A basic morning meal for your adult pet skunk can consist of:
- ¼ to ½ cup thawed frozen vegetables (no asparagus!)
- tablespoon cooked chicken or turkey
- teaspoons of cooked rice, oats, or cereal
Do skunks make great pets?
Skunks as Pets: When it comes to pets, not many people think about skunks as their first choice. But, they can make quite presentable and playful pets when they’re born and raised in a separate domestic area. Domestic skunks make quite good exotic pets as they are born and bred in hygienic and healthy conditions.
How to keep skunks away from your house and yard?
- If you set a trap, be sure to check it at least every 24 hours to make sure you don't capture an animal and keep it from having food or ...
- Bait the skunk trap with peanut butter, canned sardines, cat food, or another strong-smelling food. ...
- Traps designed for raccoons, feral cats, and other wild animals also work well for skunks.
What do animals eat skunks?
- Chokeberry
- Elderberry
- Mountain ash
- Wild grape
- Cranberry
- Barmy and seeds
- Embody walnuts
- Pecans and hickory nuts
- Helianthus seeds
- Birdseed
How to create a natural skunk repellent?
Easy-to-Use Skunk Repellent Tips and Recipes
- Preventative Measures. Everything is attracted to food sources. ...
- Easy, Low Maintenance DIY Skunk Repellent. ...
- The Ultimate Homemade Skunk Repellent: Homemade Hot Pepper Spray. ...
- Using Household Cleaners. ...
- Urine – the Ultimate Natural Skunk Repellent. ...
- Motion Sensor. ...
What food is poisonous to skunks?
Toxic foods are poisonous to skunks and should be completely avoided.Onions.Chocolate.Asparagus.Cat food.Avocado skin and seeds.Grapes.
What do skunks like to eat the most?
Diet. Skunks prefer meat, but will also eat plants and vegetation. Insects, small animals, birds, eggs, poultry, worms, berries, grubs, and grasshoppers are also common food sources. Skunks are attracted to honey and also foods with a strong odor.
What should I not feed my pet skunk?
What Not to Feed to a Skunkcat food.sweets.onions.asparagus (known to cause seizures)chocolate.processed meats like hot dogs or lunchmeats.bacon or bacon fat.fried foods.More items...•
What fruits and vegetables do skunks eat?
Good vegetables and fruits to feed skunks include:Carrots.Peas.Squash.Corn.Berries.Pears.Bananas.Apples.
Do skunks eat apples?
Apples. Apples can also be found growing wild and although a skunk cannot climb a tree, it can eat any of the fruit that falls on the ground. You can purchase applies for your pet at orchards and at grocery stores. Slice them up into bite-size pieces the same way you would for a small child.
What do skunks eat in captivity?
A pet skunk's diet should include lean protein (chicken or fish), vegetables, some fruits, and cooked grains—all fresh. Skunks have trouble digesting processed foods. In the wild, skunks are crepuscular, meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk.
Is cat food okay for skunks?
High fat or high protein diets make a skunk fat and lazy which leads to poor health. DO NOT FEED CAT FOOD. Cat food has too much fat and too high protien content for skunks.
How often do skunks need to eat?
How often do Skunks Eat? In the wild, skunks might need to hold out for several days before they can find enough food. In captivity, skunks are usually fed 2 times per day and their portions are monitored since they have no fasting period in between to digest everything they ate.
Do skunks make nice pets?
When born and raised in captivity, skunks can make friendly, intelligent, and unique pets. They can learn to be comfortable when handled by people and can be quite playful and cuddly. Native to North America, skunks are known for their scent glands that can spray foul-smelling chemicals at predators.
Can skunks drink milk?
Cow's milk, human baby formulas, and most pet products (except Esbilac) are not suitable and will likely cause death. Use a 1cc or 5cc oral syringe (try a vet or pharmacy), warm the formula, and hold the skunk in a towel, firmly, and covering its eyes.
Will skunks eat lettuce?
Finally, leafy greens should make up a large portion of your skunk's vegetable intake (just skip the lettuce). In addition, you can also include corn, carrots, peas, squash, and other rooty vegetables, excluding asparagus. Skunks do not do well on a diet of processed foods.
Do skunks like sweets?
Would you please not feed skunks cat and dog food. They contain too much fat and protein content for the animal. Avoid feeding them processed foods such as potato chips and sweets as they are rich in sugar and fats.
Skunks Habitat
Skunks will quickly adapt to different habitats that provide them food and shelter. However, these animals will mostly prefer to live close to a water source.
What Do Skunks Usually Eat?
Skunks are omnivorous animals, so they can adapt their diet based on the food they find according to each season. While during summer, skunks will go for some easy food that consists of small prey and insects, during the colder months, they might have issues accessing these natural sources.
What Do Skunks Eat-In Urban Areas?
