Squirrels.

[Chubi32]

Ugh.. so around 5pm my husband leaves to go to school and I call my Mom. Not even five minutes later he calls me to tell me to open the door he has a "surprise" for me. I open the door and he has a squirrel that the neighbor kids found in the park.. :wacko: So my question is- do squirrels carry anything that will hurt the chins? I know rabbits can/do thats why I ask.

 

[Ilovemychin]

Personally, I would keep it in a different room than the chins, but is it wild?

 

[Ash]

I'd keep it in a separate room from other animals and call a wildlife rehab or local animal control. I know plenty of people who have kept squirrels as pets, but in every case it was an instance where it was a young squirrel that was hurt or "too friendly" and wouldn't leave people alone. But every state has different regulations and laws regarding keeping squirrels, so check into yours.

 

[3CsMommy]

I'd keep it separated and call a rehab place in the morning. If nothing else, squirrels can harbor stuff that's nasty for humans, like fleas and mange, so they should be handled by trained volunteers/professionals.

 

[caiti]

Is it hurt or something? Can you put it back in the park? If not, yes definitely seperate it and be careful yourself. Squirrels don't usually have rabies but they can harbor other diseases. Look up wildlife rehabilitators in your area and call to ask if they can take it in if you aren't a rehabilitator yourself (I'm writing with the assumption you're not, though).

I live in mass, so I have no idea what animal control does there but I called them once because I found two very young baby racoons in the middle of the road during a rain storm and they told me they don't deal with wildlife unless they had bit me then they'd take them and do brain biopsies. I was like umm...huh? Don't deal with wildlife?? Plus, it's illegal to have wildlife (at least in mass but I think it's most places). So legally, animal control might have to take it and I have no idea what they're protocol is after that.