What caused us to make gerbils pets and not squirrels? Well, there are several important reasons why humans never decided to domesticate squirrels.
We sell plenty of rodents and mammals in our pet stores, like hamsters and guinea pigs, so it might not make sense why we don’t domesticate certain wild critters. What caused us to make gerbils pets and not squirrels? Well, there are several important reasons why humans never decided to domesticate squirrels. Read on, and you’ll reconsider keeping the squirrel you caught in your attic.
Intensive Care
Squirrels are used to having access to all sorts of food, whereas other pets are used to eating one specific food. For instance, gerbils eat one brand of gerbil food for most of their life. Squirrels eat insects, all kind of vegetation, nuts and berries. They know intrinsically what they should eat…but do you? This also leads to having to clean up after your squirrel. They are notorious for chewing and shredding up not only their enclosures, but your skin when you want to reach in to clean the cage. And you’ll have to do that pretty often, considering the incredible mess squirrels make. Lastly, squirrels need to be constantly monitored. Otherwise, they’ll get up to mischief and ruin your idea of a cute pet.
Danger to Your Health
Squirrels carry a lot of nasty diseases that won’t show up in their behavior or appearance. It’s easy for humans to contract them when squirrels are so eager to bite and scratch at anything that comes their way. So, if you capture a squirrel from the wild, he probably has some kind of disease you aren’t ready to handle. Squirrels are also viciously violent when they’re in the right conditions…i.e., captivity. Keeping one could harm the squirrel mentally and physically, but they will also lash out and cause potentially serious injury.
They’re Wild Animals
In the end, squirrels are wild. They don’t belong in homes. Maybe they would if we had domesticated them long ago, but we didn’t. Capturing a squirrel as a pet is never a good idea, and you should probably go get that hamster, instead, while we deal with the squirrels in your attic.
Squirrel problem? Call Shumaker’s Animal Control today!
Call Shumaker Animal Control today. Shumaker Animal Control is a twenty-five-year veteran of the animal and pest control profession. We are the Kingsville rodent control experts and can help you return your house to a cozy pest-free home. If you have any questions about raccoon removal or other rodent control, contact Shumaker Animal Control by calling (443) 854-8072 or click here today! You can also follow us at our Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
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