Can i catch a chipmunk out of the wild and keep it as a pet?

Question

we live neat the woods and they run around all crazy like and the look like they would be like a hamster.

Answer 1

They would be nothing like a hamster. They are wild animals and belong in the wild, so please don't attempt to bring them into captivity.

Answer 2

Don't! They are WILD and are meant to STAY there!!!!!!!

Answer 3

no, never even try that.

they need to be free, and they can carry diseases.

they are wild animals. only domesticated animals should be kept as pets.

Answer 4

No they might have rabies and then get u sick.

Answer 5

No.

Chipmunks are wild animals. Hamsters have been domesticated for quite a long time and are more suited to living with humans. It would be terribly hard on the chipmunk, and it would be unhappy most of the time and certainly wouldn't allow you to cuddle or play with it.

Just get a hamster.

Answer 6

Probably not. It could have rabies, or some other disease. It would take more work probably, then like a dog or cat, since its a wild animal. I would go with a guinea pig! :)

Answer 7

hey,I'm not answering this question but i am answering the one you put on my page which was "howd you potty train your guinea pig."

well when i took her out of the cage i got a litter box and put her bedding in it so she'll get the picture ya know. and if she had pooped on th floor i put it in the litter box then after that she started going to the to potty in her box.

Answer 8

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... do i even have to say why not?

Answer 9

You shouldn't really keep wild animals as pets, but if you take it to the vet and make sure it doesn't have any diseases maybe it would work out, but be careful with them!

Answer 10

You COULD, but it is a very bad idea.

1. It's probably illegal. Capturing native wild animals is almost always against the law, or you need a Wildlife Rehabbers permit.

2. Wild animals often carry parasites and disease. Bringing them into your house can be dangerous to you and your other pets.

3. Since keeping them is illegal, it would be impossible for you to get it treated by a vet if anything ever happened to it. You should never own a pet if you can't help it if it gets hurt, so keeping an illegal wild animal would be extremely irresponsible and selfish.

4.Wild animals need a lot of space. A cage for a chipmunk would need to be about the size of a small closet. They also need to be fed a diet as close to their natural diet as possible, no store-bought foods. Also, in order for it to be even a little happy, you would probably need to capture it a friend or several friends.

5. Wild animals are used to traveling several miles and being very busy foraging for food, digging, building nests, sharpening their claws, gnawing their teeth. An animal like this being kept in a cage will develop obsessive-compulsive behaviours like flipping or spinning because it has SO much energy to burn off. They can also start self-mutilating, like chewing off their own limbs, ripping out their fur, breaking their teeth on the cage bars etc.

6. Wild animals in captivity often develop health problems due to living inside. Vitamin D deficiency, scurvy, Rickett's, WMD, MBD, general malnourishment, etc are all problems you could face. And you would have to be able to treat them yourself.

7. You would probably not be able to hold and pet an animal that you captured. It would always be afraid of you. Even tiny hairless babies raised by people usually become aggressive and unhandleable once they reach sexual maturity.

All-in-all, taking wild animals out of the wild is a bad idea. It's selfish and irresponsible.

If you still want a pet chipmunk, there are breeders out there who breed non-native species that can be kept as pets. You can also contact a Wildlife Rehabber who rehabs chipmunks. Ask them if you can spend some time volunteering so you can see what it's like to care for them. And if you are friends with a rehabber, you can let then know that you are willing to offer a permanent home to a chipmunk who can't be released into the wild, such as one who is missing a leg or was raised by some idiot who thought it would be a good idea and now it can't find it's own food in the wild.

I answered this same question a little while back and got Best Answer. Check it out:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 11

yea do it! that  would awesome. better yet get 2 and name them chip and dale.