Skunks can travel several miles a day, and unless found, a lost pet skunk is in trouble. Unlike cats and dogs, domesticated skunks lack homing instincts to find their way back. Skunks can carry rabies. Any skunk large enough to require two hands to pick up is old enough to be on its own. Skunks can only catch rabies by being bitten by another rabid animal or by eating the carrion of a rabid animal before it starts decomposing. The disease's latency period is only about 5 days longer than a dog or human, and only rarely 'months' longer.
Skunks cannot climb so they always make their homes at floor level or below. Skunks can spray their scented yellowish musky fluid up to 10 feet very accurately. But skunks can also create similar strong odors even without spraying. Skunks can have a variety of dispositions. Some are solitary like their cousin the wild skunk, some are sociable to other skunks and other domestic pets in the household.
Skunks can also cause severe damage to gardens and lawns by their digging activities. While searching for grubs and other subsoil insects, skunks frequently uproot turf and other plants. Skunks can cause an odor problem, not to mention the damage and mess of digging. The solution is to exclude them, thus preventing access in the first place. Skunks can spray foul-smelling liquid at predators, and the smell is very hard to get off. Skunks do not hibernate in the winter, but they barely eat anything and don't move very much.
Skunks can carry rabies, but so can raccoons, oppossums, bats, dogs, cats, etc. No, they're not born with it. Skunks can only run at a rate of about ten miles an hour, which explains why so many are killed by cars. Drivers expect them to move away, just as other wild animals do�but instead a skunk will stand still, getting ready to spray. Skunks can spray their musk up to 15 ft. For instructions on getting rid of the smell, read How to get rid of skunk smell.
Showing posts with label skunks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skunks. Show all posts
Sunday, May 23, 2010
What About Skunks-Things About Skunks
Skunks are very curious by nature: they go exploring. Baby skunks can get lost and hurt very easily. Skunks are not aggressive, but they can cause damage to lawns and gardens as they dig around hunting for grubs. Skunks leave a distinct cone shaped hole when they dig for insects. Skunks are a significant carrier of rabies in the United States. This status, as well as their propensity to use urbanized areas, makes them a serious potential source of human exposure to rabies.
Skunks are a mild-mannered, slow-moving, mind-your-own-business kind of animal. If provoked, they may spray people or pets. Skunks are mild-tempered animals that will not defend themselves unless they are cornered or harmed. Skunks have the ability to dis charge nauseating musk from the anal glands and are capable of several dis charges, not just one. Skunks are relatively inactive during the winter months. Young are born in the spring to coincide with nice weather and abundance of food, and are blind and deaf at birth.
Skunks are rare in our area, although we have two types occasionally found in Volusia county. The most prevalent is actually the spotted skunk, seen at the left. Skunks are probably best known for their ability to spray foul-smelling fluid as a defense against predators. Most wild skunks spray only when injured or attacked, as a defense mechanism. Skunks are native to the Americas and and are noted in historical accounts of Christopher Columbus . Skunks were reportedly kept as pets by some Native American nations.
Skunks are not entirely a problem, and there actually are benefits to having them around, and there have been uses for their fur and musk. While we dislike the damage they will cause to lawns we do need to recognize the value of their diet on insects. Skunks are primarily nocturnal mammals, preferring to hunt at night for grubs, insects, small rodents, carrion, fruit, berries, unripened corn, mushrooms and other food items. In urban areas, they feed on pet food, garbage, fruit that has fallen from trees, and garden vegetables. Skunks are very sensitive to light. The mother will move her babies to another nest site and you can then safely close the hole.
Skunks are excellent diggers and may try to gain entry by digging under fences. Skunks are easy to catch and can be transported without releasing their scent if done carefully. If you did not cover the trap with canvas, tarp, or thick burlap when it was set, slowly approach the animal, and gently cover the trap with the material. Skunks are slow-moving mammals and members of the weasel family, commonly identified by their jet-black fur with one or more white stripes running down their backs. One skunk species looks as though it is wearing a hood, with neck hair spread out into a ruff.
Skunks are a mild-mannered, slow-moving, mind-your-own-business kind of animal. If provoked, they may spray people or pets. Skunks are mild-tempered animals that will not defend themselves unless they are cornered or harmed. Skunks have the ability to dis charge nauseating musk from the anal glands and are capable of several dis charges, not just one. Skunks are relatively inactive during the winter months. Young are born in the spring to coincide with nice weather and abundance of food, and are blind and deaf at birth.
Skunks are rare in our area, although we have two types occasionally found in Volusia county. The most prevalent is actually the spotted skunk, seen at the left. Skunks are probably best known for their ability to spray foul-smelling fluid as a defense against predators. Most wild skunks spray only when injured or attacked, as a defense mechanism. Skunks are native to the Americas and and are noted in historical accounts of Christopher Columbus . Skunks were reportedly kept as pets by some Native American nations.
Skunks are not entirely a problem, and there actually are benefits to having them around, and there have been uses for their fur and musk. While we dislike the damage they will cause to lawns we do need to recognize the value of their diet on insects. Skunks are primarily nocturnal mammals, preferring to hunt at night for grubs, insects, small rodents, carrion, fruit, berries, unripened corn, mushrooms and other food items. In urban areas, they feed on pet food, garbage, fruit that has fallen from trees, and garden vegetables. Skunks are very sensitive to light. The mother will move her babies to another nest site and you can then safely close the hole.
Skunks are excellent diggers and may try to gain entry by digging under fences. Skunks are easy to catch and can be transported without releasing their scent if done carefully. If you did not cover the trap with canvas, tarp, or thick burlap when it was set, slowly approach the animal, and gently cover the trap with the material. Skunks are slow-moving mammals and members of the weasel family, commonly identified by their jet-black fur with one or more white stripes running down their backs. One skunk species looks as though it is wearing a hood, with neck hair spread out into a ruff.
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