Squirrels as pets?

[Hollie]

I'm curious to know if anyone on here has ever kept squirrels as pets, or if they know someone who has them?

I was looking for a new budgie the other day and saw two squirrels,obviously scared out of their wits and fighting for the tiny hidingspace under their water dish. I felt so sorry for them, but they seemto be such flighty animals that they wouldn't make good pets. If I knewhow to care for them, I might have taken them home (and if I'd have themoney, they were trying to sell them for about US$120!). They werebeing kept in a tiny bird cage, probably about 30x30cm for the base,maybe about 50cm high, which is obviously ridiculously small for suchactive creatures.

 

[m.e.]

I've never hadexperience with them personally, but before I was born my parentshand-raised squirrels that had been orphaned. They are veryentertaining and personable critters, but also very easilystressed and can be highly territorial.

These sites may help:

http://vaalea.com/squirrel/begin.htm

http://thesquirrelloversclub.com/links.htm

 

[maherwoman]

Same here, the girl that raises bunnies and gaveus our Maisie Daisy rescued a nest of squirrels the day we went to pickMaisie up. Only one survivied, and is still living with them,to my knowledge. The little cutie is blind in one eye, so shedoesn't forsee setting him/her free at any time (since they live inquite the coyote-prominant area). The girl can be seenwalking with her little squirrel around the school sometimes, on alittle red leash...it's adorable!!

But as domestic pets, no, I've never heard of that. I've onlyheard of it in a rescued context. How sad!!

 

[marbleandloz]

I use to work for a squirrel rescue savingsquirrels if there mum had left them or if they where hurt but after wehad feed them and looked after them we put them back in a big wildlifecage then set them free I think it is a bit cruel to keep them if theyare wild squirrels and especially not in a tiny cage they need to beable to climb trees and jump!

 

[pinksalamander]

I had a pet squirrel once. He got soaked in arainstorm and so we kept him in our barn for a while. He lived therefor around 5 days and then left.

It does sound rather sad keeping them in cpativity, but you've gottaremember pets have to start somewhere! I bet in 100 years everyone willhave pet squirrels in all sorts of funny colours living in hutches orsomething

 

[ec]

The usual thing here in the US is to contact awildlife rehabilitator re. oprhaned animals (including our wild rabbitsand squirrels). It's illegal in most states to keep any kind of wildanimal or bird as a pet - and some states have very strict laws aboutthis. (A good idea, i think.)

I wouldn't feel right about keeping a wild animal as a pet. Have readsome posts on EB written by rehabbers who've dealt with wild rabbitsand hares, and they all say that there's far too much "wild" in themfor them to ever be able to adjust to living with humans.

Squirrels aren't exactly relaxed, laid-back animals, either...

 

[Hollie]

I don't live in the US, there are no rules aboutanything like this; and these aren't wild squirrels - well, notanymore, anyway.

 

[ec]

Oh hey, I was speaking in general - I know you're in Bahrain.

However, I've seen posts on other boards (and on Etherbun) re. peoplewanting - even trying - to keep wild animals as pets; also responsesfrom wildlife rehabbers.

I can imagine how I'd feel if I were in your shoes and saw those poor caged squirrels, believe me!

 

[shootingstar]

we don't have any squirrels overhere:?but that seems nice people trying to help out orphansquirrels or with some kind of impediment

 

[Greta]

I have raised orphaned squirrels, and I've foundthat they're usually very sweet and friendly while they're little, andlove to climb all over you and lick your fingers. But once they hitpuberty, watch out! they can be very territorial (the males, mostly)and will bite you if they think you're encroaching on their space, i.e.the food bowl. That's when you know they're ready to go outside andadjust to "real life" in the semi-wild. There are people that work forthe same wildlife rescue organisation I work for that have petsquirrels, but they are ones that were unable to be released back intothe wild, usually because of a broken bone that healed incorrectly.I've been told that they can make good pets, but that it usually takesthem a long time to learn to trust humans.

 

[Linz_1987]

I had a friend who had a pet squirrel.It wasnt a bought one, but they rescued it from a bad situation and itgot so tame there was no way they could realise it.

They had a massive avary in their garden for it, and they fed it chinchilla food.

I just love squirrels

At college we have loads in the car park jumping from tree to tree, andsometimes I get their early just so I can feed them. hehe.Before anyone else comes and sees me