- For these furry critters, their diet should include a mixture of veggies, carbohydrates, and proteins, among other essential minerals and supplements to keep healthy.
- Skunks should be fed twice a day with all nutrients included in one meal.
- For baby skunks (kits), four months or less should be fed four times a day like puppies. The nutrients should be well balanced in each meal.
- Generally, the diet should include a healthy percentage of protein, as previously discussed. Salmons, red meat, raw chicken, cheese, and dairy products are good protein sources.
- Insects like crickets, worms, and rodents would be an excellent supplement to the meal.
- About forty percent of the diet should be made up of veggies. These veggies may include bell peppers, red cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants and cauliflower. ...
- Skunks also eat cooked foods though they should only be fed such food once a month. Such food could be potatoes, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash.
- The skunk should be given fruits, ranging from bananas and watermelons, apples and pairs, to balance out the diet
- Minerals are essential in any diet. A vet can recommend supplements to include in the diet. These include calcium for the bone and vitamin D.
- If the skunk is not eating enough protein, you can purchase taurine and add it to its meals. This assists in muscle formation.
What do baby skunks eat?
Kits (baby skunks) less than four months old need to eat four times a day (like puppies do). They only need about 3 tablespoons worth of food per meal. The food can be a combination of a third protein, a third carbohydrate, and a third vegetable. More skunk recipes can be found at Skunk Haven and at Owners Of Pet Skunks (OOPS).
How do you stimulate a baby skunk?
It is very critical that baby skunks are stimulated to urinate before and after every feed. The skunk may be doing it a bit on its own but this may be overflow and if not stimulated the bladder will rupture. To stimulate a baby skunk hold it over a garbage container.
What to do if you find an orphaned baby skunk?
If the baby skunk is out of its burrow for extended periods of time on its own, it is likely orphaned and worth trying to catch. RAISING A SINGLE SKUNK: If you determine that the skunk is orphaned, it will have littermates that also need help so continue to check the area frequently for up to a week.
What can I give my skunk for milk replacer?
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. 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.
What do I feed an abandoned baby skunk?
Feed the baby skunk esbilac powder, mix only enough for 24hrs 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.
What will a baby skunk eat?
In the wild, infant skunks will eat a variety of foods and whatever they can catch. Common forage foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, leaves, and grains. They will also hunt for eggs and small mammals like mice, rats, ground squirrels, rabbits, snakes, and chipmunks.
How often do baby skunks need to eat?
You should feed your baby the four or five feedings until they are 4 months old then slowly decrease feedings to twice a day by a year old.
Can baby skunks survive without their mother?
Any time that you find baby skunks wandering around alone, with no parent anywhere to be seen, there is reason for concern. Unless the babies are super-tiny, eyes-closed babies, Mom shouldn't be too far away from them. If you can approach baby skunks without Mom running you off pretty quickly, there is a problem.
Can baby skunks eat cat food?
DO NOT FEED CAT FOOD. Cat food has too much fat and too high protien content for skunks. No formal studies have been done with skunks to identify the correct doses of calcium, taurine, or any other supplements.
How do you save a baby skunk?
Put the injured baby skunk in a cardboard box in a dark, quiet place. Put a heat source like a rice sock or warm water bottle in the box with them. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator right away.
Can you make a baby skunk a pet?
It is currently legal to own domesticated skunks in only 17 states: Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
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 you do if you find a baby skunk?
If you wait about three hours and still see no sign of mom, approach the babies and see if she comes running. If she does, slowly step away— she's unlikely to spray you if you leave her alone. If there's still no sign of her, it's time to call a permitted skunk rehabilitator.
How old does a baby skunk have to be to spray?
four monthsIf you Find a Baby Skunk They can make their scent at birth, and by four months of age, can spray with accuracy. Skunk mothers can get scared away from their babies rather easily, but a lone baby will usually be retrieved later. Mother and baby can track each other by scent.
At what age can baby skunks live on their own?
Baby skunks stay with their mother for about three to four months. Being born in the spring, they are typically mature enough to set off on their own by the fall. During the first six weeks of their lives, baby skunks are completely dependent on their mother, feeding on her milk.
Can you touch baby skunks?
It is very important to call the animal rehabilitators as soon as you sight an abandoned nest because leaving the babies on their own and without adequate care will predispose them to starvation or predation. Do not attempt to raise baby skunks on your own; they are wild animals and should be handled as such.
