looking for squirrels

[cheshire fox]

hello, i'm from pennsylvania. i was recently turned down for a siberian chipmunk propagating permit. you simply can't have them here. i suppose i could have changed my request to regular chipmunks, but i doubt there are any places to get them. you can import the regular ones and that would be another request form. actually, you can have siberian chips too with an exotics permit. that requires "2 years of experience" though, and no one has that. pennsylvania citizens are pushing to rationalize the current laws and the state government is trying to harshen them. it's pretty disgusting if you believe in democracy

Anyway. I was thinking i could get a gray squirrel. those are allowed with a sales receipt. if that makes any sense. So, if anyone here knows any places in or near pennsylvania where squirrels are available. i'd appreciate it if you let me know. thnx

[island rehabber]

Pennsylvania just knocks me right out flat, with all due respect!

You're saying that PA will issue a "sales permit" for someone to have a grey squirrel, and yet it has been documented in the media and elsewhere that PA storm troopers will enter a home, seize a pet or NR grey squirrel, and euthanize it! What???

How can these both be true? :thinking

[Jackie in Tampa]

Pennsylvania just knocks me right out flat, with all due respect!

You're saying that PA will issue a "sales permit" for someone to have a grey squirrel, and yet it has been documented in the media and elsewhere that PA storm troopers will enter a home, seize a pet or NR grey squirrel, and euthanize it! What???

How can these both be true? :thinking
first thing that comes to mind is revenue...
have no clue about PA laws...but the gov loves money.

:Welcome :wave123 Grey squirrels seldom make good pets...
check into southern flying squirrels...they are wonderful little guys!:wave123

[island rehabber]

first thing that comes to mind is revenue...
have no clue about PA laws...but the gov loves money.

:Welcome :wave123 Grey squirrels seldom make good pets...
check into southern flying squirrels...they are wonderful little guys!:wave123

:goodpost

[keetz1205]

Grey squirrels are considered an exotic animal and are required to have a permit to be "legal" in PA as long as it is purchased (with a valid receipt) from a licensed exotic breeder in the state of PA.

Wildlife that has been rehabbed - is not allowed to be kept under PA law. However, if a squirrel is brought into PA from a state where squirrels are legal to own, apparently they can stay in the state as a pet without a permit. See the case of Nutkin that went to PA superior court to get a ruling.

http://www.wfjlaw.net/blog/schuylkill-county-lawyers-blog/2012/04/03/nutkin-the-squirrel---a-court-case-from-schuylkill-county-pennsylvania

[lilidukes]

Grey squirrels are considered an exotic animal and are required to have a permit to be "legal" in PA as long as it is purchased (with a valid receipt) from a licensed exotic breeder in the state of PA.

Wildlife that has been rehabbed - is not allowed to be kept under PA law. However, if a squirrel is brought into PA from a state where squirrels are legal to own, apparently they can stay in the state as a pet without a permit. See the case of Nutkin that went to PA superior court to get a ruling.

http://www.wfjlaw.net/blog/schuylkill-county-lawyers-blog/2012/04/03/nutkin-the-squirrel---a-court-case-from-schuylkill-county-pennsylvania

But then crossing most state lines with wildlife is illegal. I am permitted
from my legal state to cross bordering states. Guess you would check into flying :dono
a squirrel in.

[CrazySquirrelLady]

oh I have a nice grey squirrel for you. He hardly bites at all. Does anyone have any more bandaids?

[IrishHarps]

PA SUCKS a$$ for understandable wildlife laws. One of the few states where hedgehogs are illegal - you know - because if they escape, those desert animals could survive in PA's climate? :thinking Ugh. Don't even get me started.

You can find flyers and grays from this breeder:

www.keystoneexotics.com

Anything you get from him will be properly licensed and permitted. This is where I got my flyer :)

[island rehabber]

Grey squirrels are considered an exotic animal and are required to have a permit to be "legal" in PA as long as it is purchased (with a valid receipt) from a licensed exotic breeder in the state of PA.

Wildlife that has been rehabbed - is not allowed to be kept under PA law. However, if a squirrel is brought into PA from a state where squirrels are legal to own, apparently they can stay in the state as a pet without a permit. See the case of Nutkin that went to PA superior court to get a ruling.

http://www.wfjlaw.net/blog/schuylkill-county-lawyers-blog/2012/04/03/nutkin-the-squirrel---a-court-case-from-schuylkill-county-pennsylvania
Nutkin's case was one of the first I'd ever read about "illegal squirrel" laws and it filled me with horror.....her poor parents, thinking their beloved pet would be seized after all those years! They are fortunate that the out-of-state loophole existed....but what about those who did NOT bring their squirrel from a legal state? Bad, bad PA. :pissed

[keetz1205]

I agree. PA is awful and if it didn't have such a pretty countryside, it would be well worth the move!

