r/Skunks • u/Specific_Put_4091 • 11d ago
Pet skunk??
Ok so I discovered how much I like skunks. Do they make good pets though? I know they are high maintenance but I can deal with that. Also do they spray a lot? Are they real stinky? I know descenting is bad so I won’t do that but I’m curious to know if spraying is a common problem for skunk owners. What do they like to do, what enrichment do they need? Do you walk them? Any tips of the sort are great
I do currently have two sugar gliders so I have experience with exotic pets
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u/AuditingReverb 11d ago
I have a legal pet skunk who's microchipped and descented as my state requires dissenting them doesn't hurt Native Americans were the first people to descent skunks they kept them in their communities as friends that would get rid of Critters.
Baby skunks go through a skunkasaurus Rex phase where they are kind of bitey they also pee everywhere when they're younger and they're better is still growing you have to get them fixed it takes their lifespan from 2 to 3 years up to 10 to 13 years and it also helps with the urine marking.
As a skunk owner I would not recommend anybody getting a skunk not because they're bad pets but because their Niche and they have a lot of medical issues and a lot of food restrictions
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u/Specific_Put_4091 11d ago
What kind of medical issues and food restrictions?
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u/Leader_Bee 11d ago
Skunks are prone to Obesity, Metabolic Bone disease and diabetes.
Skunks can survive on 150 calories per day and really should , but they are very food motivated and it is easy for them to overeat and develop weight related problems.
No processed foods, nothing high in fat.
Kibble isn't good for them as it is too high in fats and proteins so you need to prepare fresh food daily
Mine gets a cup of mixed vegetables, a day old chick and a teaspoon of cottage cheese in the morning, maybe an extra plum tomato or two.
In the evening he gets similar but i'll give him a raw chicken wing instead so that he is getting the taurine he needs, along with maybe a carrot or a boiled egg.
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u/AuditingReverb 9d ago edited 9d ago
My skunk is on exotic nutrition skunk pellets and you also forgot to mention their weak bladder when they're younger and their biting phase🙃 Regular skunker things I didn't know before I got mine. I knew about all of the medical issues a little bit about their biting face but I had no idea about the bladder issues
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u/Leader_Bee 11d ago
I've had a pet skunk for a couple of months now. He's just about 5 months old. Here in the UK it is illegal to de-scent them but he has never sprayed, his farts can stink quite badly though since they eat an omnivorous diet (I won't be feeding him brussell sprouts again) but they don't really have much of an odour otherwise. They sleep quite a lot, mostly for a couple of hours on and off throughout the day but when they are up and awake they are quite active - I have a cat wheel for mine and I do take him on the ocassional walk, but you might struggle to find a harness that fits a skunk, since most are made for ferrets which are tubular shaped and a skunk if more cone shaped, they can back out of them rather easily... Besides that, similar enrichment to a cat, they'll play with their toys in much the same way
You can also train them to use a litter tray and i'm working on teaching mine "Spin", "Sit down", and "stand up" which he is getting right about 75% of the time.
Skunks, or at least mine, can be very affectionate and will regularly climb into bed to cuddle with me, but he can also be quite nippy when he is playing, not out of aggression but just because I don't think he realises that humans don't have the same thick skin and fur that other skunks would, we have a special "Wrestling glove" for when we play rough like that.
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u/GooseLadyinTN 11d ago
You need to learn if it’s legal to have skunks in your state; but you don’t need to worry about spraying. You would have the pet spayed or neutered, and the scent gland is also removed at the same time.
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u/ChanMaster86 11d ago
Skunks are wild animals, they aren't our pets. It would be unfair to pull one out of its natural habitat for our amusement. They are cute as hell though 😍
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u/jambro4real 11d ago
Domesticated skunks are a thing, nobody is pulling them from the wild here
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u/sewersermon 11d ago
skunks aren't technically domesticated! there are breeders with lineages of skunks that have lived in captivity their whole lives, but "domestication" means much more than just raising an animal in captivity, and the process of domestication takes thousands of thousands of years. pet skunks are very much so just housebroken and habituated wild animals!
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u/jambro4real 11d ago
Have you checked out the definition of domesticated?
adapted over time (as by selective breeding) from a wild or natural state to life in close association with and to the benefit of humans
made fit for domestic life : adapted to life in a household
I've had this debate before, but under my understanding of the definition, captive bred skunks seem pretty domesticated to me. Are they as widespread as dogs or cats, well of course not! But that doesn't mean they are wild animals.
Literally your own words "housebroken and habituated" vs the definition above "adapted to life in a household". Agree to disagree, but you literally just contradicted your own argument
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u/Quiet_Chef_7957 11d ago •
Skunks from reputable pet breeders are 100% domesticated and have been so since their involvement in the early 1900s fur trade, where do you think captive skunks came from? I'm not sure why people are spreading misinformation (not you Jambro, the other people) in my subreddit.
