With summer just around the corner and students at Sacramento State increasing their time spent outdoors while on campus, let’s get one thing straight: squirrels are wild animals, not pets, and should therefore not be fed by humans.

While breaking off a chunk of your granola bar to feed the critters that frequent the benches and trash cans of our beautiful university may seem like a harmless act, there are actually plenty of reasons not to do it.

First of all, here is a list of all acceptable foods that squirrels should eat: Nuts.

That’s it. Notice how the list lacks items like “Gordito Burrito tortilla chunks” or “table scraps from The Buzz.” Squirrels, like every other wild animal, have a natural diet that is healthy for them. It includes things like acorns, seeds and some vegetables. Our junk food is not part of their ecosystem. Hell, one could make a good argument that it shouldn’t even be part of ours.

Not only that, but squirrels, as cute as they may be, are not always friendly. Squirrel attacks are far from uncommon, and, as anyone who has had the displeasure of witnessing a one-eyed rodent hobble past Lassen Hall can attest to, some squirrels carry diseases. Feeding these infested animals only encourages them to increase their proximity to humans, endangering our health just as much as Panda Express jeopardizes theirs.

We’ve all had the urge to do it, and when we do, we all have the same justification. “It’s just so cute!” we exclaim before launching trail mix in the general direction of the animal. What do we get out of the exchange? The amusement of watching so-called cute, chubby cheeks gyrate as they chew through salted pretzels. What do they get out of the exchange? Squirrelly diabetes.

That doesn’t sound like a fair trade.

To be fair, most students resist the urge to feed squirrels. They have the decency to dispose their food waste into the confines of a trash bin rather than the mouth of a chubby, glorified rat. But those few who do give in to the squirrels’ beggary have an impact on the rest of us. Ever wondered why Sac State squirrels have no fear of hopping on tabletops at Riverfront Center and staring you down while you munch? Yeah, it’s because Tim from your economics class gave him half a french fry last Tuesday.

For those wondering, there are plenty of domesticated animals that you can feed. Dogs, cats and even birds all love to eat. There are even stores that sell food that is designed to be digested by the stomachs of these pets. These places are called pet stores.

So please, for the love of Kanye, stop feeding the squirrels. Leave them alone and they’ll leave us alone, and everyone will be safer and healthier because of it. Sac State will be a better place, and we can live in harmony with our rodent counterparts, as long as we remember that human food is for humans. The squirrels are on their own.