is a girl or boy squirrel a better pet

[moss]

I heard boys get aggressive when they become mature so unless you fixed him the squirrel would nip and not want to be handled. Is this true? How much usually is squirrel neutering. If I got a girl squirrel would I need to spay her for her to be a good pet? Would two girl squirrels get along better than two boys would? Do squirrels get along with pet birds? Can you train a squirrel to use the litter pan? Sorry for all the questions. I'm considering getting a squirrel and want to find out everything about them ahead of time.

[Mars]

:) HI there

Slow down. It would help if we knew what kind of squirrel you were asking about. Flyers or grays or fox or chipmunks are all quite different. Just as different breeds of dogs are different.

[Vernshirley]

Most of us who know and love squirrels would agree that keeping a squirrel as a pet is not kind to the squirrel. Squirrels need to live a "squirrel life" and no matter how wonderful you make it, the squirrel will not have the happy life nature intended it to have. There are so many homeless domestic animals that would love to be your companion animal so please reconsider and rescue a cat, dog or bunny that needs your love. Enjoy your squirrels outside where they live, find their mates, and raise their families. :tilt

[moss]

i'm not sure what the name is. i think gray. it's the regular type of squirrel you see in the wild (in flordia at least). i have a friend who is sort of like a rehabber. some of the squirrels that are too tame to be released into the wild she has kept and i asked her if i could have one. i have been researching about squirrels and has always wanted a squirrel or chipmunk since i was little. i already have 44 pets. ten cats, 5 dogs, 11 birds, 11 ducks, 3 rabbits, 1 hamster, 1 mouse, 1 turtle, and 1 fish. none of the squirrels around where i live are tame. i barely ever see squirrels (probably because i have a outdoor cat).

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I only raise and release squirrels, I have never kept one as a pet, but I would imagine that the boys do get aggressive if they are not neutered. If that is the case though, they should be released! So, I would guess that the girls make better pets. I personally would not keep a squirrel as a pet becauase it would break my heart every time I saw it doing something wild squirrels do or trying to get out to the wild. The only way I would keep one is if it was blind or had some other handicap or disease that prevented it from living in the wild. As far as litter box training it, I would think that would not be too hard. If you are considering getting a squirrel, you may want to get two because they are very social animals and would like the company. However, if you get two, they may wild eachother out and therefore be ready for release. It is always a hard choice when it comes to releasing an animal or keeping it and you want to think long and hard before keeping a wild animal as a pet!

[Mrs. Jack]

My suggestion would be to bring your cat indoors and have him as a house pet, and then put up feeders and watch the outdoor squirrels.. they are amazing fun and a joy to behold.

[Gabe]

I agree with Mrs. Jack. Read some of her threads. Her outdoor squirrels are all her pets. She has the benefit of handfeeding and caring for them with having to clean up the mess in the house.:D

[moss]

i can't really keep the outdoor cat in the house because he's a stray that adopted us last year and my other cats don't like him. plus he would probably be miserable in the house 24/7 so he'd stratch the door to try and get out and teach the other cats (who have never stepped foot outside) that the outdoors is fun. i thought it would probably be much better for a squirrel to be a pet because they live about 15 years longer than they would in the wild. how come pet stores sell hedgehogs and skunks and other wild animals and breeders sell squirrels if it's not nice to keep them as pets? i would let a squirrel go free if it was begging to get out but the squirrel or squirrels i'm thinking about adopting have never known the outdoors and were raised by humans.

[Mrs. Jack]

I can't say why pet stores sell them.. profit maybe. They used to sell cats and dogs too and it's only recently really, the past ten years or so that it's become widely known how hideous the conditions of these animals lives in getting to that pet shop are known. :dono

I do have a couple questions for you I hope you don't mind.. your rehabber friend, did she initially intend to release these squirrels? because steps are taken to 'wild them up' and prepare them for release.. I'm just wondering how they became pets.. were there injuries?

Also, I'm concerned about your four indoor cats.. if the outdoor cat is going to affect their behavior adversely, what would the addition of a squirrel, natural prey, do to their behavior? Do you have a full room in mind for the squirrel to have? I've an indoor only cat, and I'm extremely cautious about him and my mousie, luckily she's a lot easier to contain than a squirrel would be.

and btw, :Welcome to the board.. don't mean to bombard you with questions and talk straight away. It's just that having a squirrel for a pet is a really big life change, and a person should know all it entails before making that decision.

[moss]

actually i have 8 indoor cats. but i have two rooms closed off that i have for my birds, mouse, and hamster. i was thinking that i could have my birds and rodents in one room and the two squirrels could have one room all to their own. my friend wasn't the one that found the squirrels in the first place ( though i think she found an abandoned nest last year but she made sure they didn't imprint on her and released them) people bring them to her. mostly parents whose kids found a baby squirrel and they raise it and then later realize they can't keep it. they're way too tame to release by the time people bring them to her. i'll bet they'd come right back if she did release.