Very often, skunks leave behind their wild areas and get closer to the urban settlements. This mostly happens when they find themselves in extreme cases. Unfortunately, these animals can invade homes and feed with any food they see in the garbage or human gardens.
How To Feed Pet Skunks
Although their odors are not that pleasing, some people love the idea of keeping a skunk as their favorite pet.
Last Thoughts
Skunks do not have a peculiar diet, but they need to seek the ideal nutrients to survive, especially during the winter months. Since the skunks do not hibernate, they will always look for food from different sources.
What do skunks eat?
What to Feed a Skunk 1 Give your skunk any fresh and/or frozen vegetables it will eat 2 Boneless poultry and fish are good sources of low fat protein; an all natural dog food can also be used to add protein but be careful with processed pet foods; some are very poor quality, contain unnecessary sugars or have a poor balance of nutrition. Some all natural dog foods are:#N#Primal Pet#N#Innova-Evo#N#Natures Variety Raw Dog Food#N#Natures Variety Raw Cat Food#N#Instinct Dog Food#N#Taste Of The Wild#N#Before Grain#N#Timber Wolf Organics#N#Fromm pet food (surf and turf) 3 Here is a list of Canadian pet foods. Canada is stricter in regulating what goes into their pet foods than the US. 4 Horizon Pet Food 5 Petcurean Pet Food 6 Orijen Pet Food 7 Eggs, cheese, yogurt, goats milk and other dairy products add calcium (not whole milk or high fat cheeses) 8 Virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, coconut oil and/or Halo Best Coat can be added to keep the skin and fur soft and has added health benefits 9 Cereal, whole grain breads, cooked grains, and other high fiber foods should be used 10 Nuts are a good source of essential fats (be careful of allergic reactions), processed almonds are best 11 Supplement the diet with calcium and taurine 12 A few drops of organic apple cider vinegar can be added to aid digestion 13 Use fruits only two or three times each week, more often if your skunk suffers from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
How to keep a skunk healthy?
The BEST way to keep your skunk healthy is to monitor it's weight regularly. Kits less than four months old should gain weight very rapidly, weigh them once each week, you should notice regular weight gain each week. Youngsters and young adults should be weighed once each month, watch for excessive weight loss or gain.
How long can a skunk eat?
Try to gauge the amount of food on how much the skunk can eat in three to five minutes. Pet skunks are likely to get better quality foods and have to exercise less to get it compared to their wild cousins. Skunks should not be given so much food that they will not finish all in one "sitting".
Why are my skunks yellow?
Some skunks may be yellow due to bad diet, stress, unclean living conditions, and/or parasite infestation. Skunks need extra taurine for muscle formation , vitamins, and calcium and other minerals for bone growth.
What to do if a skunk is searching for food?
If your skunk is searching for food excessively or "between meals" there is probably something missing from the diet, or not enough food is being given at each meal. If your skunk can sleep through mealtimes consider cutting the portions in half, and force the skunk to get up and exercise more.
Why can't a skunk stand on his legs?
Underweight, Lacking Calcium - Notice this skunk cannot stand on his legs and drags himself along. Malnutrition. Low fat foods and foods with low crude protein (15 to 25%) are better than high fat and high protein foods. Be careful with processed pet foods, some are very poor quality, contain unnecessary sugars, or have a poor balance of nutrition.
How long does it take for a skunk to stop eating?
One method to determine the correct amount of food is if the skunk is up searching for food within an hour of normal feeding time and is eating enough to stop searching for food about 20 to 30 minutes after finishing the food given.
Making Sure The Kits Are Orphaned
As humans, we like to swoop in and save helpless baby animals without giving it much thought. But we encourage you to take a step back from the situation. We need to make sure that these babies are actually orphaned and that the mother isn’t coming back for them. So keep an eye out on the baby.
Checking The Laws
Now that the orphaned skunks are inside and safe, you will need to check your local laws. Currently, it’s only legal to keep skunks in 17 states. And if you have too much contact with the kits, it’s nearly impossible to release them back into the wild. So it might be best to contact your local wildlife agency to care for the skunks.
Preparing A Home For Them
One of the first things you will need to do is figure out where to put your baby skunk. A warm dark place is best for them with old towels for bedding. Some people prefer to use an old cardboard box, but it won’t be long until they outgrow this.
The First 24 Hours
Now that your skunk kits are inside and safe, the most important thing to do is warm them up. Most people want to jump right into feeding and giving animals water. But this could cause more harm than good. The reason for this is that it takes a lot of energy to digest food.
Estimating The Age & How Much To Feed
With your baby skunk rehydrating, it’s time to start guessing how old your baby kit is. To do this, you will need a scale and an excellent observation of the skunk. Here is what to look for when guessing how old your kits are and how much to feed them. You can also use this as a guide to keeping up with your skunk’s growth and development.
