Chipmunks and Squirrels
These animals are rarely kept in Hong Kong, which is a good thing as they require huge amounts of space, which is not available in most apartments. They are all tree living animals and therefore they need to climb and run and require large high cages with plenty of branches to run around on.
As they have not been fully domesticated they are often quite ‘wild” and difficult to handle, as well as needing peace and quiet (another item in short supply in most Hong Kong flats).
They are extremely cute and this is why many people would like to own one BUT there are many problems and difficulties that you can read about below that you MUST think about before you buy one !
We do occasionally see chipmunks, or the Pallas squirrel which lives wild in Hong Kong, when babies have been found and hand reared.
Diet
Both animals require a special rodent diet like Mazuri Rat and Mouse food as thier base diet. This then neds supplemented with fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. For further diet information please read teh ‘Care of Squirrels’ or ‘Care of Chipmunks’ handout in our ‘Home Care’ section.
Housing
Chipmunks and Squirrels both live in treetops and run and glide large distances every night to feed. Their cage requirements are far beyond what would be needed for a comparable sized pet, such as a hamster, gerbil, or small bird. A typical “healthy” cage would need to be the size of an outside aviary.
Messy
Chipmunks and Squirrels are indeed very messy animals. They will empty their bowels (poop) as they move around, while it is eating, out for play and running on you. While in the cage, they spend much of their time climbing up on the bars and therefore they pee, poo and even throw food and waste outside of the cage.
Biting
Chipmunks and Squirrels are an exotic wild animal and some will bite, generally they are not tame enough to handle easily.
Longevity
In captivity, both animals can live up to 8-12 years.
Health
Chipmunks and Squirrels can develop health problems which can be bizarre as well as emotionally and financially draining. Many of the problems are related to the fact that they generally do not adapt well in captivity, especially in the Hong Kong environment where they are kept in small flats and do not have access to proper housing like an outside aviary. Due to this, as well as developing medical problems, many psychological problems develop.
Overall we do not recommend keeping these types of ‘exotic’ pets as a companion animal.