Prairie voles live in colonies and have been known to exhibit human-like social behavior in groups.

[8] The male prairie vole has continuous contact with its female counterpart, which lasts for all of their lives.

[14] Prairie voles are primarily herbivorous, feeding on grasses, roots, fruit, seeds and bark and some insects.

They assume a defensive posture towards a competitor or enemy by raising the forefeet, extending the head forward, and chattering of the teeth.

The prairie vole is a notable animal model for studying monogamous behavior and social bonding because male and female partners form lifelong pair bonds, huddle and groom each other, share nesting and pup-raising responsibilities, and generally show a high level of affiliate behavior.

However, they are not sexually faithful, and though pair-bonded females usually show aggression toward unfamiliar males, both sexes will occasionally mate with other voles if the opportunity arises.

Female voles have two to four litters of two to seven young per year in a nest lined with vegetation in a burrow or in a depression on the ground.

[6] Vole pups open their eyes at about eight days after birth, and become capable of feeding themselves at about two weeks.

Electric repellers and predators (snakes, owls, coyotes, foxes, domestic animals, and hawks) can be used to reduce vole populations.

In addition, when placing poison near vole entrances, other animals may be able to reach it, making it a hazard to them.

If a licensed pest control company is involved they can mitigate any poisoning concerns through the use of proper exterior bait stations.

[17] Prairie voles in Missouri have been found to carry Bloodland Lake virus (BLLV), a hantavirus.