Can you keep a skunk as pet?

A skunk is not a suitable pet for everyone! It is certainly not a pet to be kept in a cage. It is nocturnal and will be awake most of the evening and into the night. It will need to have the opportunity & ability to explore and enjoy its nightly activities. To keep a skunk as a pet, you need to have great patience and perseverance! A skunk is willing to use a litter box , but sometimes he is lazy and does not want to travel any great distance to the litter box when he can do his duty nearby. Sometimes he may not use it at all, but choose another favorite location usually in a corner.

A skunk will usually use its litter box!

   Each skunk is different.

Not every skunk wants to sit on your lap, nor wants to be touched. We have to respect that and learn to live with it. Sometimes it will take a long time and require much patience from the owner before the skunk will come by itself to ask for a cuddle, or attention.

After two and a half years, this skunk asked for attention by herself!

Can you compare a skunk to a dog or a cat?

Most skunks will recognize their names- like a dog. Some other skunks like to sit on your lap for hours- like a cat. But these are the only similarities between skunks and dogs and cats!

 

Blade and Kane, laughing over the dress Mom is wearing!

Some people become very disappointed even when they have a puppy dog or kitten as a new pet. We feel very sorry for those animals when they have to move to an Animal Shelter when their owners do not want them anymore. For those animals there are enough Shelters, but what happens to a skunk ? There are not so many places where they are given a chance for another new owner. They sometimes will move from owner to owner through advertisements on the Internet Marketplace.

Before you buy a skunk , we advise you to think about the impact it will have on your life! You have to adjust your routine in a way that your skunk will fit in. The skunk cannot help that YOU have chosen IT for a pet, so you have to take good care of it!

To keep a skunk as a pet is not so easy as it seems! You will need a great deal of perseverance, patience and above all, unconditional love! Not only do you have to adapt to the skunk, but also the skunk will have to adapt itself to you. This can take some time. You have to skunk proof your house to prevent accidents. Keep your doors and windows closed, so your skunk will not manage to escape. You may finally notice after hours that your skunk is gone. If the skunk has found a little hole to go into under a kitchen cabinet, or a place to hide in a closet, you do not need to worry because he will eventually come out to eat. However, if he has gone outside into the world, the chances are greater than not that he will never find his way back home by himself.

Be careful when you have visitors, especially children. They can lift a door open and your skunk will be gone when you are paying little attention. Your skunk could become the victim of a car accident, or a dog could bite it, or kill it. Maybe some person who is not familiar with skunks will think it is a rat or other vermin and cause it great harm.

Do you have the time and inclination to clean up the mess it may make in your house, or to clean litter boxes several times a day ?

Do you want to clean up the mess he will make when he takes enjoyment in digging out your plants, or digging in your cupboard that you did not have closed securely? A mess can include tearing up a newspaper, dragging clothes all over, or even opening the refrigerator!

Suppose you wake up in the morning and you are in a hurry and your skunk did make a mess all over the place. Will you still be happy that you have a skunk in the house, and see the humor in its antics?

Sometimes a skunk will choose only you or your partner to take care of him and to feed and cuddle him. He will not allow someone else that pleasure and may even bite other persons if given that chance. Will you still be happy with your skunk?

When he still will not use the litter box after months, what will happen then ? He may find a favorite place in a closet or cupboard to use as his bathroom. You need to put a litter box wherever that may be and move it around to the locations HE chooses! If you cannot direct him to the litter box, then you must take the litter box to him!

Suppose, you like your skunk so much and love it as much as is possible, but your wife or your husband hates the animal in the house. What will happen to it then? It would be a very good idea if owning a skunk is a family decision!

Do you realize that you will not only have the cost when you buy a skunk, but you have to visit a vet regularly that can become expensive. There are the costs of vaccinations, neutering or spaying. You may want to have a microchip which can be read by a computer inserted under the skunk's skin for identification purposes if he becomes lost.

For skunk owners who already have had skunks for a long time, this all sounds too familiar! They did persist and they do deserve a compliment because they did survive it all, and they do still love their skunks! They did not give up and did not become disenchanted with their babies who developed into wonderful, loving pets. More and more often we find enthusiastic new skunk owners who, after a time, want to get rid of their skunk when they discover it is not what they expected. You must research skunk care and find out just what to expect!

Skunks are not things like a pair of shoes that you can dispose of easily! They grow to love their homes and owners. When they have to move, it can be very stressful for them, and it will take much time before it will be settled in again and be comfortable at a new location. Don't let your skunk be the victim of YOUR bad judgment! When you are not sure of yourself, and cannot commit yourself to look after an innocent animal for the next 10 or 12 years, then please, do not buy a skunk for a pet.