Skunk Kit Death
The first year mortality rate is high with pet skunks, and I dread hearing about the kits that don’t make it. This morning I opened my email to discover a sad letter from someone I know, letting me know she lost her skunk kit sometime the night before. This owner has experience with skunks, other …
Choosing a Veterinarian
If you are new to the skunk world, you may not know just how important it is to choose your skunk’s Veterinarian carefully! A Veterinarian who sees mostly dogs and cats may not be comfortable with seeing captive wildlife and just because they agree to see the skunk, doesn’t mean they are experienced to do …
Baby Season 2016
How exciting, the kits are in pet stores now! While personally, I think nothing is cuter than a baby skunk, every year some people make the mistake of getting a skunk kit before they do their research on how to care for them. This results in the kits being given up for adoption by fall. …
Junior Skunks
Fall is here and for those who got a kit in the spring, your baby is officially a junior skunk. He or she should look just like a smaller version of an adult skunk. By now, the 3 de-wormings are complete. Once your skunk weighs 4 pounds or more, you will switch to using Panacur …
4 Month Old Skunk Kits
September is a busy month for new skunk owners! In September, the kits born in May will be turning 4 months. There were lots of changes in the last few months as kits grow fast, and are starting to look less like a baby skunk. Like other mammals, some body parts may appear to be …
Plants Known to be Toxic to Pets
Since it is baby season, I thought it would be a good reminder to send out the list of plants known to be toxic to skunks and other pets. Even if your plant is on the list that is considered safe, be aware that skunks are naturally inclined to dig and may do severe damage …
Prolapses
Prolapses in skunks most often occur because of improper or incomplete de-worming. This can happen a day or so after de-worming a skunk with a huge parasite load. The dead and dying parasites can cause a blockage that are a medical emergency! An intestinal blockage is another cause of prolapse. In cases where the prolapse …
De-Worming Your Baby Skunk
All baby skunks come with roundworms! Some will come with coccidia (small single cell parasites). Please do not assume that if your skunk has parasites, that you will always see them in the skunk’s stool. That can be a fatal mistake. Parasites, also do not always show up when tested. One of the leading causes …