Interview with Jere Pugh, Dara A. O'Hanlon, and Christine MacDonald

Positives of grey squirrels as pets?
JP: Very unique, cute, independent, and loyal.
DO: Playful, Social, Unconditional love.
CM: My squirrels are very playful, fun to watch, and some of them are very affectionate. I have 3 females - Mohawk, Yvette, and Raven, and 2 males - Coyote and Little Bear.

Negatives of grey squirrels as pets?
JP: If you do not understand or know the signs, you get bit. It is their natural instinct and a part of their defensive mechanism. Squirrels are territorial and possessive. You cannot allow strangers and other people to handle your squirrel, he will most likely bite them in his defense. It should be understood that just about all squirrels in captivity usually bond with ONE person only, permanent bonding will come at the time they pass their puberty stage and become young adults. The person they bond with will be the only one that can handle the squirrel.

For example, my wife and I both feed and played with our squirrel as a baby and during puberty. My wife would let the squirrel sleep most the day inside her sweatshirt, taping the shirt around her waist to prevent the squirrel from falling through while she moved around. She loved this creature! But once he became an adult, he rejected her and bonded only with me. She was crushed! I must come to the conclusion that this is some kind of natural instinct. She cannot handle him, for if she approached him, he chatters his teeth, which is a warning that he is agitated and ready to bite. Our squirrel is a male, and I thought this would relate to my wife and I being opposite sex, but, I have seen male squirrels bonding with a female and the male counterpart not being accepted by a squirrel. So that theory must not stand.

DO: Not for children. One person pets. Can bite through your finger bone. Sharp Claws.

CM: They tend to be destructive, especially to electrical cords, wood furniture, and sometimes clothing, and some are aggressive toward people. Potty training isn't an option with many individuals.

Anecdotes/stories about your squirrel pet?
JP: It is quite unique to walk around with a squirrel on your shoulder. Others look in amazement, most people have seen squirrels, but never touched one or interacted with one. Their fur is quite soft, and pleasant to stroke. Squirrels are remarkably intelligent. Also squirrels have a highly keen sense of smell. Smell is how squirrel recognize you, in fact, if you take a shower and within an hour you try to handle your squirrel he may no recognized you and bite you.

In the past, we have had to evacuate from our area because of approaching hurricanes, and you can bet my buddy went with us to a motel. In fact one of the funniest things I have ever seen, was the expression on peoples faces as they passed our motel room where he was sitting inside the window. One time, people began to crowd around to look at him. He just sat there and looked back! Another time was when he was asleep in my pants pocket, (cargo pants) and he woke up and came out while I was in a store. You should have seen the jaws drop as I walked down the aisle with him on my shoulder. He got kinda of noisy, so I had to put him back in my pocket and button it shut. He was fine as long as I held my hand on him to comfort him.

DO: Nuts was rescued from my nextdoor neighbors dog. Lucky had killed his mother and other siblings. Nuts was 7 weeks old at the time and was looking for mom when the dog attacked him. My mom heard him screaming and we rushed over to save the little guy. I wasn't quite sure how old he was but he put up a vicious front. I released him back into the woods the next day and he kept following me trying to jump back into the cage I was keeping him in. So I decided to take him home. After finding out he wasn't weaned and needed milk still. I had to make a special formula for him. Goats milk and almonds (for taste). It was simmered and then the almonds was strained out and he was fed every 3 hours. Until weaned. Now he's 10 months old and a very healthy boy!

CM: I have had Mohawk and Little Bear for almost 8 years, Yvette for almost 3 years, and Coyote and Raven for 2 years, so I have plenty of crazy squirrel stories! I taught biology when Hawk and Bear were babies, so I took them to school with me and fed them during classes. They went everywhere with me in my backpack, the grocery store, shopping, restaurants…people would have been really surprised to know what was in there! I was carrying Yvette in my bag once when she was little, and I had to go have an x-ray done. I had to confess to the nurse Yvette was in there because I didn't want to expose her to the x-ray. Thank goodness, the nurse loved her, and even remembered her a year later when I saw her again.

Do they have scent glands or an offensive smell?
JP: No
DO: No smell at all.
CM: Grey squirrels do scent mark with their saliva, and the sweat on their feet, but the smell seems to be imperceptible to humans. Males also mark territory with urine, which does have a smell but luckily, washes out of everything (so far). Although most don't have an offensive odor, you might occasionally run across a smelly male; Coyote smelled really awful until he was neutered.

What is their average lifespan?
JP: In the wild, average is 1 to 3 years, but in captivity, much longer. Mine is 7 years old and extremely healthy. Some have been known to live over 20 years in captivity.
DO: Up to 20 years in captivity.
CM: An indoor squirrel usually lives around 10 years, but exceptional ones have lived for more than 20 years.

