RESCUE 911: a little baby...

[Arlius]

SKUNK Sorry I dont have a camera. No pix... My buddy and I were down in Fish Creek, and were on our way out, when we saw something running along the side of the road. Slowed down and realized it was a skunk. When we stopped, we could see how small it was (less than six inches long, head to butt, not including tail) and it was soaked to the bone (hair all in cute little spikes) and shivering. We looked around for awhile and couldnt find its mom. So we wrapped it up in a towel and phoned animal rescue then took him home.(Animal rescue couldnt come cause of some police business or something)
My buddy wants to keep it now though, we love the little bugger. I have crickets of course. He LOVED those. Was great watching him. Kits cants see very well, so he was having a bit of difficulty getting em (they were in a dish, delegged, held tipped in front of his face, so he could put head and paws in)
But he still pounced em good eventually, and just devoured them. Eventually got him to drink a bit of milk. Once we got the cat food soft enough (basically falling apart) he was ravenous about that too. He sure was hungry though. Dont know how long the poor guy was alone, and he would have gotten basically no food.
He is looking much better, is getting bolder, and he loves his petting

 

[ingas866]

if you want to keep it first find out what the law is in your area. then go get the little one desented. for food if you get a good cat food low fat and in ash that will do with good water. you can train them to use the litterbox like a cat. good luck

 

[Arlius]

I really have to try and convince him not to keep it as a pet though... after thinking about it, the animal rescue shelter would be far better equipped to take care of the kit, plus they already have a kit. My buddy doesn't have the time or resources to adequately take care of it I dont think... if it gets sick, how can he pay for it? How can he pay for vaccinations? I dunno, it sucks, hes fairly pig headed about things hes made his mind up about, but it would really be better off if he didnt keep it, it is a wild animal. Its just selfish if he keeps it...

 

[Psoulocybe]

Skunks are great pets! you'd be surprised! They are a lot like ferrets!

I agree that if your friend doesn't have the resources for it, he shouldn't have it though. It would have to be spayed or nuetered and finding a vet that is good with them is a problem in many areas.

I wish the little kit the best of luck and health though. They are beautiful animals with a great personality!

 

[Ravienne]

Some links that might help:

http://www.stinkybusiness.org/pets.htm
http://www.skunk-info.org/
http://www.skunks.org/Home.htm

Skunks-as-pets seem to be rather passe. Not that this should be a deterrent (to anything!), but it does make information more difficult to find. Some of the sites here and their links seem quite out of date.

 

[Darwinsdad]

You really need to think of some of the way cool benifits to a pet skunk. If a burgler breaks into your house ans encounters a yappy little dog he wont care a bit, but a skunk on the other hand he will be clean out the first window he can find. Even if it is closed and on the second floor!

 

[pitbulllady]

Skunks can make good pets, but you will need to check the laws in your area. In many places it is illegal to keep a skunk, especially a wild-caught skunk, due to the threat of Rabies. Spaying/neutering and descenting are a must, and so are distemper vaccinations, so you will have to find a vet who will treat skunks and knows what he's doing, assuming it's legal to keep it in the first place. That can be difficult, since many states or provinces also prohibit vets from treating wild mammalian species. There is no approved Rabies vaccine for skunks and in some areas, they are the primary wild animal vector for the disease, which is why so many places prohibit them. Some places will allow captive-bred skunks, which are usually bred in "designer" colors and patterns that are very different from the black-and-white wild skunk, but not black-and-white ones. Again, a check with your local ordinances is needed before you decide on anything. Skunks CAN be destructive; they love to dig and root through things and those claws are very powerful, and most will go through a bitey stage, like baby ferrets do, though a skunk's bite is much worse than a ferret's, and if it breaks the skin, authorities might require submission of the animal for Rabies testing, which requires decapitation of the animal.

pitbulllady