Prairie Dog, and a Saint Bernard. That is enough; the doors are shut tight now. Rocky gives us the least trouble of them all.