[farrelli]

So does this mean that MM could get a receipt from Jackie or someone and no longer have to worry about fleeing her home if Ellie was exposed?

[IrishHarps]

No, it has to be from someone Game Commission Certified in the state of PA. Keystone Exotics is the only one I am aware of.

[keetz1205]

No, it has to be from someone Game Commission Certified in the state of PA. Keystone Exotics is the only one I am aware of.

He's the only one I know of, too. Thank goodness....don't need any more breeders of wildlife around!

[island rehabber]

He's the only one I know of, too. Thank goodness....don't need any more breeders of wildlife around!

True that. I don't understand how a couple of years of breeding grey squirrels in captivity certifies them as "domesticated" in anyone's eyes or rule book. Dogs took over 10,000 years to be "domesticated" from wolves; cats even longer and they're not even HALF done yet! :shakehead

[keetz1205]

True that. I don't understand how a couple of years of breeding grey squirrels in captivity certifies them as "domesticated" in anyone's eyes or rule book. Dogs took over 10,000 years to be "domesticated" from wolves; cats even longer and they're not even HALF done yet! :shakehead


The worst part about this whole thing is you KNOW there are tons of people out there that think it would be really cool to OWN a squirrel or a racoon or even a skunk. So, they go to this guy, do the necessary permits and/or get receipts and pay all this money for a WILD animal they shouldn't have in the first place. Most likely they take it home, realize how much work a wild animal is and then want to get rid of it. Wait...here's the best part. They can not give it to anyone else, nor can they give it to a rehabber to wild up and release it (we could be fined). They have to petition the state to get a DISPOSAL permit so the animal can be properly, uh, disposed of.... This just grates my very last nerve!

[IrishHarps]

I can't criticize - I wouldn't have Momo without someone like that available in PA. :dono As you see, PA is terrible with having anything other than a cat or dog as a pet.

He was really nice and responsive, and his facilities are clean. That's better than could be said for the conditions a lot of animals from here come from, at least.

[keetz1205]

I can't criticize - I wouldn't have Momo without someone like that available in PA. :dono As you see, PA is terrible with having anything other than a cat or dog as a pet.

He was really nice and responsive, and his facilities are clean. That's better than could be said for the conditions a lot of animals from here come from, at least.


You are one of the exceptions, IH. I've heard horror stories of people buying all sorts of animals from him and/or places like that in other states only to get them home and find out, "oh, they're WILD animals", and in the end it's the animals that suffer.

[IrishHarps]

Not saying that you have to agree, but I'd suggest you check out his policies before judging too harshly. He actually discourages unprepared people from getting wild animals, and a lot of the critters listed on there, he will only sell to a wildlife center. IMO, that's not so bad. He's also very strict about paperwork.

And, to be fair, people get flyers from anywhere, all over, who are unprepared for them (we see a lot of them come through here ;-) ) I will say, at least when I got mine from this guy, he gave us good info on care for flyers before sending us on our way.

Just saying, could be worse, and laws being the way they are, this is the only thing we can even have in PA. It's just a crappy function of the way the crappy laws are :-/

[keetz1205]

We'll have to agree to disagree because I just don't believe breeding wild animals to be held in captivity is something that should be done, especially when most of these animals do not end up in capable hands. :peace

[IrishHarps]

It's cool - that is a very common disagreement for folks around here!

[cheshire fox]

I agree. PA is awful and if it didn't have such a pretty countryside, it would be well worth the move!
true ._.


I can't criticize - I wouldn't have Momo without someone like that available in PA. :dono As you see, PA is terrible with having anything other than a cat or dog as a pet.

He was really nice and responsive, and his facilities are clean. That's better than could be said for the conditions a lot of animals from here come from, at least.
i think with the way things are going, i'll be getting a flying squirrel from there..
so, you got yours in October z_z i thought "late summer early fall" was like.. august

[IrishHarps]

It depends on when the squirrels breed - you pretty much have to wait for them to do their thing ;-)

Also, they can't be adopted out until they are at least 6 weeks old, so that means even if they are born in August, they can't be adopted until Oct.

[island rehabber]

Thank you, keetz & Irish, for agreeing to disagree in a professional and intelligent way . :peace

[cheshire fox]

haven't been on here.. but i assume i'll be reading up more
i recently got a call that southern flying squirrels will be ready toward the end of the month
so wish my squirrel luck, and if anyone wants to send really generalized but helpful tips to a first time squirrel owner it'd be appreciated :grin2

[Anne]

:Welcome If you get a Flying squirrel, there is a pretty extensive section in Breed Specific about almost everything flyer. Plus quite a few flyer people here on the board!

[CrazySquirrelLady]

Some dude needs a home on here for 4 or 5 Siberian Chipmunks, it's your lucky day... go look in non life threatening area please.