Are All Squirrels Infected with Rabies?

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In a word, no, not all squirrels are infected with rabies. All warm-blooded mammals have the potential to carry the rabies virus, and then transmit it to other animals, but it is actually quite rare to find a squirrel that has been infected with the virus. It isn’t impossible, but it is rare.



What does this mean for you? Well, it means that you *probably won’t* get rabies if a squirrel were to bite you, but that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. You could be one of those very few cases of a rabid squirrel, or you could find yourself at risk from another pest animal-borne illness, of which squirrels are linked to a few.

Squirrels are not usually aggressive towards people, but they can be. Males are quite aggressive critters during the spring and summer – mating and breeding seasons. Females are also quite aggressive during this time, although, this is because she will be guarding her new family and getting feisty towards any other animal – you included – that might dare to get too close. Although not generally considered to be vicious animals, there does appear to be more squirrel-human conflicts now than ever before, and this could be because of an exploding population, deforestation forcing the animal to move closer to humans, and also because squirrels are now becoming more and more tame. They are actually quite well adapted to being around and living alongside people, so they are not as scared of us as they once were. This might seem cute and adorable when you get the chance to feed a squirrel, by hand, but once you feed them once, they’ll keep coming back. They don’t understand the word no.

The chances of a squirrel having rabies and then you being bitten are slight, but the more you put yourself in the direct line of fire, the higher the chances that something will go wrong. With rabies, it just takes one bite, but there is a long and extensive list of wild-animal-borne diseases which can and will affect everyone and every animal that lives in your home, without you even having to come anywhere close to the animal. Those are, by far, the more dangerous diseases. You won't even know they are present.

Go back to the Squirrel Removal page, or learn tips to do it yourself with my How to Get Rid of Squirrels guide.