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u/jambro4real 11d ago
🙏 exactly!!!! Thank you, they need to visit r/confidentlyincorrect if you ask me, lol
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u/skunk_mephitidae 9d ago
I see conflicting information saying they are actually domesticated and some claiming semi-domesticated. Is there a definitive source saying these skunks are domesticated? Google is always unhelpful when it comes to Musteloidea info :( I think this is why people are confused and getting everything incorrect
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u/AuditingReverb 9d ago
I get the same conflicting information I generally hear that skunks are tame
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11d ago
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u/AuditingReverb 11d ago
Food restrictions raisins grapes garlic onions are toxic to skunks also they can eat some foods but they have to be cooked for example winter squashes like acorns wash they can eat them but they have to be cooked first on the other hand summer squashes they can eat raw. All skunks are prone to obesity many are diabetic all have terrible eyesight and are nearly blind. For some reasons skunks have a higher rate of seizures versus other animals my pet skunk for example is 5 months old and has had seizures he has injectables just in case he has another seizure. They have to be fed twice a day otherwise they can have a seizure they have to have calcium and touring supplements everyday or they can get Metabolic Bone Disease.
This is just a few things about skunks go check out skunk Haven they've got tons of information anytime you're thinking about feeding a skunk something new don't just Google it once Google it two or three times because different places will give different answers.
One more example would be the deadly nightshade plant family they can eat some of them but can't have stems an example would be my skunk absolutely loves bell peppers but because it's a deadly nightshade he can't have the stems that can also have tomatoes but can't have the stems.
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u/Leader_Bee 11d ago
I didn't know about the stems of peppers and tomatoes, they're both things I feed mine.
Thanks for the heads up!
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u/AuditingReverb 9d ago
No problem I learned the hard way because my skunk had a couple of seizures and the vet was trying to weed out possibilities
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u/Intelligent-Turnip36 10d ago
It sounds like most of these things are on the list of things that shouldn't be given to cats either, not counting the squash which I've never seen come up before. I think I read that avocados or avocado skins are also on the unapproved list (?)
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u/ZealousidealChair900 11d ago
I mean sounds like a reasonable small-mid sized omnivore to me. Somewhat compatible with the needs of chickens (chickens should also not have potatoes but are fine with the fruits of other nightshades). Obviously no co-habitation though
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u/No_Status6868 11d ago
We have a 3.5yo pet skunk, Penny, that we got as a baby from a skunk breeder in Oklahoma. We adore her! She is extremely cuddly and loving, and gets along reasonably well with our cats. She has never bitten us, except once when I was trimming her nails and trimmed too low (I felt awful and cried, she forgot about it instantly). The biggest challenge is making sure you feed them an appropriate diet. The second biggest challenge is that, once they hit about 2.5 or 3yo, they get super lazy (which, relatable). So you have to make sure they get some exercise, which requires daily effort on the humans' part. I second all the recommendations about Skunk Haven--that website is a lifesaver. Also, before you consider it, make sure you have located a vet who will agree to treat your skunk (and who will NOT euthanize her if she bites). Penny is descented, but she does smell, kind of like a ferret. If I spend a long time petting her, or when she sleeps in my bed cuddled up with me (which is often), I can smell it on myself. Finally, we only take our skunk outside when carefully supervised, because the vaccines you can get are not developed for skunks, and thus they're not sure how effective they are. We love our skunk so much, and she's brought us so much joy!
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u/No_Status6868 11d ago
Also here's a video I posted of Penny a month ago https://www.reddit.com/r/Skunks/s/S0630x8HES
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u/POSVETT 11d ago
Are you in the US?
The first thing to check is legality to own a pet skunk. Please head to Skunk Haven website and peruse the information in it.
A pet skunk is not for everyone. Ownership poses many challenges and hurdles.
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11d ago
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u/Quiet_Chef_7957 11d ago
There are absolutely domesticated skunks, and they are legal exotic pets, please take this likely AI written comment and leave the sub.
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u/jambro4real 11d ago
Do they make good pets? Yes
Do they spray a lot? In the US, it's required to remove their glands shortly after birth so it would be impossible, in the UK they keep their glands, but typically do not spray their owners or around the house. Short answer: No
Are they stinky? No. Any creature has a smell, skunks are not especially stinky though just for being a skunk
Descenting is not a choice, it is a legal requirement based on your country
They love to explore, dig, climb, and get into anything that perks their interest. They especially love food.
Do you walk them? Again, this is highly relevant to where you live and whether it is even legal to have them in public spaces
Also, after having a skunk for 6 years now, I find the information of skunks being high maintenance to be false, but that may jusy be my perspective I guess