I must admit this: I love skunks! They get a bad rap with the spraying of nasty musk, but really that only happens when something is honestly trying to kill them. That’s like saying you don’t like Caleb because he’ll throw coffee at you. In truth he wants to drink that coffee, then lick the cup, then run the El Presidente drill.
Skunks are really quite docile, and very curious. They’re also really cute, fluffy and funny!
I was really happy to see this guy last night. The Mrs., not-so-much. Even less when I start talking to it.
Back in college our campus was crawling with skunks, and I knew where several of the holes were. I’d chatter at them, and they’d poke out and see what I was all about. I probably could have hand-fed them if I had any food…but who has any of that stuff in college?
Despite my hatred for them for killing my chickens, they really are pretty cute. Had some relatives in Kansas that had a de-stinkified skunk as a family pet.
I am led to understand that they make excellent pets. You really want to get one that’s been “de-scented” and which has been raised to be a pet, but otherwise they really are cute animals.
I have been closer to a wild skunk that you could ever possibly want. It was 0230 in the high New Mexico desert. I awoke to, “Barron don’t move, you’re on the south end.” I opened my eyes and saw a faint white stripe with a black outline of a shape. He turned around and started staring at me, mere inches from my face.
Seriously, think two man canvas tent with cots. The skunk was in between the cots in the path about as wide as you could walk through. He then proceeded to move under my buddy’s cot at which point I carefully fled outside of the tent. Where I got to stand out side, in the high New Mexico desert, and 0 fuck 30, and freeze my ass off in nothing but my boxers.
Please note we were still in the base camp, not in the true high country yet. No need for bear bags and the like, and my compatriot had some food in his pack. It was toast that night since the skunk found it.
The most hilarious part was another member of the venture crew got a visit from the skunk 7 days later after we arrived back in camp. He wanted all the left over trail food, for what reason none of us know. He had it piled up in a bag hanging within the tent. When we were woken up at 0 fuck 30 by him, we all laughed at him and went back to sleep.
Ahh, those days in scouts were quite fun.
I knew a male nurse years back who had a pet skunk. He’d give her miniature marshmallows as a treat. It was hysterical to watch her chew.
Yes, they are cute, and I’ve met a couple of sweet-natured pet skunks. Back when PFC was in grade school, I was explaining the concept of a canine “play bow.” I said if you get on your knees and slap the ground, a dog will see it as an invitation to play. He said, “Really? ‘Cause if a skunk slaps the ground, you’d better run – that’s last thing he does before spraying! And I don’t think he’s playing.”
They didn’t teach stuff like that when I was in school!
Before I was born, my parents kept a skunk as a pet. After they are de-scented, about the only downside of them is the proclivity all smaller animals seem to have of chewing on damned near everything. The described it as a pretty decent pet, though, and a surprisingly effective watch-animal (which I guess makes sense, given how territorial they can be).