U.A.P.P.E.A.L Skunk Facts

YOU HAVE A NEW BABY !

You’re anxious, nervous and unsure of what to feed your little one, what shots it needs and when it should be wormed. Are there any special supplies you should have on hand for the little one, are there toys he/or she might like, where should he sleep and what bedding should you use. We will try to answer all those questions for you are briefly and as comprehensively as we can.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

Just as with human babies, baby skunks (kits) require frequent feeds per day, a minimum of four evenly spaced meals with an occasional healthy treat between meals.

All babies need a safe and warm, secure place to call their own, especially when you are not able to be with him. A pet taxi works well for this

Babies do not tolerate rapid temperature changes, too hot will cause him to stress and heat stroke is a possibility. Too cold an area can cause chills and possible respiratory problems. Try to house your little one in an area that is comfortable year round to you.

A skunk's ears are very sensitive and you should avoid loud and sharp noises around him. His first week or two in his new home is a trying and stressful period for him and it is wise to avoid contact with friends and neighbors and limit interaction with only immediate family members, thus allowing your little one time to adjust and accept his new found family.

If you have other animals in your home, DO NOT IMMEDIATELY introduce your baby to them. Remember the only species he knows is skunks. Presenting the family dog, cat and or other animal to him immediately may instill fear in him to the point that he will never be comfortable around them. On the other hand, your older pet may be resentful of the newcomer and respond in an aggressive manner to it and cause serious injury or result in its death. Always supervise your skunks around other pets!!!

INTRODUCTION TO THE OTHER HOUSEHOLD PETS MUST BE DONE SLOWLY AND UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A RESPONSIBLE ADULT.

THINGS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY

1. Karo syrup and/or Rescue Remedy, which is found in most all health food stores.
2. Worming medication: Strongid-T, available only through your vet or the generic for Strongid- T.
3. K-Y Jelly or Vaseline
4. Litter box and plain unscented clay kitty litter, wood pellets or newspaper pellets. DO NOT USE CLUMPING LITTER OF ANY KIND.
5. Pet Carrier: they will use this for a sleeping place as well as a means to transport them to the vet when needed.
6. Ingredients and supplies for the SKUNKIE DELIGHT Diet, if you choose to feed it or whatever food you have decided on.
7. Toys: soft, pet-safe stuffed toys, make sure to remove all hanging tags, button eyes and noses. Tennis balls, cat balls and a Buster Cube are also good choices.

THINGS TO GET FOR FUTURE USE.

1. Shampoo: do not use human baby shampoo of any sort, it has a tendency to dry the hair out and leave it very brittle. Many pet stores and pet catalogs now carry all natural shampoos and I am partial to the ones that are OATMEAL based. You can also use a good brand of ferret shampoo. I prefer to avoid human shampoos for my animals as their PH is different from ours.
2. Soft brush, flea comb and regular comb. A great skunk brush is the plastic cat brush made by Hartz.
3. Nail clippers: the cat claw clippers work very well for baby nails and this is my preference. However you can also dog nail clippers, which work better for adult skunks.
4. Kwik-stop powder, in the event that you should nick a vein when trimming the nails.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS

By the time your little one reaches you, it will have begun to lose the natural immunity it acquired from its mother at birth. Skunks can and do contract CANINE VIRUSES but are not known to contract any of the FELINE virus's. Therefore, beginning at age six weeks, your baby MUST be started on his Canine shot regimen. The shots are spaced three but not more then four weeks apart. The recommended vaccine for skunks is

GALAXY DA2PPV. Thus if you begin your shot regimen at age 6 weeks, a second shot would be necessary at age 9 weeks and the third shot due at age 12 weeks.

DO NOT ALLOW YOU VET TO ADMINISTER FER VAC FERRET VACCINE OR FELINE VACCINES. Fer-vac has caused serious complications in skunks, including death. Feline vaccines will do no more than overload the skunk's system and seriously weaken its entire immune system.

RABIES VACCINE.

At this time there is no vaccine legally approved for use in skunks. We do know that the Imrab rabies for ferrets does work but LEGALLY can not be used on skunks . Some vets will use it OFF LABEL, however. You need to be aware that while it will protect your animal against rabies, it offers neither you nor your animal any LEGAL PROTECTION. If the skunk does bite and it is reported, the officials do have the legal right to seize and kill the skunk for rabies testing. You have no say at all in this and we do not want you to have a false sense of security if your vet does administer the vaccine.

For more information on this, go to the ASRR website

Again,

DO NOT ALLOW YOU VET TO ADMINISTER FER VAC FERRET VACCINE OR FELINE VACCINES. It can be fatal.

