Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide

8 Squirrels and Humans

Do squirrels make good pets? Author and biologist Fred Barkalow wrote the following about gray squirrels: “If you can ignore having your furniture chewed to bits, the draperies shredded, and droppings scattered willy-nilly about the house, the gray squirrel is the pet for you.” As our selection of this quote suggests, we think that squirrels do not make good pets. We prefer animals that can be housebroken, do not bite when patted, and are not destructive. If you search the Internet, you will find many persons who disagree with us, and you will find instructions for maintaining squirrels in captivity. Before seriously considering a squirrel pet, you should check the relevant rules and regulations where you live. In the United States, wildlife is the property of the state, and state laws frequently forbid the maintenance of wild species as pets without state permits . In some regions, there are also health considerations because of diseases that can be transmitted by squirrels. Prairie dogs, for example, have been implicated in the transmission of tularemia and monkeypox. Should people feed squirrels? We recommend putting food out for squirrels, because it encourages careful observation of animal behavior and leads to an appreciation of their natural history. We recommend against feeding squirrels by hand, knowing how quick they are and how sharp their teeth are. Many people who feed birds also feed squirrels, whether they want to or not. Watching squirrels carefully can be very entertaining and at least as Chapter 8 Squirrels and Humans educational as bird-watching. One of our colleagues, Clyde Jones, has even bragged about having a bird-proof squirrel feeder. Attracting squirrels by feeding them can have disadvantages, if they also enjoy feeding on your prized plants or nesting where you do not want them, but generally it seems like an innocuous practice. Do squirrels feel pain? Yes, surely they do. Pain is a very important sensation that permits an animal to recognize and avoid dangerous stimuli. An animal that cannot feel pain is at risk, because it will not know it is hurting itself on something sharp, something hot, or something in other ways harmful. It is unlikely that squirrels feel pain the same way we do, however. Some painful stimuli are probably more objectionable to a squirrel than they are to us, and others are less so. Squirrels have different sensitivities for hearing, taste, sight, and touch than we do, so the same is probably true for pain. If you watch squirrels carefully, trying to see the world as they do, you will see the differences . What do I do if I find an injured or orphaned squirrel? If you find an orphaned baby squirrel, the best advice we can provide is to get in touch with a wildlife rehabilitator. In the United States there is a National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association and directories of wildlife rehabilitators, including an international directory at the University of Minnesota; all are available on the Internet. Rehabilitators have extensive Squirrels and Humans 115 Some squirrels in urban areas will acclimate to humans, and will even learn to take food directly from a hand. But, given the sharpness of their incisors, hand feeding can be a risky undertaking. Photo © Gregg Elovich, www.scarysquirrel.org 116 Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide experience with injured and orphaned animals and can be extremely helpful . They also have knowledge of local and state wildlife laws and will hold the appropriate permits that allow them to capture, hold, and treat wild animals. If you see an adult squirrel acting peculiarly, perhaps dazed by a fall or incapacitated by disease or injury, you should leave it alone. In less dire cases, the squirrel may stand a good chance of recovering on its own. In more severe cases, try to locate an animal control officer. The Internet is again a good source of information. You will probably find that your local government has an Animal Control Office with licensed staff familiar with dealing with wildlife problems. You can also check with local veterinarians, in the expectation that they will know who can deal with the problem. You should be alert for problems potentially involving human health. Ground squirrels and prairie dogs, in particular, can carry nasty diseases, such as bubonic plague, and should be treated circumspectly. You should expect any wild squirrel to harbor fleas and mites, and our experience is that squirrel fleas have a...