Can you raise a baby skunk?
But while they may look similar to fluffy, little, black and white kittens it doesn't mean that they'll behave like or are simply striped cats. Wild baby skunks are still wild animals and just because someone brings one into their home doesn't automatically make it safe, tame, or legal, even if it is an orphan.
Do skunks eat carrots?
Skunks generally do well when they're fed lean proteins such as fish or chicken, cooked grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. Leafy greens in particular make good veggies for skunks. Good vegetables and fruits to feed skunks include: Carrots.
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.
Do skunks eat fruit?
Food/Diet. A skunk's diet largely depends on availability. In the spring and summer, a skunk's diet mostly consists of grasshoppers, bees, beetles, beetle larvae, and crickets. During the fall and winter, when food is scarce, skunks will scavenge for fruit, nuts, bird seed, and pet food.
Why are baby skunks orphaned?
If you realize that they are all alone during this period, a good explanation for this is that they are orphaned because mothers are usually inseparable from their young ones. If the baby appears to be very weak, sickish and thin, you have to immediately help them out.
What does it mean when a skunk is starving?
A skunk that is noted during the day is usually mistaken to be rabid but if it is a baby, chances are that it is starving and looking for something to eat.
Why is it important to warm up a baby?
The first thing to do is to ensure that they are warmed up. Warming up the babies is important because they usually depend on their mother’s warmth for survival. When you are confident that they are warm enough, you can comfortably offer them with dehydration solutions that are also warm.
Can you feed baby skunks milk?
All these supplements can be obtained from relevant stores and you also have to ensure that you are guided through each one of them so that you can feed the babies with the required quantities. Never feed baby skunks with milk from cows, baby formulas and other pet products because they are likely to cause death!
Can you feed a baby esbilac?
You can also feed the baby using esbilac powder , you have to ensure that you only mix the necessary quantity, if the baby feeds and leaves behind some of it, you have to ensure that it is well refrigerated and kept away from any germs.
Can a skunk eat esbilac?
Esbilac is the perfect milk replacer and you can also acquire it in any pet or veterinary store. When feeding the baby, it is advisable to always use a syringe, you also have to be careful and ensure that you control the rate at which the baby sucks from the syringe. Skunks are known to have very big appetites and the same applies to ...
What to feed a sailor?
And their evening meal can be: 1 ½ to ¾ cup fresh or cooked veggies 2 2 tablespoons of cooked chicken or turkey 3 1 to 2 teaspoons of nuts, cooked grains, or bread 4 1 teaspoon of yogurt
What do skunks eat?
It would be like raising a child on a diet of only hamburgers, fried chicken, and water. They wouldn't be too healthy for too long. Skunks need a mix of fruits, vegetable matter, carbohydrates, and protein like we do. And don't be taken in by those begging faces; skunks will eat even when they are full.
How much food should a skunk eat?
They only need about 3 tablespoons worth of food per meal.
How to keep a skunk as a pet?
First, make sure you get a skunk from a skunk breeder—do not just pull one out of the wilderness. Second, make sure you get them spayed and neutered and descented, as this will make it much easier for you to keep one as a pet. This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge.
Can skunks eat anything?
Pet skunks will eat just about anything. Since they are still relatively new in the pet world, how to best feed a skunk is still the subject of some debate and probably will be as long as people care about keeping skunks happy and healthy.
Do skunks eat sugar?
Just like us, a skunk instinctively prefers high-calorie food that contains lots of fat and sugar. This is because, in the wild, you never know where your next meal is coming from, so you have to load up on as many calories as you can. But a pet skunk (much like the modern human) has lower energy requirements, and so it needs a varied diet in order ...
Do skunks overeat?
Pet skunks have the same problem of overeating, just as we do. Fortunately for the pet skunk, the owner is in control of the dietary choices; an overweight skunk risks dying an early death just like an overweight person.
What do skunks eat in winter?
This includes fruits and crops that are left rotten or not harvested.
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.
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.
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:-.
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 eat garbage?
So, similar to a fox’s diet, skunks will eat garbage! Find out What Foxes Eat.
Do skunks have scavengers?
And most importantly, skunks don’t have a proper mechanism to combat or attack animals and to prey on them.
