I’ve been interested in getting a skunk or possum as a pet. Today at a animal show a woman was packing around a skunk and he was the sweetest little critter.
What kind of pets do these guys make? They seem quite smart and playful.
Do they get along well with the other household pets?
Are these the kind of critters one might want to cage up during the day or are they behaved enough to wander the house alone?
I had one for a short while. And there are very good reasons it was short. I collect skunks and my wife thought it would be neat to get me a real one. A few years later in the want ads under free animals, one skunk named Pepe. They are much like cats, they do things when they want to, not when you do. He loved to be held and have his belly rubbed. And he pretty much ignored the cats.
Now the down side. His litter box had to be kept spotless. And it wasn’t just scoop out the stuff, it meant wash the pan, new litter. If he didn’t like it, he would go on the floor next to the pan. And skunk crap smells bad, you never let it sit for very long. You did not walk through the house bare foot. Pepe thought toes were meant to be bitten. Any food stuffs left within his reach would be torn open. We even had to lock the fridge to keep him out. Skunks do not like cages and will fight you to keep out. And the main reason I got rid of him, skunks cannot be left around children under 12. Because thier only natural defense has been removed, they become biters. Like toes, little fingers are meant to be bit. And I forgot skunks like to dig. The carpet and walls of my rec room still have the holes from where Pepe tried to dig. Skunks are high maintainance pets and need a lot more attention than any dog or cat. After my experience, I would not recommend a skunk as a pet.
I had a skunk for about 5 years. Alot of what racer72
Dammit!
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says is true. Hershey was litter box and crate trained, which means he stayed in his little house when I was not at home. He was also leash trained.
While he got along with the other animals, per se, I didn’t trust him alone with them. The cats avoided him when possible, and he would have eaten the birds, the dogs sometime played with him until Hershey got mad and began to bite.
They will eat most anything, and this could be a problem especially during the late summer and fall when nature tells them to bulk up for winter. They will get into any open container.
In summation, Hershey was a wonderful pet, although not as easy as a cat or dog. Although skunks are raised domestically now, they are not that far removed from their wild cousins. It does take some work.
Ooh! Skunks! I always wanted a skunk, but they’re illegal in this dumbass state. They weren’t, when I was a kid, but my mother was allergic to all furry beasts, so I never got to have one. But, I have fond memories of playing with the skunk kits in the pet department of the long-defunct Zayre’s store. (Anyone remember them?)
I recognize the negatives that Racer and Lyllyan listed, but they’re not much different from the issues with ferrets. And, I have two ferrets.
The digging could be a problem, what with skunks being true burrowers, but I think the other behaviors are pretty manageable. Even the burrowing instinct can be dealt with, I believe. I’ve read that people who give their skunks a box of dirt to dig in have few problems with their skunks digging up the carpet. YMMV.
And, I’ve read that some people recommend NOT descenting them. If they’re hand-reared by humans, they supposedly don’t spray unless, say, a dog attacks them. And, it is supposed to eliminate the biting problem. But, not having any actual experience, I can’t say how accurate this is. Besides, many cats and ferrets also attack toes, and they’re still great pets.
This is the best source I’ve found for skunk information. Check out the links.
I love skunks, but after reading up on them I decided they weren’t for me. They’re also illegal in a lot of places, so make sure you do your research.
For some reason there was a skunk explosion in the 80’s and they were the hot new exotic. This of course translated to tons and tons of skunks getting dumped at shelters who could not care for them. End result: many dead skunks.
Skunk as pet = very bad idea for all but the most dedicated individuals. Everything everyone has said is true, but there’s even more reasons never to keep a skunk as a pet. Most vets cannot or will not treat them; vaccines for them are iffy at best, and wild skunk populations generally have a high level of rabies loose among them, which means that even though your pet has never been outside in his life, anyone he bites is considered perfectly justified in demanding your pet be confiscated and sacrificed for testing.
They bite, they dig, they shit all over the house, and you cannot train them even as much as a cat. There’s a reason dogs and cats have always been and remain the most popular of pets, and it’s not just good advertising.
None of this is to say skunks can’t be kept as pets- they just require the sort of time, effort, money, and commitment that few people are willing to make for what will basically be a furry conversation piece.
Thanks everyone. Good points.
They do sound like ferrets in how they act. I’ve had three ferrets and they were a bit of work. It’s a different animal from a dog or cat that’s for sure.
Gulo raised a good point, I’ve alrady researched it and they are legal where I live (no permit needed).
I think I’ll keep this in the back of my mind and see about getting one that someone can’t care for anymore. I know this might be more work building a relationship with an older animal instead of raising a kit, but that’s ok. I have the time and room for a skunk and I don’t mind the challenge.
I do enjoy keeping interesting pets and I always feel I learn something more about animals in general when I live with a new type.
I figure it’s either skunk or badger next… and badgers don’t seem like a lot of fun.