Can Squirrels Be Pets In Canada

This is a popular question often asked of veterinarians.

Can squirrels be pets in canada. They are born in the wild and are extremely difficult to train for a domestic lifestyle. For example ontario law has regulations in place to outlaw the keeping of many local animals such as raccoons wild turkeys and squirrels however there are no specific laws that outlaw the ownership of a tiger or giraffe. They usually include several different species of wildlife such as fish reptiles birds and yes sometimes even squirrels. However this hasn t stopped people from domesticating wild squirrels and raising them as their own pet.

Can you have squirrels as pets. Eastern greys are black gray and brown in color with a golden hue and are mostly seen in the eastern part of the us and in canada. The short answer is no. Because the process is not guaranteed to be effective and even simple mistakes can lead to an animal causing serious injury as it matures i am not comfortable recommending them as pets.

Why squirrels may not be suitable pets there have been plenty of instances where squirrels have become friendly with humans that they come in contact with on a regular basis especially if that human continually provides them with snacks. Most people come to own grey squirrels when they adopt them from the wild but a small number of breeders exist. Terri lives with two squirrels named oly and quinn. Oly was found in the middle of a busy highway where he was apparently dropped by his mother while crossing the road.

We all know that some people love exotic animals. Squirrels are wild animals and there are laws and regulations that make it illegal to keep a squirrel as a pet. Rarely a medical issue will render a squirrel unreleasable but healthy squirrels are not meant to be house pets. You should not try to capture and keep an adult squirrel.

While any animal with teeth can bite grey squirrels are known to bite at least every once in a while. The most common ones found in the usa are the red the gray and the southern flying squirrel. They can be challenging pets and many states make it illegal to take them from the wild to keep as a pet. I suggest before you get a pet squirrel you research the laws in your area.

It s usually illegal to try to domesticate exotic pets and keep them as pets. Some types of squirrels such as flying squirrels can be domesticated but it takes a great amount of time and care to acclimate them to humans.