How To Feed A Baby Skunk
Now that you know how old your skunk is and what they need to eat, you might be wondering how to feed it. Most people want to jump right in and buy bottles used to nurse kittens or puppies. But you don’t want to do this. Skunks are very aggressive eaters, and if you feed them with a bottle, they will engorge themselves.
The Best Formula
What to feed orphaned baby skunks wouldn’t be complete without talking about the best formula to buy. It’s essential to find a formula that will have everything skunks need. The best formula on the market is Esbilac for puppies.
What do skunks eat in winter?
This includes fruits and crops that are left rotten or not harvested.
How much of a skunk's diet is made up of harmful insects?
It’s estimated that on average around 70% of a skunk’s diet is made of up harmful insects. As such even if skunks may seem and sound like a nuisance, they do still help in getting rid of destructive insects around the home and yard instead. Many yard pests and other yard creatures and insects make up the bulk od a skunk’s diet, like:-.
How do skunks attack beehives?
How skunks attack the beehives is also quite interesting. Firstly they scratch the beehives with their forefeet and long claws. This will firstly trigger the guard bees to come out and they usually are the first set of bees that get eaten up.
Why are skunks bad for you?
Although humans consider skunks as a nuisance because of their unpleasant odor, they are beneficial in many ways. This is because skunks prey on small creatures that are harmful to gardening and a healthy lifestyle as a whole. It’s estimated that on average around 70% of a skunk’s diet is made of up harmful insects.
When do skunks eat plants?
Plants are usually eaten when food is scarce. In Winter, when food is extremely sparse skunks may invade garbage and trash for food. Especially during the summer months, when food is in abundance, skunks will use this time to eat lots of food to sustain both themselves and their young better through the winter months.
What are the predators of skunks?
Water snakes. Bees. other small animals. While these may sound common prey for pretty much most of the animals, what interesting about a skunk’s diet is that skunks are one of the major predators of the honeybee. Of course, protecting themselves from bee stings is possible with their thick tuft of fur on their bodies.
Do skunks hibernate in the winter?
Skunks do not fully hibernate in winter, at times during winter when a skunk wakes from its torpor – usually, when temperatures are 30° Fahrenheit or above. They may choose to leave the comfort of their den at night to forage for food. Where possible, skunks will eat forage for. Insects.
What do skunks eat?
Skunkie Delight is made up of millet, raw ground turkey, eggs, vegetable oil, and a variety of vitamin and mineral powders.
How to keep a skunk's weight under control?
Exercise: This is one area we believe strongly in. Your skunk will need plenty of play and socializing time. Don’t be afraid to get down on the floor (their level) and play chase, stomp, tug-o-war, and ball with them. Getting enough exercise plays a very important role in keeping your skunks weight under control.
What to do if a skunk misses the litter box?
Once your skunk is using the litter box on a regular basis, reward him with more room to explore. If he misses the litter box and chooses a new spot, make his area smaller again until he has reestablished where the litter pan is. Sometimes skunks refuse to use the litter pan when it is dirty.
What happens if a skunk bites someone?
For this reason, if your pet skunk bites someone and the bite is reported, your skunk is likely to be seized, slaughtered, and it's brain tissue tested for rabies. Most government officials seem callous and ill effected by the fact that this animal is your beloved family pet.
How to teach a skunk to do tricks?
Skunks can be taught to stand up on their hind feet for food. Patience, repetition on the part of the owner, and good treats are the biggest assets to teaching your skunk to do tricks.
How long do skunks live?
Life Expectancy and Obesity: With the proper diet and exercise, most skunks will live an average of eight to twelve years, or even longer. Skunks have a ferocious appetite. They will literally eat until they make themselves sick, and then continue to eat more.
Why do skunks shed?
Skunks shed twice a year. They shed their soft downy layer of fur in the spring and their longer courser coat in the fall. Shedding is usually less than that of a cat or a dog and lasts a shorter period of time. If you notice a white dander in their fur, it is a sign of dry skin. This can be caused by too many baths.
What do skunks like to have?
Skunks like to have a soft, comfortable, bed to curl up in. Pick up any clothes, coats, socks, etc., you want to keep or your skunk will gladly take these things for its den. Old baby blankets, old clothes, old sleeping bags can be recycled or bought at thrift stores for very little.
How to keep a skunk from being skittish?
Skunks are very curious but will be very skittish for a few days. Make sure you have a quiet place for the skunk to rest away from other animals. Be watchful for skunks running under foot or pacing wildly, they can easily be hurt running into things. Kits are full of energy and want to run and play all of the time.
How to train a skunk to use a litter box?
Potty Training - Begin training young skunks to use a litter box/pan as soon as the skunk arrives. Skunks will usually use a corner or elsewhere. Take time to notice the place the skunk want to use. Then place the litter pans in the skunk's chosen spot. They may learn to go in the pan, not on the floor.
