Are Richardsons ground squirrels dangerous?
As with other wild animals, Richardson’s ground squirrels are likely to bite when they are scared or handled improperly. Free-living wild animals should only be captured and handled by a qualified experienced person. Richardson’s ground squirrels can be tamed, though usually only if they were born in captivity. Although Richardson’s ground squirrels have the potential to be vectors of diseases transmissible to humans, no examples of transmission have been reported in the past 60 years. Furthermore, of several thousand fleas collected from Richardson’s ground squirrels in a 3-year study in Saskatchewan, none carried disease-producing organisms.
