So my cute little friend has continued to hang around. He/she has eaten most of the wild tomato plants around and seems to be gathering grass seed heads. I’ve been testing him on a few foods. So far he likes lettuce, a lot; carrot greens, why of course, he’s a lagomorph; and kale; but he doesn’t care for arugula!
Pika in my front yard at 6800'
I’m betting he’ll like sprouts, but not sure about bean sprouts or, considering he shunned my arugula, radish sprouts. He’s getting ready for winter. Most mornings I see him meditating on a little rock by my back corner. If he hears me snooping on him, he’s off. But his evidence is everywhere and I have to wonder if he wonders where all this extra unharvested food is coming from.
Filed under: Rabbits and Pikas | Tagged: Global warming and pikas, Pikas |
Leslie Patten Books: Wild Places, Sacred Spaces 
That’s the coolest thing. I had no idea they came down so low.
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Me neither!
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They’re so interesting, approx how big are they? I’m female so don’t give me measurements just a comparison – rabbit size? guinea pig size.
I’ve been afraid for years that someone was going to find them so cute they’d start selling them as pets.
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Well they are smaller than a guinea pig and bigger than a rat. They are approx. the size of the Uinta ground squirrels I have running around my yard, maybe just a tad bigger. At first glance you intuitively know they are a ‘rabbit’. But then they confuse you because they don’t have the big ears. They love to hang around the talus (rocks) in the high elevations where the rocks are the only cover from eagles and predators. The rocks also help them regulate their temperature, keeping cool in the summer and warm in the winter. From what I’ve read scientists are finding that keeping warm in the winter may be more of a challenge and a threat than they thought. Mostly they thought keeping cool was the main problem. That is why biologists have been saying that Pikas are going to be extinct way soon with the rush of global warming. Having a pika at 6800′ is very good news.
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Thank you for your reply, most people don’t bother answering questions. I love your site and always look forward to new posts.
These little guys are so sweet. I have been reading back posts and agree with you and love your article about Chief Plenty Coups
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