Many of us consider squirrels to be pretty cute animals. Humans can get very attached to squirrels but how about squirrels becoming attached to humans? Does this happen? This article explores the question of ‘do squirrels get attached to humans’
Squirrels hardly become attached to humans. These animals have not been domesticated and thus have not been socialized to be able to form emotional bonds with humans. In rare cases, a male squirrel may become attached to its human mother if the mother has raised it. Squirrels that you occasionally feed in parks will only stay with you as long as you’re feeding them
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Do squirrels get attached to humans?
Squirrels are wild animals, they have not been domesticated to be able to socialize with humans, but that’s not to say that these animals can’t get attached to a human at some point or another.
Generally, squirrels show deep like or dislike to one human. In this case, the squirrel will pick one person in the family and choose to like or dislike them.
A common example of this is a male squirrel becoming attached to its human mother figure. This can happen even if both the mother and father humans feed and take care of the animal equally.
When a male squirrel prefers the woman, the animal will show affection to, and pester, the mother human. If the squirrel prefers the mother human, it will either tolerate the father human or show dislike towards him.
The squirrel may also become protective over the mother human to an extent where it doesn’t want any males around her. This animal may eventually accept other family members, but this isn’t always the case.
If you’re wondering whether the squirrels that you routinely feed in the park will do this, the answer is unlikely. Squirrels may act freer with you and act relaxed around you in parks, but this is only as long as you have food to offer. They will only stay close to you as long as you have something to offer them.
How do you bond with a squirrel?
You may not be able to get a squirrel to become attached to you, but you can at least try to get it to bond with you. Treating the animal well will get it to warm up to you. In addition, patience is key when dealing with this animal. Here is a guide that will help you bond with a squirrel:
- Start off by leaving food out for the squirrel. Food is positive in a squirrels eyes. Knowing that the food came from you will make the animal see you as a friend and not as a threat
- When leaving food out at the feeder, try to make squirrel noises making sure that the squirrel can see you and hear you. This will also help the animals see you as non-threatening
- Eventually, the squirrel will come closer to you the more often you leave food out in the feeder. When this happens, try to offer it some food, the squirrel may not necessarily take it the first time offered
- After repeating these steps the squirrel will take food from your hand and may start climbing on you and looking to you for food
Warning: When trying to bond with a squirrel it is always important to remember that these animals are wild animals first and foremost. Wild animals can bite and scratch you for reasons unknown to you.
For this reason, being hyper-vigilant of the situation and stopping if the animal starts to become aggressive is a must.
Conclusion
In conclusion, squirrels do not normally get attached to humans but this can sometimes happen.
If a woman raises a squirrel well, the squirrel can become attached to her even if a human male is raising the squirrel just as well and side by side with the woman. The squirrel may even become territorial when this happens.
If you’re feeding squirrels in the park, the animal may only hang around you when you have food to offer.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other squirrel related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: What does it mean when a squirrel stares at you?, Do squirrels blink?, Overly friendly squirrels, are they safe?, Do squirrels sleep with their eyes open?