# Squirrels as pets



## shaneo95

What are they like as pets? and what is the best type of squirrel to start with ? also could you take any out of the wild and keep them as pets and have a go at breeding them then maybe keep the offspring and let the parents go some the kittens can be tamed?


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## Athravan

British squirrels do not make good pets. Whilst I believe that grey squirrels are not protected so you could technically catch them - why would you want to? They would be a lot of work/stress/hassle!

They would need to be kept in an extremely large, and extremely strong aviary. To keep them indoors in a small cage would be absolute cruelty, they are extremely active critters. Even if you bred them, and hand reared the babies yourself, you must consider the sheer destructive nature of the squirrels. To keep them tame, you would have to be giving them constant attention and keep them indoors (pretty unnatural), or in a room sized enclosure. They will chew and destroy anything, including all wires. Squirrels make very poor house pets. If you did hand rear and raise squirrels yourself and kept them into adult hood whether it be in the house, or in an outdoor aviary, if the contact was not broken early, and they did not learn to be "wild squirrels", you could never release those babies into the wild - they would just end up dead, so you would be committed to keeping those squirrels you bred and tamed for life.... selling them or finding any rescue/zoo that will take on a grey squirrel would be next to impossible.

Red squirrels are protected so greys would be your only option for british squirrels.

I am not sure if there are any tropical or exotic squirrels that are any different.


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## Esarosa

I heard you needed to apply for a license to keep a grey as a 'pet' as they're considered pests. Also if you come across them (injured/captured) you're expected to take them to the vets to be euthanised.well that's what i heard anyways, not sure how much fact there is to it though.


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## pauly7582

I've seen squirrels for sale in reptile shops. An exotic type similar to degus. not sure which though.


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## gazz

shaneo95 said:


> What are they like as pets? and what is the best type of squirrel to start with ? also could you take any out of the wild and keep them as pets and have a go at breeding them then maybe keep the offspring and let the parents go some the kittens can be tamed?


You can buy exotic squirrels speices but they are expensive if i recall the last ones i see was £600-pair.If you catch a pair of grey squirrels for breeding it would be illegal for you to then let them gnce you have them you can get fined for letting them go you'll have to have the breeders put down.So me personally would either have to hold out for a really small baby grey that you could hand rear that lots of walks under squirrel nests.Or just buy some chipmunks or a sugur glidars would be a near enought substitute.


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## devilsofdarkness

To be honest, ud do better to get yourself a hand reared chipmunk....they are very similar to squirells and can be kept as pets legally.....

Here;s my chippie Brian...


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## feorag

It is illegal to keep a grey squirrel in this country unless you have a licence for it and at the moment Natural England is so much against the grey, you are extremely unlikely to be granted one! We have 2 greys at the Sanctuary where we work which were hand reared, too tame to release and which we've had for about 4 years and we had to fight to get a licence for them - and they've told us they won't give us a licence for any more, so we are having to turn away young orphaned greys because we daren't keep them!!

Also you cannot release them without a licence and you would be highly unlikely to ever get that either!

I hand reared 2 red squirrels last year and kept them until they went into an outside pen in a red squirrel area for a soft release this spring. They ate my house. They chewed the ceiling, they chewed the enamel on the cooker, they chewed the kitchen unit door knobs, they chewed everything and they were only allowed out for about an hour or so each evening to exercise for about 3 months!! So be warned!

You're better of getting a chipmunk, but of cours they will still chew!

If you are adamant and are prepared to 'foster' a grey squirrel, then contact Meon Valley Squirrel Rescue and tell them you would take a squirrel that needed a permanent home, but you should have it in an outside run, not in the house. They aren't pets!


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## JPReptiles

Why would you want to keep a grey squirrel when they are thriving very well in the wild?

As said in other posts chipmunks would be a good idea.

John


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## SiUK

you see richardsons ground squirrels for sale sometimes.


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## jaykickboxer

flying squirells are ok as pets and suger gliders are very similer and richardsonsground squirrels and 13lines and a few other species are genrly available in the uk if u no where to look.


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