DEWORMING PROGRAM

Skunks, all skunks, babies and adults are prone to round worms and they must be dewormed on a regular basis to control massive infestation.

The schedule I use and recommend is as follows.

Beginning at age 6 weeks, worm, repeat again 9 weeks and 12 weeks.

After the initial program, I worm mine three times per year or more frequently IF I see evidence that they may have worms, rubbing of button the floor, diarrhea, yellowing of white fur or have a very strong musk odor to them.

The dewormer of choice is STRONGID-T, available only through your vet or the generic versions of STRONGID-T, ANTHALBAN which can be obtained through catalog order at a very reasonable rate and many drug stores.

FOOD REQUIREMENTS

Protein:

Should not exceed more than 40% of your skunk’s daily intake of food. An excellent source of protein is Skunkie D. Please note that this recipe contains raw meat. While skunks are able to handle the raw meat with no problems, some owners are a bit queasy about feeding it to their skunks. If you absolutely cannot handle the thought of feeding your baby raw meat, it is still better to feed this recipe, cooked as a meatloaf, rather than use alternative sources of protein. Feed your skunk one to three heaping tablespoons of SD daily, in addition to the vegetables. Babies need more than adults.

Alternate sources of protein would be to feed your skunk baked chicken, water-packed tuna, baked turkey, lean baked beef, or a variety of baked or broiled fish or tofu. Meats can also be broiled or grilled. Poultry is the most recommended.

We do not recommend cat food for skunks at all. In our experience, many commercial dry and canned cat food causes liver and kidney damage. Most commercial dog and cat foods contain preservatives and chemical additives that are not handled well by a skunk’s delicate system.. If you want to feed a commercially processed dog food, be sure it is a high quality food made with human grade ingredients, like Innova or Royal Canin Natural Blend or Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul. Read labels. Buy all natural dog food with the fewest ingredients and one that uses only human grade ingredients. Feed baby skunks puppy formula. Feed only about 6 pieces, once a day. Once they’re a year old, change to an adult formula.Five years old and older feed senior food. Do NOT feed grocery store food, it is all very low grade. As with anything, read the labels carefully. Some people add supplements to their skunks’ diet. Two excellent supplements are Nu-Cat feline vitamins, available from vets or the Revival Vet Supply catalog, and Platinum Performance Feline formula, available from some vets and online. In addition, you can give your skunks a cold liver oil gelcap or a Vit. A&D gelcap two times a week to aid in better utilization of calcium.

Vegetables:

Should not exceed more than 50% of your skunk’s daily intake of food. This is where variety comes into your skunk’s diet. You can pretty much choose from any of the fresh or frozen vegetables available to you. Some skunk favorites are sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, baby carrots, corn (especially on the cob), raw yellow squash, broccoli, all types of peppers, including hot, but my skunks’ all time favorite is red bell peppers. Also snow pea pods, water chestnuts, and baked potatoes (no butter). Fresh is the absolute best, followed by frozen. We don’t recommend canned at all. Asparagus has been known to cause seizures in skunks and many skunks are skunks are allergic to avocado.

Other foods:

Should not exceed more than 10% of your skunk’s daily intake of food. Several suggestions are fruit, (no more than 2-3 times per week), a tsp. Of plain yogurt, unsweetened cereal, like Cheerios, whole grain unsalted crackers, plain popcorn, pasta, & low fat cottage cheese. Stay away from refines sugars, foods high in salt or preservatives, dyes, and foods high in fat.

Chocolate is toxic to skunks.

RECIPE FOR SKUNKIE DELIGHT

• 2 cups of millet
• 2 eggs
• 2 pounds ground turkey, chicken or very lean ground beef
• 4 tablespoons of healthy powder
• (RECIPE BELOW)
• 2 tablespoons of bonemeal (or 4,000mg.calcium or 2 1/4 teaspoons eggshell powder)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, cold pressed safflower, soy or corn oil
• 200 IU vitamin E
• 10,000 I.U. Vitamin A – I use the A&D gelcaps.
• 500 mg. taurine supplement

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, add the millet, cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until the water is absorbed. You may need to add a bit more water during cooking. When the millet is soft, stir in the eggs and let them set a bit in the hot millet. Then mix in the remaining ingredients.

Immediately freeze what can’t be eaten in 3 – 4 days.

Grain Substitutes: 4 cups rolled oats to eight cups of water , 2 cups bulgar to 4 cups of water or 2 cups brown rice to 4 cups water, or barley. Any whole grain will work well.

