Squirrel Lets Man Pet Her Pregnant Belly and His Reaction Is Perfection
Have you ever befriended a wild animal that lives in your backyard or neighborhood? I live in Northern Georgia on about an acre of land surrounded by 100-year-old pine trees, so we have a lot of wildlife in our yard. Unfortunately, none of the animals that squat in our backyard want anything to do with me!
That's why I was so jealous of TikToker Derrick Downey Jr. when he posted a video on Wednesday, January 17th of his "pet" squirrel Maxine. Not only does she come right up to the table on his porch to eat the food he leaves out for her, but she lets him pet her pregnant belly. His reaction will make you just as excited as he was by the encounter!
I'm so jealous of @Derrick's relationship with Maxine! We have a feral neighborhood cat that I've been feeding for more than a year who still won't let me pet him! I put out food for the birds that live in our yard, which is always robbed by the squirrels, but none of them will let me get close to them. I try to chat with the deer that wander through, but they want nothing to do with me, much like the owls and racoons and other critters in our backyard. I need to up my game to make the wildlife in my yard my friends! Commenters were also as jealous as I was. @Me? shouted, "That is such a BIG FLEX!!!! YOU TOUCHED A PREGNANT SQUIRREL BELLY!!! SO jealous!!" @Kara Kelly said, "I hope one day someone loves me the way this man loves this squirrel" and @Mama T-Rex added, "You're going to be a squirrel Grandpa"!
Related: Abandoned Baby Squirrel Instantly Takes to Kind Man and Refuses to Leave His Side
Can You Keep Squirrels as Pets?
Our (I use that term loosely since they don't like me) squirrels are very busy and spend day in and day out up and down trees looking for food. They're also very noisy talking back and forth to each other, and very messy when they try to steal the bird food. So I wondered if squirrels make good pets since I have gone out of my way to try to befriend the ones in our yard.
Turns out, it's a yes and no answer, and depends on who you ask. Actress Angie Harmon has a pet squirrel, as do many TikTokers that share funny stories about them. I'd be willing to bet that these squirrels were raised since the time they were babies and not grown squirrels that these people found in their backyards.
If you're considering a pet squirrel, the first thing you need to do is make sure that squirrels are legal to keep as pets in your state. In my state I could keep one as a pet. Squirrels require a lot of room, so if you keep one, make sure that you have the space for them, and know that they need at least a few hours a day out of their cages to run, play, and jump. Squirrels also have sharp nails and teeth...since they are not domesticated animals, they may use them on you! While they don't normally bite humans, they do bite as a defense mechanism. They use their claws for everything, so it wouldn't be out of the question for them to use their claws to hold on to you. These are all things to consider.
I want to be able to handfeed the squirrels who live in my backyard, but not necessarily bring them in the house! I don't think pet squirrel is for me, and I'll just keep watching them from my window.
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