[ravenlaws32]

hi im a rehabber and i do not talk down to folks who keep squirrels as pets ,it all depends on the people they are with ,the squirrel itself, and how conditions are. i had apet squirrel once ,i always wanted one as a kid ,it was too friendly and was not scared of cats or dogs and just basically hated outside .i tihkn it depends on a case by case situation. understand its a looooooooooooooong commitment and if you do not go into 110% do not do it .

im for releasing animals as well as im supposed to be but nothign wrong with having a family member being a squirrel.
also remember one fact >>>> wild squirrels average life span once adults in the outside world is 1 YEAR . yes 1 YEAR. in captivity up to 15 yeaRS IS POSSIBLE.

[tanja]

I would not recommend a squirrel as a pet, unless it has health problems. You have your hands full already with 44! WOW! We got cats, dogs, fish, a hamster and now three squirrels. With all those there is a risk (two of our cats are young and playful. They love to sit up on the top of Sammy's Cage and run along with her. Sammy inside the cage in a frenzy trying to get the cat to chase her. But- there is no doubt in my mind that something ugly could happen without precaution. The Squirrels have their own room and the other pets are only allowed in there when we are. We only have the squirrels because otherwise they would have died. They are pretty delicate and hard to raise, keep and be kept happy!!! Allthough I enjoy them, I do not like the situation. There is this bad feeling inside me that it is just not right. I will need to let Sammy go and definetely the two babies we have now. (but once they are in your heart it is so hard, because you want to do the right thing for them, and that is different in every case).
Also, I think a Squirrel needs a lot of attention or it will show behavioral problems. They are smart, need a lot of toys, challenges and you to be with them a few times a day. If I don't go in Sammies cage for a day or don't let her out at all - she will sit and sulk. Also they are pretty messy. :)) Let's not forget that. You got to be on top of things.

[susanw]

i'm not sure what the name is. i think gray. it's the regular type of squirrel you see in the wild (in flordia at least). i have a friend who is sort of like a rehabber. some of the squirrels that are too tame to be released into the wild she has kept and i asked her if i could have one. i have been researching about squirrels and has always wanted a squirrel or chipmunk since i was little. i already have 44 pets. ten cats, 5 dogs, 11 birds, 11 ducks, 3 rabbits, 1 hamster, 1 mouse, 1 turtle, and 1 fish. none of the squirrels around where i live are tame. i barely ever see squirrels (probably because i have a outdoor cat).


Hi Moss, I have a permanent squirrel and let me tell you they are not an animal you can just leave in a cage. Since you have so many animals, are you willing to spend the time with them when they want to get out and play? Mine wants to be with me all the time, he's not happy if he can't see me. He is alot more work than my dog! But I love him to death and I have been rehabbing for almost 3 years now and pretty much know how to handle the squirrels and what kind of mood they are in. Unless you get one as a baby and handle it constantly, they by nature wild up. Think about it carefully before you decide. Good Luck!:D

[TexanSquirrel]

:Welcome

[Jono777]

I heard boys get aggressive when they become mature so unless you fixed him the squirrel would nip and not want to be handled. Is this true? How much usually is squirrel neutering. If I got a girl squirrel would I need to spay her for her to be a good pet? Would two girl squirrels get along better than two boys would? Do squirrels get along with pet birds? Can you train a squirrel to use the litter pan? Sorry for all the questions. I'm considering getting a squirrel and want to find out everything about them ahead of time.

From what I have read online, it seems they do make for good pets. I would imagine that a girl would be more calm than a boy but I am still doing research. That is about as much as I know.

[TubeDriver]

Greys, Reds, Foxers make terrible pets generally. There is no hard and fast rule about girls vs boys being better as pets. Some squirrels are just more mild tempered or friendly than other squirrels. For example, girl squirrels often get very aggressive when they are in heat, not a fun situation. Neutering males has been attempted with inconsistent results. Anyone online stating squirrels make great pets should probably be dismissed as ignorant. Squirrels are destructive chewers, pee and poop everywhere, often become attached to one person (and attack other family members), are illegal in almost all states which means that getting vet care is difficult or impossible. Sure there are exceptions to this but we see posts frequently here from people who are trying to control their formerly sweet squirrel that now attacking family members or everyone. Squirrels are WONDERFUL animals but are not generally great pets, in fact that would be about the last thing I would say about squirrels.



From what I have read online, it seems they do make for good pets. I would imagine that a girl would be more calm than a boy but I am still doing research. That is about as much as I know.

[Nancy in New York]

From what I have read online, it seems they do make for good pets. I would imagine that a girl would be more calm than a boy but I am still doing research. That is about as much as I know.



I heard boys get aggressive when they become mature so unless you fixed him the squirrel would nip and not want to be handled. Is this true? How much usually is squirrel neutering. If I got a girl squirrel would I need to spay her for her to be a good pet? Would two girl squirrels get along better than two boys would? Do squirrels get along with pet birds? Can you train a squirrel to use the litter pan? Sorry for all the questions. I'm considering getting a squirrel and want to find out everything about them ahead of time.

Jono777, this referenced post
from Moss is from 12 years ago.
They make TERRIBLE pets, they
want their freedom, not an cage.