Do they enjoy interaction?
JP: Very much so, Mine greets me with enthusiasm and always wants to play. DO: Love it! Mine loves to play hide and seek and wrestle with my hands.
CM: 4 of my 5 like to play with me, but whether or not they like human
interaction has a lot to do with their individual personalities, and how they bonded when they were young.

What is their general personality, disposition, and attitude?
JP: Curious, alert, defensive, but at all times playful.
DO: Depending on how much time you put into your squirrel they can be a very sweet and gentle animal.
CM: Each squirrel is unique, but every one has some degree of independence, especially when they want something they're not supposed to have. Although both males and females can be territorial, I have found that my females are much more possessive, and may defend their nests very aggressively. But for the most part, they are inquisitive, playful, and a little nervous.

Are they sweet and petable, or mischievous and playful?
JP: As to mischievous, he learned quickly to unlatch my wristwatch and remove it. (Rolex) He feels it dose not belong on my arm. Same with a Band-Aid or any other unnatural thing on my arms. He will remove the plastic label from ANY soft drink in a bottle in 15 seconds.
DO: All four!
CM: My 3 oldest are sweet and petable, and will allow strangers to pet them if I am around. My two youngest do not really like human touching, possibly because they were 5 weeks old when I got them, and the others were newborn. All of them are mischievous. If they are not in their cages or our "squirrelproofed" room they need to be supervised at all times.

How destructive are they for an average household?
JP: Very, you cannot let them run loose unsupervised. They have a natural tendency to gnaw on anything and everything.
DO: They'll get into anything and everything and knock over anything that gets in their way of exploring and climbing.
CM: If you are going to let them roam around the house, they will be into everything. I found it was much easier to squirrelproof one room and let them loose just in there. They will chew on anything!! This is dangerous to them and your belongings. I did leave a non-toxic highlighter out once, and Bear had bright pink lips and hands for a while.

Do they climb or tear up furniture?
JP: They climb, but will not tear it up. No problem with climbing.
DO: If they can climb it they will. Mine doesn't tear up furniture but I wouldn't put it past them.
CM: Since they are normally tree dwellers, they love to climb. I hung a blanket on the wall so they could go up and down, and I use cat and bird climbing toys too. They climb the headboard of the bed to reach their nesting box at night. They do tend to chew wood furniture, but I haven't had a problem with upholstered furniture. My comforter was a casualty of food caching, which is what grey squirrels do when they bury their food. Yvette dug clear through the comforter and sheets to bury some chow.

Are there any problems associated with their claws?
JP: Extremely sharp, like needles, but I keep the points snipped off about a 16th of on inch. I do this mainly because whenever I am around him he will leap from where ever he is to me, and uses his claws to grab with. His claws do not hurt other than leaving little scratches where he grabs hold of you.
DO: Their claws are very sharp even when trimmed. I have countless scars all over my body from my squirrel playing with me and running up my legs. But it's all part of owning a squirrel. Not his fault. He's not trying to be mean. Just the way they're built. For climbing.
CM: You will definitely want to keep their claws trimmed; they are very sharp, like little needles. If you don't want your skin torn up, you'll need to be comfortable with trimming your squirrels nails frequently. I do mine every 2 weeks.

How messy are their droppings?
JP: Not messy at all, like little BB's and not many at a time, I use a "Dustbuster" to vac them up.
DO: Its a small ball, about the size of a nerd candy. Not messy at all if you keep the cage cleaned.
CM: Squirrel poop is just tiny little pellets, not messy at all. It's really the urine that is messy, especially with males because it is in their nature to scent mark everything.

Can they be litter box trained?
JP: No
DO: Mine isn't, but thats because I never tried. He knows not to go outside the cage though.
CM: All of my females tend to urinate only in their cages, but only one of my 5 squirrels is completely trained and doesn't poop or urinate outside her cage. It is definitely harder to teach a male to contain himself (sorry, guys).

Can they be trained?
JP: Yes, very intelligent animal. One person tours boat shows with his female squirrel that water ski's behind a small remote control boat in a large tank. (like on of those back yard portable pools)
DO: Yes, squirrels are smart. All of you that try to squirrel proof your bird feeders should know that. Mine is trained to jump on my hand when i call him. He's also trained to keep still when I want a picture taken.
CM: Squirrels are pretty smart and I know some have been trained to do various things. I personally haven't really done any training because I don't use my pet squirrels in presentations, etc. Mohawk will urinate into a cup; I did teach her that because she has a history of urinary problems and has frequent urinalyses.

