Why Are Squirrels So Drawn to Vapes? Experts Say It All Comes Down to Fruity Smells
A gray squirrel perched on a wooden fence in South London, clutching a vape like a tiny snack — that’s the image that broke the internet in late March.
The video, shared by the Telegraph on March 23, showed the squirrel appearing to hold and nibble on the device in Brixton, and it quickly went viral.
But here’s the thing: this isn’t a one-off fluke. It’s part of a growing pattern that has wildlife experts genuinely alarmed.
Why Are Squirrels Obsessed With Vapes?
Why would a squirrel pick up a vape in the first place? The answer isn’t nicotine — it’s the scent.
Experts believe squirrels are drawn to the fruity smells of vapes, not the addictive substance inside them. Craig Shuttleworth, a red squirrel expert at Bangor University in Wales, explained the appeal in an interview with the Telegraph.
“In the old days, you’d see lots of discarded cigarette butts, but I don’t remember squirrels running around with them,” Shuttleworth said.
“It would be reasonable to assume that a vape would be more attractive than a normal tobacco product that’s not fruity,” he added.
In other words, those mango- and berry-flavored disposable vapes that litter sidewalks and parks? To a squirrel, they smell like food.
Vaping Squirrels Are Nothing New
The Brixton squirrel is far from the first to go viral with a vape. In October 2025, a TikTok user posted a video of a gray squirrel nibbling on the mouth end of a vape device in Philadelphia.
And the trend stretches back even further. In March 2023, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) joined calls for a ban on disposable vapes in the UK after several similar sightings.
“So far, we’ve heard about a bird in New Zealand who was poisoned and died after swallowing a vape, and we’ve seen pictures of a squirrel in Wales trying to bury a vape,” the RSPCA wrote in the 2023 article.
That’s right — a squirrel tried to bury a vape the same way it would an acorn.
Why the Vaping Squirrels Trend Is Dangerous
The viral clips might look funny, but the reality is far less cute. Vapes contain a cocktail of harmful materials.
In a 2023 Facebook post, the RSPCA warned that vapes pose a potentially lethal threat to animals as they contain a variety of materials and poisonous substances including plastic, lithium and nicotine.
“Vapes are even being mistaken by animals for food and being ingested, just like this squirrel who was seen to be burying a vape,” the RSPCA added.
Squirrels chewing on vapes risk ingesting microplastics. They could also ingest nicotine, which they don’t encounter in the wild and can be harmful.
“They don’t encounter nicotine in the wild, so like many chemicals, it’s something you don’t want them exposed to,” Shuttleworth added.
The UK actually banned disposable vapes, with the restriction going into effect on June 1, 2025. But it remains a problem nearly one year later — as the Brixton video makes clear.
In an interview with the Telegraph, a spokesperson for the RSPCA described the latest incident as a “stark reminder of the danger discarded litter poses to our wildlife.”
And the danger isn’t limited to wildlife.
The Veterinary Poisons Information Service received 680 calls about vape-related pet incidents since 2017 — 96% involving dogs, per the RSPCA. There have been reports of pets dying after consuming vape liquid.
So while that squirrel on the fence might look like a meme waiting to happen, the trend it represents is one experts are watching with growing concern.
The fruity scent that makes these devices appealing to humans is doing the same thing to animals — with far more dangerous consequences.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
