'I’m not trying to live in a zoo': 23-year-old man clashes with roommate after discovering he's secretly been keeping a wild squirrel as an “emotional support animal” in their apartment, leading to property damage, man releases squirrel while he's away

Author image for Emma Saven
Emma Saven
Oct 23, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

After reading this truly riveting story, we think this roommate needs a lot more than an 'emotional support' squirrel. Let's start with some therapy and a serious lesson on The Basics of Wildlife: what not to do. You cannot simply decide one day, 'Okay, today's the day I get a squirrel!' They are wild animals, not hamsters, and we don't even want to begin to know how he got his hands on the little guy in the first place: some questions remain best unanswered. 

Regardless of the fact that it's just totally unethical, it would be one thing (one very wrong thing) if he lived alone, having the squirrel run up and down the apartment, most probably looking for some sort of escape route. But he doesn't! He lives with a roommate, who I don't think would be too pleased to walk into the kitchen half asleep one morning and find himself wondering why the milk he grabbed is moving…I think he was in such shock at first that he didn't even protest it, but after countless chewed-up cords, smells that shouldn't be described, and just the whole morality of keeping a wild animal indoors, he decided to take matters into his own hands. And by matters, we mean the squirrel, and by his own hands, we mean outside! 

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  • When this wannabe Irwin Jr discovers that his emotional support animal is missing, he confronts his roommate, accusing him of having no compassion for his pet. We don't agree that he's the one lacking compassion…but were are not quite seeing eye-to-eye on the whole threes-a-crowd situation. As his roommate is refusing to talk to him, sulking as he scrolls through countless images of him and his long-lost ‘pet’ as if he has just gone through a 4-year-long Romeo and Juliet breakup with the love of his life. Dude, it's a squirrel, whose main priority in life is finding nuts (well, according to the cartoons we grew up watching)! 

  • Man feeding a baby squirrel
    via gettysignature

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • AITA for telling my roommate his “pet” needs to go?

    ok so i (23m) live w my roommate (24m) and he's been keeping this squirrel in our apartment for like a month.
    via feastingfox
  • yes. a real squirrel. he found it outside and said it "looked sad." at first i figured he was just helping it heal or whatever but nope, he's decided it's his "emotional support squirrel." he made a tiny collar for it out of a shoelace.
    via feastingfox
  • it's cute but it's also... wild?? it chewed through my phone charger and pooped behind the tv.
    via feastingfox
  • i told him he's gotta either release it or call a wildlife place because it's starting to smell and i'm not tryna live in a zoo.
    via feastingfox
  • he got all defensive saying "don't believe in compassion." i said compassion is fine but like, not in the living room bro.
    via feastingfox
  • now he's barely talking to me and posting squirrel selfies on his story with captions like "some ppl dont understand love." i honestly dont think i'm the asshole but maybe i could've handled it better.
    via feastingfox
  • Roommates sitting back to back while having a disagreement
    via prostock-studio

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • idk. aita? UPDATE: mission "remove the damn squirrel" was a major success. i just opened all the doors and ran around the place chasing it until it eventually ran out of the door.
    via feastingfox
  • seems to be solved for now, i'll keep updating this post with my roommate's reaction.
    via feastingfox
  • CrimsonKnight_004 NTA - That squirrel will never be happy there. He's being cruel without realizing because he's ignorant of what that squirrel actually needs. He's actually being selfish, not compassionate at all.
    via CrimsonKnight_004
  • That squirrel is not a pet and is likely feeling very stressed out. I'd call a wildlife service so they can take the squirrel and explain to your roommate why this is harmful, or if you don't want to make the call yourself, make
    via CrimsonKnight_004
  • Cuboidal_Hug In most states, it's illegal to keep a wild squirrel as a pet. Check the laws in your state
    via Cuboidal_Hug
  • franksinestra The fuck is wrong with your roommate? NTA and as a general rule it's not good for wild animals to be brought indoors to be treated like a pet.
    via franksinestra
  • Squirrel on a tree
    via gettyimages

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Smart Influence_2949 Your roommate needs more than an emotional support squirrel
    via Smart_Influence_2949
  • genomerain NTA. Keeping a wild animal after it's healed isn't compassionate. It would be compassionate to let it go free or to give it to the wildlife people who know better what a wild squirrel needs to live a fulfilled life. It's not going to live a fulfilled life stuck inside a people house.
    via genomerain
  • If he actually thinks he has a bond with it then the squirrel can come and visit (in the garden, not the house). If it doesn't then he is wrong about the bond and it would still be cruel to keep it.
    via genomerain
  • Sea Entertainment438 What if the squirrel just "got out on its own" while your moron roomie was away?
    via Sea_Entertainment438
  • curiousbelgian NTA. It's a shared space and you get to veto new residents. Also it's probably illegal to treat a wild animal like that, depending where you are.
    via curiousbelgian
  • Donutsmell NTA. How did he ever catch the squirrel to begin with? That isn't exactly an easy task.
    via Donutsmell
  • lemon_charlie NTA. For someone who thinks he's calling you out on lack of compassion, he's the one taking a wild animal out of its habitat and using his emotional health as an excuse to keep it.
    via lemon_charlie
  • Pavlova Toes NTA but you've kinda set yourself up for failure by allowing it in the first place. You should've nipped that in the bud real fast as soon as he decided to bring in a wild fucking squirrel!
    via PavlovaToes
  • SaltRun2465 ΝΤΑ Call animal control yourself and have the squirrel removed.
    via SaltRun2465

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Tags

nature caught outdoors healing compassion take-care-of wild animals pets roommate-drama squirrel yard askreddit reddit story emotion-support illegal roommates animals wild
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