According to The Atlantic, the elite people of the Middle Ages would care for pet red squirrels, often commissioning gold chains, sometimes even adorned with pearls. Red squirrel fur was also a very sought-after material. People would sew them into long fur capes. The Atlantic states that a royal English family purchased 80,000 squirrel belly skins in one year during the 14th century. Although there is not much information about squirrels during the Middle Ages, as it was so long ago, I did find that people continued to keep pet squirrels throughout Victorian times.

During the Victorian era, squirrels were popular pets because they were quite accessible and easy to care for. According to wardobeshop.com, people would often get them right from the forest when the squirrels were still in their nests. Children enjoyed teaching them to do different tricks and would put little gold chains and collars on them. They would also sew little garments to dress them up. Upper-class Victorians would sometimes get their portrait painted with their squirrel. There are squirrel portraits in various museums, such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Morgan Library and Museum, in New York City.

Although with the end of the Victorian times, also came the end of the popularity for pet squirrels but there still remained a fascination that continued amongst the people.

Tommy Tucker was a squirrel that lived around 1943, named after the “Little Tommy Tucker” nursery rhyme. He was dressed up in little outfits, usually dresses, so accommodations for the squirrel tail were not required. Tommy was photographed numerous times by photographer Nina Leen for Life magazine, and his fame lives on still.

Eleanor Dohrenwend

Are squirrels intelligent? I have always wondered this as I watch them scurrying around our backyard, bearing some provisions. According to howstuffworks.com, squirrels are rated 11th in the list of most intelligent animals in the world. They can learn from experiences and other squirrels, determine risk, pass on survival techniques through generations, and adapt to many different environments. They can also make fake caches and trick and deceive predators. I would sure like to see some predator deception in action!

The squirrels that we all take for granted as we walk through the park or on our way to the gym or the office are only there because we put them there. During the 19th century, squirrels were introduced to various parks in the United States. According to Science Daily, in 1847, Franklin Square Park in Philadelphia became the first park where squirrels were introduced. Boston and New Haven were runners-up, introducing squirrels to their parks in 1850. The article goes on to say that Ernest Thompson Seton, the co-founder of the Boy Scouts, would encourage troops to have the Boy Scouts go out to the parks and feed the squirrels. Since around this time, there was a lot of culture around hunting, and the squirrel population had decreased significantly from this, having children feed the squirrels was thought to teach children to love and care for animals, and even “cure them of their tendency toward cruelty.”

In the 1960s and 1970s, during the environmental movement, people began to realize that it might be beneficial to let squirrels retain their natural instincts. Feeding squirrels was discouraged, and people definitely were not keeping them as pets. In modern day, we still do not keep squirrels. It is no longer legal to keep pet squirrels as they were known, and responsible for spreading leprosy back then. Regardless, they are still a part of our lives in little ways.

We all have a squirrel or two that often visit our backyard, maybe taking a bite at the bird seed or burying an acorn for later. In our busy lives, it is always nice when something little breaks up our day and makes us smile. Squirrels are always there to make it happen. They are committed to the bit, and I appreciate that about them. While the idea of squirrels dressed up in little outfits makes me smile, I love squirrels just the way they are, and I hope they will continue to be their squirrely selves.

Author’s Note: Eleanor Dohrenwend is a 15-year-old homeschool student who has several hobbies, including knitting, crocheting, and houseplanting. She has two cats, Sammy, or Boba, a big black cat, and Violet, a tuxedo cat who loves paper bags.