Ever watched squirrels dart across your yard and thought, “What if I had one as a pet?” They’re adorable, for sure, but bringing a squirrel home is a whole different story. These little guys are wild at heart, need tons of space, and have super specific diets. Oh, and in a lot of places, it’s actually illegal to keep them.
Unless you’re able to meet their strict care needs and follow local laws, you really shouldn’t try to keep a squirrel as a pet.
Let’s dig into why squirrels just don’t work as regular pets, what you’d really be up against if you tried, and a few safer ways to enjoy them without bringing one inside.
Why Can’t Squirrels Be Pets?
Squirrels might look like they’d make fun pets, but it’s not that simple. They keep their wild instincts, run into legal issues, and need a kind of care most homes just can’t give.
Wild Nature and Instincts
Squirrels are built for the wild. They climb, dig, and search for food all day long.
Tree squirrels need high branches to leap between. Ground squirrels want to dig tunnels and need soil. Flying squirrels? They glide and need tall spaces to move around safely.
Most squirrels stay jumpy around people they don’t know, and they get startled pretty easily. Handling them can be risky because of that.
They chew on almost everything—furniture, wires, curtains, you name it. Training a squirrel takes a ton of patience, and even then, you can’t really stop them from wanting to roam or stash food.
Their teeth and claws are sharp. If they get scared or overwhelmed, they might bite or scratch. That’s not just painful; it can spread diseases and means you’ll need medical care for you and the squirrel.
Legal Restrictions and Wildlife Laws
A lot of places don’t allow you to take squirrels from the wild or keep them without a permit. The rules change depending on where you live.
Some U.S. states let you have a pet squirrel if you get a special license. Others will confiscate and sometimes even euthanize squirrels kept without permission.
Getting a permit usually means you need to have your enclosure checked, show you know how to care for the species, and prove you can meet their needs. Breeders need licenses too.
If you ignore the law, you could get fined, lose the squirrel, or face criminal charges.
Before you even think about it, check with your local wildlife agency or animal control. They’ll tell you what’s allowed and what hoops you’d have to jump through.
Space, Diet, and Care Requirements
Squirrels need a lot more than a tiny cage. Tree squirrels want tall enclosures with real branches and plenty of floor space.
Ground squirrels need room to dig, plus an enclosure with buried mesh to keep them safe. Flying squirrels need vertical space and high branches to glide between.
Their diet is complicated. Squirrels eat nuts, seeds, fruit, buds, fungi, and sometimes insects or small animals. If you don’t give them the right food, they can end up obese, sick, or worse.
You’ll have to provide fresh food every day and offer ways for them to forage and stay busy.
Squirrels can carry diseases like leptospirosis and ringworm. They need regular vet care from someone who knows wild animals, which isn’t always easy to find. Most squirrels don’t do well if you take them out of the wild—they rely on seasonal habits like hiding food and sometimes even migrating.
Challenges of Caring for Squirrels in Captivity
If you keep a squirrel, you’ll deal with health risks, tough behaviors, and legal or ethical responsibilities. Every day, you’ll have to work hard to get their diet, space, and handling right so the squirrel stays safe—and you do too.
Health and Safety Risks
Squirrels can carry diseases like leptospirosis, tularemia, and parasites that spread to people or pets. Always wear gloves when you handle a wild or unfamiliar squirrel, and wash your hands after.
Bites and scratches happen a lot and can get infected. If you get a deep wound or a bite that breaks the skin, you should see a doctor.
Squirrels need a mix of fresh fruits, nuts, veggies, and some protein. If you feed them the wrong stuff—like bread or processed snacks—they can get diarrhea, weak, or malnourished.
Small or unsafe enclosures can cause broken bones from falls or injuries from chewing on things they shouldn’t. Regular vet visits help, but finding a vet who treats squirrels is tough and can get expensive.
Behavioral Issues With Squirrels
Squirrels develop strong wild instincts fast. They bite or scratch when they’re scared, especially during breeding season or when they feel stressed.
Young squirrels might seem tame at first, but as they grow, their teeth and claws get sharper, and they often become more aggressive and territorial.
They need constant things to do and lots of vertical space to climb. If you don’t give them enough enrichment, they’ll chew up your stuff, try to escape, or pace around.
Squirrels love hiding food and random objects, which means you’ll probably find messes and missing things around your home.
You can teach them some simple routines, but they don’t really form the steady, predictable bonds you get with dogs or cats. Think about how much time you’d have to spend every single day on play, supervision, and keeping their space in shape.
Wildlife Rehabilitation and Responsible Actions
If you find an injured or orphaned squirrel, reach out to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator instead of trying to care for it yourself.
These folks have permits and actually know how to feed, house, and get squirrels ready for release.
Trying to raise a wild squirrel on your own? Not a great idea—without training, you might hurt its chances of surviving in the wild. Plus, it’s often illegal.
If you really need to help a squirrel for a short time, here are the basics: keep it warm in a ventilated box. Don’t give it cow’s milk. Try not to handle it too much, since that can cause imprinting.
Look up local wildlife rehab centers or government wildlife agency websites for contact info.
If your area lets you keep a pet squirrel with a permit, the rehabilitator can explain the process, long-term care, and when it’s best to release the animal.
For more about the legal and care issues, check out info on keeping squirrels as pets and read what wildlife rehabbers have to say about the challenges.
