Posted by skunkluv on April 17, 2003 at 21:06:03:
In Reply to: Wondering about a few things. posted by Sobera on April 17, 2003 at 11:10:17:
No, not at all crazy!! Hope the following article answers some questions for you!
Michelle
RAISING A PET SKUNK? KNOW THE FACTS!
Copyright 1999 by Mary Kaye Ashley, American Domestic Skunk Assoc. Inc.
Skunks are wonderful pets when provided with a good home environment
and proper care. They
cuddle on the sofa with you, snuggle under the blankets in your bed,
and greet you at the door
when you come home from work. They are very animated at play and invite
you to get down on
the floor and join in their antics. They can be leash trained and
accompany you on trips outside
members of your family. You can achieve a level of bonding with them
similar to that of a dog
or cat, but they require a different level of care and understanding.
Skunks do best in calm
households. They can do well with children who are relatively calm
provided that the parent
supervises and teaches them proper interaction with the skunk with no
poking, pulling, teasing,
you must be careful not to set up a food chain with those species that
are part of a skunk's
natural food chain in the wild, such as small exotics or rodents pets,
small birds walking on the
personality, so temperament and behaviorisms will vary from one skunk
to the next. There is no
major difference in temperament based upon sex of the animal. The
optimal age to obtain one is
a baby 5-8 weeks old. Skunks will only make as good a pet as the amount
of time you invest in
them as babies, and it is critical that you devote extensive time to
fondling and training as soon
as the infant arrives in your home. They are quick to become one-family
pets unless you
expose them to people and places outside the home to dispel their fear.
Discipline methods
include tone of voice, time outs, a gentle tap with your finger on
their nose or bottom, a spray of
water from a bottle, or noise from a hand vacuum. Never hit or shake
because corporal punishment will cause a skunk to bite. Pet skunks
require run of the house once they are old enough (4-6 mo.) and tend to
become aggressive when excessively caged. For safety purposes you can,
however, confine them to a small room while you are away from home. They are
best maintained as indoor pets with the exception of a bit of fresh air
and sunshine outdoors each day while supervised. Outdoor housing is
seldom adequate nor escape proof, and skunks who are caged outdoors
typically become fearful of humans because they lack the daily interaction
with your family necessary to maintain them as good pets. Skunks are
curious creatures so it is necessary to thoroughly safety proof your house
similar to the measures you take for a toddler. Objects on the floor
and one level above (sofa height) are fair game and must be placed out of
reach. Childproof latches on kitchen and bathroom cabinets are an
absolute necessity. Skunks are generally not destructive once you understand
their behaviorisms and make the necessary
accommodations within your home. They are master escape artists, so
doors must be securely
latched and all openings to the outdoors blocked. They must never be
left outside unattended. They have no homing instinct, are nearly
impossible to find once they escape, and cannot survive on their own. Skunks
litter train similar to a ferret in that they pick a corner and back up
into it to
do heir business. They need a litter box nearby their beds and
additional boxes in the rooms
where they spend a good deal of time with you. Many skunks are
religious about using their
litter boxes while others have occasional accidents or develop quirks
in their litter habits which we can help you troubleshoot. They do not
litter train like a cat who will return to one box placed in the
location of your choosing somewhere in the house. In selecting a brand of
litter, stay away from clumping litter because of ill effects to their
health. Natural litters such as unscented clay, recycled paper, and
Nature's Way Feline Pine are the best. Skunks do not require extensive bathing
and grooming. Nails should be trimmed using human nail clippers about
once every 3 weeks. Bathing should be infrequent (once every 3-6 months)
so as not to destroy the natural oils in their fur. The best shampoo to
use is an all-natural product from a health food store because the
chemicals in many of the dog and cat shampoos are far too harsh for a
skunk.
Healthy skunks do not have any body odor. Continuous bathing will not
rid them of body
odor because it is generally linked to an underlying medical problem.
The average life span of a
pet skunk is 8-10 years. Some have lived as long as 20 years and others
don't survive to their
birth day. The number of years your skunk will live depends upon the
optimal care you provide
by feeding him properly, avoiding obesity, keeping him away from
chemicals in the home, food
and water, as well as maintaining his health needs. Skunks can quickly
deteriorate when they
become ill, so prompt medical attention is essential. Purchase a book
about raising pet skunks so
you fully understand proper care, and contact our organization if you
need help. Spaying and
neutering are mandatory for pet skunks. Females are prone to severe
health problems (often
kidney related) due to heat stress after their first couple heat
cycles. Additionally, skunks
is biting and undesirable behaviorisms in about 95% of male skunks and
75% of female skunks.
