Pet squirrels and racoons? N.H. lawmakers say some may be OK – The Boston Globe

After learning about the fate of Peanut and Fred, Representative James Spillane took action to make sure their story isn’t repeated in the Granite State. This legislative session, the Deerfield Republican is proposing legislation that would allow the ownership of some squirrels and raccoons.

“It gave a black eye to New York and we don’t need to get a black eye in New Hampshire,” he said.

“My fear is somebody’s going to move into the state with a pet, and we’re going to tell you, ‘You can’t get veterinary care, and you’ve got to pretend you don’t have that pet,’” he said.

Spillane said his bill, which has the backing of several other Republican lawmakers, provides two paths to legal ownership of pet raccoons and squirrels, including for people who move into New Hampshire from states that permit the animals as pets, and allowing them to become pets after being rehabilitated by NH Fish and Game.

But, Spillane said, his bill stops short of making all ownership of pet raccoons and squirrels legal. It still wouldn’t allow people to purchase the animals at a pet store, to breed them, or to capture them from the wild.

“We’re in the same position with these as we were with ferrets about 15 years ago,” Spillane said.

Raccoons and squirrels aren’t the only critters lawmakers are eyeing in 2025. A proposal from

Democratic Senator Donovan Fenton of Keene would proclaim the Virginia opossum as New Hampshire’s official state marsupial.

The nocturnal critter, which is already the official state marsupial of North Carolina, can be found in New Hampshire and throughout much of North America.

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Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.