HEALTHY POWDER;

• 2 cups nutritional yeast
• 1 cup lecithin granules
• 1/4 cup kelp powder
• 1/4 cup HUMAN GRADE bonemeal (or 9,000mg calcium or 5 teaspoons eggshell powder)
• 1,000 mg. vitamin C (powdered)

Mix all ingredients together in a 1 quart container and refrigerate.

TRAINING, GROOMING, etc.

Litter training:

Some babies just naturally start using a litterbox . Almost all skunks prefer to use a corner for their bathroom. The litterbox should be placed in a corner of the room where your skunk will spend most of its time. Usually they will pick the preferred corner, just put the box there. Some people prefer to use newspaper - do it the same way, put the paper in the preferred corner. You may need to provide boxes in several different corners - whatever works best is the way to go. The best way to show your baby what is expected in, if you catch him going, pick him up and place him in the litterbox. If he doesn’t cooperate in the way, pick up some of his stool and put it in the box. Be patient and consistent. Expect accidents. Two of my skunks are 6 years old and the still have accidents.

HINT: Use straight white vinegar to neutralize urine odor from accidents. Use ¼ cup bleach to one gallon water for cleaning boxes and pet carriers.

GROOMING:

Brush your skunk gently every day to get him used to brushing. The best way to control shedding and dander is with daily brushing. Handle your skunks feet gently as much as possible. As a rule, skunks don’t like to have their feet handled so you need to get him used to it. When he is older, he’ll need his nails clipped every other week or so, so he needs to be prepared to allow this. Starting young makes grooming easier on all involved. Skunks don’t need frequent baths - I usually bathe mine about once every 6 months. But, as with other routines, you must get him used to it while he is very young. Fill the sink with warm water just to his “knee level” - no more than a few inches. Don’t let the water run continuously as it can scare the baby. Pour water from a cup onto his back - but not over his head. I use a washcloth on faces so they don’t get afraid of water in their eyes and nose. Lather well and massage gently all over his body, talking soothingly the whole time. Rinse all the shampoo put completely. I usually follow with a rinse of vinegar/water to be sure all residues are washed out. The best shampoos are ones made for animals. I prefer an oatmeal based non-soap shampoo. Human shampoos are generally too harsh for skunk’s. Towel dry and don’t let that baby get chilled. If your skunk doesn’t mind the blow dryer, you can try drying her gently - be careful not to let her overheat.

REMEMBER:

Be sure to always speak to your skunk in a calm, soft voice. Never lift your skunk by the tail. If you catch your skunk doing something he shouldn’t, use a loud, firm NO! and a dirty look. NEVER, EVER HIT YOUR SKUNK. Command should be simple and few words.

SAFE AND SECURE:

There are several good ways to give your skunk a safe, secure place to call his own. Skunks love dens. My skunks have solid plastic crates with the door removed as bedrooms. They fill them with baby blankets and towels and are as happy as can be. An unused empty bedroom or bathroom is a great place for their own room. A lot of us can’t do that, however. While we prefer to see skunks have free run of your home, we know this isn’t always possible. A skunk can get into as much as a human toddler! An unopened door or cabinet is a challenge to be met. Trash cans are there to explore, piece by piece.

I do not believe in caging skunks, there are just no benefits to that and too many alternatives. My favorite alternative is a “Rover Enclosure” pen. These wonderful pens are made of PVC pipes. My husband made me a wonderful one complete with flooring. It can be dismantled for travel and we can enlarge it at any time. My skunks are in their enclosure while we are at work and while we’re sleeping at night, for their own safety. I have several “teepee” type cat beds and an open crate in it for them to sleep in and there are several toys for them to play with, along with their litterbox. While they prefer to be with us, they are happy in the enclosure when that isn’t possible. When we travel, everyone is safely contained in a crate , like a Vari’Kennel”.

Be sure closets and cabinets are closed at all times, as skunks love to explore. Keep potted plants wee out of their reach. Check your refrigerator before you close it back - is there a clever skunk on the bottom shelf? With a skunk, expect the unexpected! You can never skunk-proof your home too carefully! Protect your sheetrock walls, as these guys love to dig. Plastic floor runners are recommended to protect carpet and floors in front of doors.

Look carefully on your skunk’s level for any inviting challenges that could result in an accident. Be aware of all chemicals, insulation, anything that a skunk could ingest that could kill him. Be sure, at ALL times, that there is never a way he could escape to the outside. Very few escaped skunks have been returned. And a skunk has NO defenses against predators. Even your dog in the backyard could be a killer. Plan for the worst scenario and take action to protect that curious baby. It is up to you to keep your skunk safe because he can’t do it himself.