Males should be neutered about 3-3½ months of age or as soon as the
testicles become
palpable and females spayed between 4-6 months of age. The anesthesia
of choice, and the standard for exotic pets today, is called
isoflourine. Layers of internal plus surgical glue on the exterior tissue work
best because many skunks chew their stitches. It takes 3-6 weeks after the
surgery for the hormones to stabilize. Be aware that baby skunks do not
arrive already spayed or neutered. When your pet retailer tells you
that they have been fixed, it means only that their scent glands have been
removed. Also be aware that skunks are fiercely temperamental and
difficult animals to breed. It is nothing like having a litter of puppies or
kittens. Mortality rates as a result of inexperienced, in-home breeding
are staggeringly high-93% of the babies and 50% of
the mothers do not survive. Breeding should be attempted only by
professional breeders with specialized facilities. Diet and proper nutrition
is the most critical factor in keeping your pet skunk healthy. Skunks
do not do well long term on commercial pet foods of any kind. In other
words, you should prepare special meals that provide human-grade
nutrition. Their daily food intake should consist of 40% meat and grain
recipe; 50% fresh or frozen vegetables; 10% other whole foods (recipe &
complete diet plan provided for free upon request). Avoid giving junk food,
fast foods, foods containing chemical preservatives and additives, and
all refined sugar products.
Bottled or filtered water is highly recommended. Keep your other pets'
food bowls completely out of reach. Skunks are fierce beggars and will
eat 24 hours a day if you are foolish enough to
keep feeding them. A medium-boned adult skunk should only weigh 7-10
pounds. Sadly, many of them grow to be 15-30 pounds due to overfeeding or
giving the wrong kinds of foods. Overweight skunks are prematurely dead
skunks. Skunks are extremely sensitive to chemicals of all kinds. It is
critical that you restrict your use of chemical cleaning products, odor
removers, and
pesticides on areas in which your skunk will come in contact. Clean
bare floors with vinegar and
water, an organic cleaning product, or a very diluted bleach and water
solution. Do not spray
your carpet with harsh pesticides; rather, use natural pyrethrins or
the boric acid derivative
powders. Flea infestation can lead to serious health problems, and we
can teach you how to
break the flea cycle in your home without using harsh chemicals and
flea shampoos. We do not
recommend treating the skunk topically with products like Advantage. Be
extremely cautious
when letting other people handle your skunk. State law requires that if
a skunk bite is
reported, the skunk will likely be seized and euthanized to enable
rabies testing. The rules
of quarantine (common with dog bites) do not apply to skunks. At
present there is no rabies
vaccine officially approved for skunks. The risk of rabies in
captive-bred skunks from a reputable
breeder is non-existent, and the only way your skunk can contract
rabies is if he is bitten by
a rabid animal. Be equally careful when searching for a qualified vet
to treat your skunk and be
sure to ask the critical question, "What will you do if my skunk bites
you or a member of your
staff?" Not all vets treat skunks and in many cases we can provide
veterinary referrals. With
regard to vaccines, the virus that skunks are most susceptible to is
canine distemper. While
many holistic veterinarians do not recommend vaccinating, individuals
using conventional
veterinarians should vaccinate for canine distemper only using a brand
such as Galaxy. We
do not recommend the use of the ferret distemper vaccine called FerVac
because of the potential onset of seizures within 3-5 days following
vaccination. We also recommend that you do not over-vaccinate your skunk
with both canine and feline combo vaccines. A skunk's system is very
sensitive and can fall prey to auto-immune disease and a host of other
health problems
induced by vaccine overload as the immune system is stressed and
weakened trying to produce the antibodies which the vaccines intend.
Roundworm is common in skunks even though a fecal test yields negative results.
Skunks can die from roundworm. It is critical that you deworm your
skunk using a wormer whose active ingredient is Pyrantel Pamoate
(Strongid-T, Evict, Nemex-2).
Give the skunk the recommended dose and repeat the treatment 2-3 weeks
later to break the egg cycle. Do follow-up deworming treatments every
6-8 months or sooner if your skunk exhibits
symptoms of roundworm or if another pet in your home is diagnosed with
roundworm. Other health problems seen in skunks include liver, kidney
and heart disease, seizures, rectal prolapse, fur loss, arthritis,
diabetes/hypoglycemia, and cancer. Many of them can be helped or prevented
conditions. A copy of our care book, A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO RAISING A
PET SKUNK, is
available for $15 plus $2 shipping. Mary Kaye Ashley Vice President,
National Board American
Domestic Skunk Assoc. Inc. 1311 Hamlin Drive Clearwater, FL 33764
727-532-6830