How are they with other pets, larger and smaller?
JP: Not too good. Only If you raised both a baby's together, it would work, but otherwise No.
DO: Mine will tolerate the other animals and sometimes play but he'd rather play with me.
CM: Grey squirrels tend to bond before they are 8 weeks old, so other pets introduced after that are usually not well accepted. My females tend to be very aggressive to new squirrels; in fact, my 5 do not live together because they were adopted in 3 separate groups, years apart. Some are more tolerant than others. Bear doesn't seem to mind new squirrels at all, but he was very aggressive toward a pet mouse I had. None of them interact with our rabbits; they seem to mutually try to avoid each other, but they don't fight. Interestingly, I had a cat who also ignored the squirrels, even though Mohawk always wanted to play with her. I think a lot of it is what they are used to. Mohawk isn't afraid of any other animal, which obviously wouldn't be good in the wild. Raven is afraid of every other animal, and Yvette is in between. Of course, larger animals can be a danger to squirrels, so mixing species isn't generally a good idea.

What size cage do they need?
JP: Fairly good size cage. Mine is 6ft tall, 2 ft wide, 4 ft deep.
DO: Squirrels need alot of space! They need room to jump around from branch to branch. My cage is 7ft high 5 foot across and 4 foot wide. He has a rope going from one side to the other, two big tree branches for him to chew and climb on. Parrot toys hanging and toys to hide food in so it keeps his mind stimulated.
CM: Legally, cage size requirements vary from state to state, and in many states ownership of a grey squirrel is not legal at all. So you should check your state laws for this information. Regardless of cage size, daily exercise outside the cage is a must!

What do you feed them?
JP: All types of nuts in the shell, acorns, veggies, grapes, apple, greens, Leaf spinach and romaine lettuce is his favorite. Also, squirrels drink a lot of water.
DO: He eats a mix or corn, peanuts, pine nuts, hamster food, fresh fruits, sunflower seeds, meal worms (not often), acorns, walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, almonds, and different kinds of tree bark.
CM: Grey squirrels naturally eat a varied diet, including nuts, seeds, leaves, bark, shoots, fruit/veggies, mushrooms, eggs, even a little meat. A balanced diet is really important to a pet squirrel. My adults get nuts, fruits, veggies, mushrooms, cereal, and soy protein daily. They have individual tastes so I try just about everything with them to see what they like. They have eaten all of the following: apples, pears, grapes, raisins, bananas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, broccoli, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, carrots, peas, corn, sprouts, apricots, mushrooms, almonds, chestnuts, filberts, brazil nuts, walnuts, acorns, mealworms, Cheerios, pomegranites, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I can't think of. I have never really found a ready made squirrel/rodent food that I like for them.

What vaccinations/vet care do they require?
JP: None, vet said there was no need if he did not run round in the wild. Vet said squirrel are tree dwellers and DO NO NOT CARRY RABIES! Its a myth!
DO: You can get them rabies shot but that optional. Vaccinations aren't required.
CM: Even though they don't get any specific vaccines, they do require vet care. Since pets like mine are non-releasable orphans, they usually have some type of health problem (although behavior can make a squirrel non-releasable too). This means you need access to a knowledgeable vet. In states where owning a grey squirrel is illegal, it may be impossible to find a vet to treat them, so keep that in mind. Just like other pets, spaying/neutering is a good idea, and they should have at least an annual physical exam. But you can't really predict other health problems.

At what age would it be best to get one?
JP: As a baby!!!!!!!!!!! It is a must.
DO: 7 weeks, or younger.
CM: The squirrels I have raised from newborns are the friendliest to me, but raising a squirrel baby from that age isn't easy! They need to be fed every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, day and night. Since most of my babies eventually head off into the wild to make their own way, I actually like to get them a little older, because they are less likely to become behaviorally non-releasable and they are much easier to raise. For me, I just take what I get because none of mine come into my house intended to be a pet, but for the ones who do have to stay, the relationship is closer if they have been with me from birth. That doesn't mean it's hopeless if they are older; some are naturally friendly, and some just need a lot more work. Coyote actually lived with me for almost a year before he would play with me, and he and Raven still occasionally bite aggressively.

What kind of person should own these animals?
JP: It takes a certain type of person, this is not an everyday type pet. DO: Someone that is going to put alot of work into owning one. They're not the kind of animal that can go w/o a meal. Be neglected. They are alot of work and need alot of your time.
CM: I think if you want to have a squirrel, you should become as educated as possible on their needs first. Understanding what is normal behavior for them will help you cope with what seem like strange behaviors in your home, such as seasonal and territorial aggression. It is impossible to say if a squirrel will become more aggressive as it ages, so you have to be prepared for that…can you live with an aggressive animal for the next 8 years? Overall, I think it takes a person with patience, the willingness to give up some material things for the sake of your pet, and someone who will take enough time with their pet to form a strong bond. If you do that when they are young, they will consider you family forever.