What happens if a skunk bites a pet?
Please make your family full aware that if your pet skunk bites and they need medical attention, doctors and hospital staff are required to report bites by exotic pets to the local health department. This may lead to your skunk being seized and killed to be tested for rabies.
Can you leave a skunk in a room?
Never leave a skunk in a room with an open window. Restricting your skunk to one room when you are away can prevent costly repairs or trips to the vet's office. Most skunks will climb over baby gates with holes so we recommend using Plexiglas barriers or commercial pet gates.
Do skunks forget?
Skunks are very smart and will easily learn the right and wrong things to do, they will even purposely do wrong in return for your mistreatment or neglect. Skunks never forget and rarely forgive, anything you do to hurt a skunk will be paid back in time.
Can skunks fight over food?
Two or more skunks will also fight over food. Be careful at snack times, and separate your skunks at meal times to make sure each one is getting the proper nutrition. Getting a (or another) skunk in the house can be very stressful for all the pets you have as well as the skunk and you.
What to feed a skunk?
Feeder insects and animals to give your skunk include crickets, mealworms, worms, and frozen pinkie mice. You can buy specialty skunk food online, if you need an easy way to feed your skunk. However, it will be much more expensive and not any more nutritious than making your own. Do not feed your skunk cat food.
What do skunks eat?
Give your skunk mostly raw or cooked lean proteins. This can include a combination of chicken, eggs, dairy, fish, grain-free dog food, and feeder animals and insects. These lean proteins should make up about 70% of your skunk’s diet. Eggs and meat can be given raw or cooked.
How to get a skunk to sleep in a crate?
2. Get a pet bed that fits inside the crate. Give your skunk a soft, cushioned place to sleep when it is in its crate. Pick out a bed that is machine washable, as you will want to wash it every week or two. Don't spend a ton of money on your skunk’s bed.
How big should a skunk be for an outside pet?
If you just want an area where your skunk can explore while you supervise, a pen will work well. Ideally, an outdoor pet would be at least 6 feet (1.8 m ) long, 6 feet (1.8 m) wide, and 3 feet (0.91 m) tall.
How to get a skunk to move around?
1. Buy a crate for your skunk. Before you obtain your little pet skunk, go to a local pet shop and pick out a large dog crate for it. Pick the biggest one that will fit in your home, so that your skunk will have room to move around in it. Get a crate that is made for extra large dog breeds.
How long can you keep esbilac powder for a baby skunk?
Feed the baby skunk esbilac powder, and mix only enough for 24 hours and keep it refrigerated. Esbilac is a puppy milk replacer, which you should be able to purchase at a vet or pet store. Cow's milk, human baby formulas, and most pet products (except Esbilac) are not suitable and will likely cause death.
How to train a skunk to go to the bathroom?
Introduce your skunk to a litter box and they will remember where it is when they need to go to the bathroom. Litter training a skunk can take a bit longer than it does with a cat. However, keep trying and your skunk is likely to get the hang of it. Put the litter boxes in the corner of rooms and the cage.
What do skunks eat?
A skunk's diet is a mix of fruit, veggies, and animal protein, including insects, fish, and poultry. Some skunk foods like Skunkie Delight add ground turkey to their mix, though it's important to limit these additives to avoid obesity and health problems.
What to do with a skunk when unsupervised?
It is best to have a special play area for your skunk when unsupervised. This play area can be filled with toys and blankets to engage their curiosity and cuddly nature. Also make sure that they stay inside, or are supervised when they go out in the yard.
How long have skunks been domesticated?
For more than 60 years, skunks have undergone domestication to be the fun-loving, furry mischief-makers that more and more skunk enthusiasts are welcoming into their homes.
How to teach a skunk to go to the bathroom?
Skunks can also be taught to go to the bathroom in a litter box. Just put the litter pan in a corner that they choose to go to the bathroom in. If the skunk misses the corner, try putting small amounts of vinegar on their accident spots so they associate that with something that smells bad.
Where are skunks abandoned?
Unfortunately, many pet skunks in the United States are abandoned when prospective owners cannot care for them. There are skunk rescues, most notably Skunk Haven in Ohio which hosts the annual Skunk Fest.
Do skunks sleep at dawn?
Despite wild skunks being most active at dawn and dusk, pet skunks can be trained to have a sleep cycle that mirrors that of their humans. They love cuddling and are playful animals, offering hours of free entertainment for their pet parents.
Can you keep a skunk as a pet?
States like Kentucky, Michigan, Oregon and Pennsylvania allow skunks to be kept as pets as long as you have a permit and vaccinations. In some states, like Florida, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey and Wyoming, it is completely legal to keep the skunk if it was bred in the state.
