I don't really know why anyone would want to keep NA native species as a pets. To my knowledge there are no animals native to north America that have been domesticated, so by default you are keeping a wild animal. For example, I love my bunnies, and I think the little cottontails who live here are adorable, but they aren't the same. As a more drastic example, I also love my cat but can't imagine keeping a mountain lion as a "pet".