Pet Skunks
One of these trips brought Gale face to face with a black and white skunk. The skunk’s curious nature and playfulness amused the woman, and she soon found herself handing the sales associate a credit card to pay for her purchase.
I must add here that state laws change from time to time. At this time, the state of Ohio allows people to have skunks for pets, as long as the owner has a permit. But it’s illegal to own any variety of skunk in the states of Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Many other states allow skunks to be kept as pets, but there are restrictions. For example, in Alabama, they’re allowed if they are bred within the state; in Michigan a permit is required, as well as an outside cage; only certain areas of New York allow skunks with a permit, and so on.
Before you purchase a pet skunk, make sure you check with the Fish and Game Commission or the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in your state to find out the current laws. Also, check your local laws to make sure you’re allowed to own a pet skunk.
The skunk that Gale bought was curious, alert, energetic, and its eyes were bright and shiny. These are all good signs that the animal was healthy. It’s nose was dry, and not runny, and neither were its eyes. And, its fur was soft and shiny. ***Not only was the skunk descented, but it also had had its vaccinations and shots. These are three things that are vital for the health of your pet!
Besides visiting a pet shop, you can also purchase this type of pet from a licensed shelter or breeder who possesses a current permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
You should also know that skunks are only born in the spring of each year. They are descented at around four weeks of age. So, if you want a very young animal, you’ll be able to normally purchase one sometime in June or July.
Gale hadn’t planned on making this special purchase, so didn’t take a cage with her to the pet store. So, she had to purchase a leash and a collar for her new friend. The skunk rode well on the trip home, and she inspected the car from the floor to the headrests.
Once at home, Gale set up a separate litter box, a food dish, and a water dish for “Flower”. Skunks are not carnivorous. Instead, they eat foods like chunked chicken, fresh eggs, vegetables and fruit, tuna fish and small pieces of turkey. Flower also loved chocolate chips and plain M&MâÂ?¢ candies, as Gale would soon find out. But chocolate isn’t real beneficial for a skunk’s health, so the treats were kept to a minimum. The treats were also kept out of lower cupboards so Flower couldn’t help herself whenever she had a sweet tooth. Flower also had a strong affection for PepsiâÂ?¢ Cola. But again, she was only allowed to enjoy a tiny bit once in awhile.
An indoor skunk such as Flower needed to be litter-box trained, and she learned the task quickly. Just like a kitten, she learned by repetition. Gale continually placed her in her litter box, especially when she headed for a corner of a room.
Flower grew to be the size of an average cat, weighing in at about eight pounds. She was allowed to wander around two adjoining rooms in Gale’s house during the day time. The kitchen cupboards were tied shut at all times, and small items were kept off the floor, so she didn’t get ahold of something she shouldn’t have.
At night, much to Flower’s dismay, she was confined to an enclosed porch where her litter box was located. This kept her out of trouble as the rest of the household slept. Skunks are nocturnal, and she was most active in the evening hours.
Tame skunks like a lot of attention and they also like to play. Flower received a lot of holding and cuddling, and she seemed to love every minute of it. Her personality wasn’t aggressive at all. She was just a friendly, curious, fun-loving skunk!
As time passed, Gale grew to love her unusual pet as much as she loved her indoor cats. Flower and the cats cohabitated together with very little incident. Flower loved to eat dry cat food, and the cats didn’t mind sharing their food dish with her.
Just like cats, Flower was taken to the veterinarian once a year for a checkup to make sure she was healthy and doing well. Skunks usually have a lifespan of ten to twelve years old. Unfortunately, in her eighth year of life, Flower suffered a stroke and passed away shortly thereafter.
She may be gone, but Flower will never be forgotten, as she touched Gale’s life and the life of everyone who every met her!
