Pet Chipmunk Questions?

howldine Asked: Pet Chipmunk Questions?

Yes- I know keeping wildlife as pets is illegal.However…

I apparently have a big bright yellow SUCKER sign on my body that I cannot see, yet animals of all types immediately recognize.(I recently spent an hour cutting a trapped Dragonfly out of a spiderweb with my nail scissors.)I get possums, raccoons, deer, cats, turtles, frogs, you name it…if they are in need and I am around…SUCKER MAGNET!

Well, now I have a baby chipmunk that crawled out from under my tire while I was stopped at a computer repair store yesterday.It crawled onto my shoe and looked at me.It didn't even attempt to bite me while I stuffed it in a small hard drive box and was equally docile when I took it home and put it in an old birdcage.

It's got a mild respiratory infection- wheezing and sniffling- not surprising since we've had torrential rain here in NJ for the past 4 days and it probably got washed from its hole and soaked.Also it's bony- again, not surprising if it was flooded out and not able to eat for a few days.

But after 24 hours this animal is climbing into my palm and eating from my hand.It has never tried to bite and is accepting of the cage and my reaching into it.

I intend to keep it long enough to treat the respiratory issues… but after that…?

My yard has a plethora of wildlife, including feral cats that will kill this critter.My dog also kills animals up to the size of groundhogs- she's killed 4 10-15 lb groundhogs.

So, question is, if I decide to keep it, other than the "Legal" issues- no one will ever know that I have a Chipmunk, what can I expect?

I have VAST experience (15 + years) breeding and raising rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, G pigs, and rabbits.

We had one Chippy as a kid, but my cat killed him within weeks of my mom rescuing him under similar circumstances.

All I've heard/read suggests they do make sweet pets with intelligence/temperament/lifespan along the same lines as pet mice:smart, gentle, live 2-3 years.

Thanks in advance