In the latest sign of a timeline gone wrong, multiple videos have appeared online claiming to show local squirrels "vaping." The common rodents aren't really smoking, but handling and chewing on discarded Juuls and other flavored vape pens.
Experts think this has more to do with the fruity flavoring than a rise in nicotine addiction among squirrels.
The squirrels want your Juul
Multiple videos have gone viral this week after locals in cities like Philadelphia and London filmed squirrels who seemed very interested in improperly discarded vape pens. The one from the U.K. shows the bushy-tailed rodent putting its snout fully over the mouthpiece as though it's taking a puff.
Once that started spreading, people dug up a similar video posted by TikToker @tts_tiktok22 on Halloween 2025. The Philly resident filmed the squirrel as she tried to convince her mother that what she was seeing was real.
"Mom, there is a squirrel in your yard smoking your Juul," she said to laughter from the other room. "Mom, I swear to god, get the f*ck over here."
This footage may feel to some like another sign that the Matrix is breaking down, but it's more likely another consequence of the rise in e-cigarette use and our continuing issues with litter.
"The sight of this squirrel holding a disposable vape is a stark reminder of the danger discarded litter poses to our wildlife," a spokesperson for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) told the Telegraph.
"Sadly, this is the tip of the iceberg – as five million single-use e-cigarettes were thrown away every week, according to research, prior to a government ban on their sale."
That number appears to come from a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) report in 2023. The RSPCA and other squirrel experts fear that chewing on these items could expose the animals to toxins and microplastics.
"2026 is just not real"
With everything else going on, the bizarre sight of vaping squirrels appears to be an apocalyptic signal for many commenters.
"Ok fine, I'm ready for nuclear war," wrote popular X user @Noahpinion.
"2026 is just not real," said Elon Musk parody account @ElonMuskAOC.
User @yashalevine gained over 4.6 million views with a tweet asking, "what have we done."
Meanwhile, Redditors on the r/squirrels sub did not find the footage amusing.
"The world is so sh*tty right now squirrels are vaping and birds are putting cigarettes in their nests," said r/Hitthestinger.
"I'll never understand how we became a society more intent on filming everything than actually helping," wrote r/TruthoftheSoul.
"If I see any of my friends with something I know they shouldn't be having, I distract them with what they really want (nuts), and take away the other item. It's amazing how simple and effective that is."
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