I was wondering if anyone has ever 'charmed' a squirrel into letting them pet it. With most animals, I can 'communicate' by calmly gradually approaching them with open hands and begin to pet them. Sometimes an animal won't let me get close without a bribe of food, but that is usually only with very small animals (such as a young stray cat).

I don't know why, but I'm in love with squirrels. I also know that squirrels can be rabid, and are quite likely to bite. How should I go about approaching a squirrel?

Squirrels on campus here are used to people, as they see them walking from point A to point B, but I don't know how many people actually try approaching them.

What laws are there against owning squirrels? I know I can't have one in my apartment, but my roommate (cousin) and I may be moving into a condo for the next semester/year.