Is It Legal To Have A Pet Squirrel In California
Introduction
Squirrels can make appealing pets. They’re small, adorable and fairly inexpensive to take care of, but there are some things to consider before adding one to your family. First and foremost, you need to check out the laws in your state regarding squirrel possession. It’s also important to know what kind of squirrel you want as a pet and whether or not it’s native to the state where you live. To help answer all of these questions for California residents, this article takes a closer look at how the law views squirrel ownership in the Golden State.
While it might seem like a good idea to take in a wild squirrel, it’s best not to do so.
While it might seem like a good idea to take in a wild squirrel, it’s best not to do so. Wild animals don’t always have the best hygiene and there are risks involved with having them around your home.
- Squirrels can carry diseases. If you or your family members are bitten by a squirrel, you could become sick.
- They may bite or scratch you while they’re in their enclosure. Even if they aren’t infected with any diseases, they could still give you an infection that makes you feel awful for days on end!
- Squirrels can chew through wires and cause electrical problems within your home, which could lead to serious injury or even death if left unattended long enough without proper care taken immediately afterwards (i.e., calling someone out immediately). This also applies if there are young children living inside–they should stay away from these kinds of situations just as much as adults should because children tend not know how dangerous something like this might be until after it’s too late (this has happened before many times over).
- Squirrels love chewing wood–they’ll chew up anything wooden including furniture pieces from around town before moving onto whatever else is available nearby such as fences made out of wood! If nothing else works though then I guess there’s always another option: go shopping 🙂 You’ll find lots of cool things there too–so why not try something different? Why stick with one store when there are many available options out there waiting just around corner corners?
Only gray squirrels are native to the state of California.
You can only have a pet gray squirrel in California if you live in the state. Gray squirrels are the only species of squirrel that is native to California, and no other states allow them as pets. So unless you’re moving to a new city, the answer is no: it’s not legal for you to keep one as a pet!
Squirrels are indigenous to areas that are wooded and green, with lots of trees and a temperate climate.
California is an arid state, with only a small percentage of the land covered by tree canopy. There are no trees native to California that would be suitable for squirrels to live in, so if you have a pet squirrel, it must be kept indoors. In addition, California has a warm climate year-round, so your pet will need heat or air conditioning depending on the season and how much time it spends outdoors. If you’re thinking about adopting a pet squirrel in California and keeping it as an indoor pet, remember that they need trees to climb and build nests as well as a temperate climate to survive (and they are not native to California).
There is a ban on taking in any wild animals as pets.
It is illegal to keep any wild animal as a pet in California. There are, however, some exceptions:
- You may keep certain mammals that were born in captivity and purchased from a licensed breeder.
- You may keep certain birds that were born in captivity and purchased from a licensed breeder.
If you find an injured or abandoned wild animal, call animal control immediately so they can take care of it! If you find an uninjured healthy wild animal on your property and want to keep it as a pet, then this is against the law—and we hope you will let us know so that we can help enforce the ban on taking any new pets into people’s homes
If you see an orphaned baby squirrel or one that seems sick, call animal control for help.
If you see an orphaned baby squirrel or one that seems sick, call animal control for help. Don’t try to raise it yourself. Do not feed the squirrel, and do not touch it in any way.
The laws in California make it illegal to own a pet squirrel.
But it is illegal to keep a pet squirrel in California and many other states. In fact, it’s against the law to keep a pet squirrel in most states, unless you have special permits or licenses.
If you want to keep a pet squirrel, check with your local government offices before adopting one as your own.
It’s also illegal to have one as a pet in many other states.
It’s also illegal to have one as a pet in many other states. In addition to California, it’s illegal to keep squirrels as pets in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
In addition to these states, the following places don’t allow exotic pets: Alabama, Alaska (excluding domesticated rats), Arizona, Arkansas (excluding domesticated rats), Colorado (excluding domesticated rats), Connecticut (excluding domesticated birds), Delaware (excluding domesticated birds), Florida (excluding domesticated birds), Georgia (excluding domestic pigs, peccaries and capybaras) Hawaii, Idaho Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Fines for keeping a squirrel as a pet can be steep, and you could even face jail time if you ignore the law.
If you’re caught with a squirrel as a pet, the fines can be steep. California state law says that any person who keeps or possesses for commercial purposes any wildlife species listed on CITES appendix II is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined from $1,000 to $5,000 per animal.
You could also face jail time if you ignore the law. A violation of this type is considered a “wobbler”: it can either be charged as a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in county jail and/or up to $1,000 in fines (plus restitution) OR charged as an infraction punishable by up to $250 in fines plus restitution (but no jail time).
Conclusion
While the laws in California might seem strict, they’re there for a reason. It’s best to leave wild animals alone and let them live their lives, rather than try to capture one as a pet. Doing so could lead to you facing fines or even jail time, depending on what you did. In addition, squirrels don’t make good pets for humans due to the fact that they can carry diseases and parasites.