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A pet skunk
Although capable of living indoors with humans similarly to cats or dogs, pet skunks are somewhat of a novelty, and still relatively rare, mostly due to restrictive local and regional laws and the complexity of their diet, habits and care. The highest concentrations of pet skunks (family Mephitidae) are mainly kept in the Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United States.
In certain parts of the United States, rescued or surrendered pet skunks can be adopted from licensed animal shelters, non-profit skunk educational organizations (such as the American Domestic Skunk Association), or even licensed breeders who have been certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Baby skunk availability peaks during springtime, immediately following the skunk mating season. Rarely, fur farms will offer surplus animals to local pet stores, though the possession of skunks remains widely prohibited across America, without proper licensing and inspection.
Skunks are probably best-known for their ability to shoot foul-smelling liquid from their anal glands as a defense mechanism against potential predators. Most wild skunks will only resort to spraying as a final option if injured by a predator, cornered or otherwise provoked; to save energy, most skunks attempt to appear larger by flaring their tails as a warning, combined with hissing or growling, before fleeing. The mercaptan-emitting scent glands are usually removed in captive-bred or rescued skunks at about four weeks of age, similar to spaying or neutering—procedures which may also be beneficial, for captive skunks, to prevent unwanted offspring (as well as a more calm disposition). However, since 2006, the practice of scent-gland removal has been banned in the UK.
to Vivianne Chernoff of SkunksasPets Canada.[citation needed] Many countries, such as Japan, require all newly-imported skunks to be quarantined. In 2003...
weasel family, skunks have as their closest relatives the Old World stink badgers. In alphabetical order, the living species of skunks are: Family Mephitidae...
of North American skunks. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Cipriani, D. (2011) "Skunks are affectionate, intelligent pets for owners who offer...
The genus Spilogale includes all skunks commonly known as spotted skunks. Currently, there are four accepted extant species: S. gracilis, S. putorius...
give western spotted skunk musk a more pungent odor, but not to spread as widely as that of striped skunks. The western spotted skunk is found throughout...
order Carnivora, which comprises the skunks and stink badgers. A member of this family is called a mephitid. The skunks of the family are widespread across...
"Import pets and animals". Customs.govt.nz. Retrieved 15 February 2022. "PETS: How to bring your ferret into or back into the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme...
turtles, and carnivorous fish. Other animals, such asskunks (which are sometimes kept aspets), being omnivorous, can also eat some live food, though...
contact with dogs in general, not solely from having dogs aspets. For example, when in a pet dog's presence, people show reductions in cardiovascular...
College in New York City, and working as a veterinary assistant, when she began keeping skunks and later ferrets aspets, and breeding ferrets for sale. She...
On Santa Cruz Island, skunks are found to prefer chaparral-grasslands, open grasslands, fennel-grasslands, and ravines. Skunks were also found to make...
sometimes kept aspets, and may be considered a type of pocket pet. The two living species of chinchilla are Chinchilla chinchilla (formerly known as Chinchilla...
turtles, goldfish, canaries, frogs and axolotls—are kept aspets. Many small exotic pets are prohibited in certain areas for being invasive; California...
they added the Sweetest Pets series (pets themed after sweets), Rolleroos (pet friends that are shaped like small balls), pets that came with Blythe, and...
may be eaten by raccoons, coatis, armadillos, skunks, bears, hogs and peccaries, ground birds such as roadrunners, lizards, and tarantulas. Mastigoproctus...
or lost. Animals the centre has worked with include fox, deer, raccoons, skunks and beavers. The centre receives approximately 10,000 callers a year to...
either of the animal or of the human-animal relationship, and can apply to pets and other companion animals, or to agricultural animals and working and other...
fictional animals. This includes weasels, ferrets, minks, otters, martens, skunks, raccoons, and red pandas. Fictional badgers are instead found within the...
Exotic Pets. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 73, 88. ISBN 978-1444361254. Retrieved 2017-06-23. Williams, David L. (2012). Ophthalmology of Exotic Pets. John Wiley...
USDA-approved vaccine for the strain of rabies that afflicts skunks. When cases are reported of petskunks biting a human, the animals are frequently killed in...
species of dogs, coyotes, foxes, pandas, wolves, ferrets, skunks, raccoons, and felines, as well as pinnipeds, some primates, and a variety of other species...
concern with providing supplemental outdoor feed is that it can attract skunks, raccoons and other vermin. Farm cats originate from a variety of sources...
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