Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[poisonjedhead]

is any one in the UK keeping striped skunks.
are there any laws regarding them, I'm thinking surely they are not DWA.
i had the pleasure of meeting one in Holland were a pet shop had one, i really wish i had brought that little guy, though my girlfriend thought it not such a good idea.... I'll never know.
would like to find out the possibility's of getting one in England though.
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retierd and spending my childrens inheritance.

[loulou]

I have two skunks here they are not DWA no regs on them, but descenting is an issue so getting a descented one is important, plus females must be spayed or bred

will post more when i finish work

[poisonjedhead]

thank you that would be nice.

the term descented dose that mean the animal is still fertile or dose it need to be castrated?
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retierd and spending my childrens inheritance.

[Ally]

Descenting is where the scent glands are removed. The Skunk is still fertile but cannot spray you! They can however go through the motions of spraying, so you will always know if you have upset or threatened it in any way.

[loulou]

I am sorry I have not been able to reply sooner but I have lost to use of my PC and have to bribe the other half to nick his

Captive skunks ok as said they are NOT DWA but no vet will descent a whole skunk, so if you want a captive skunk get one already descented, plus very very few vets will treat a skunk for anything if it is capable of spraying which is another reason why its a good idea to look for one that is descented. The descenting issue is a bit up in the air atm anyway as the new AWB is looking into making it illegal rather than just against the RCVS ethics, so saying that if you want to breed you will have a very very hard job of getting your young descented and no descenting means you will have a hard job finding a vet that will treat them and give them their jabs.

Females are induced ovulators so its very important to have her spayed before her first season (if you do not intend to breed) not doing this and not breeding her can cause serious problems and worst case scenario can kill her, its recommended to get a female skunk spayed at 6 months of age, sooner if you can.

Males can go through a very nasty stage through the breeding season this can be reduced with castration, but you do not have to do this if you do not breed you will just have to put up with a very stroppy male for a few weeks each year.

I am making skunks sound horrible but they are wonderful, mine chase me around the room playing tag and charge at me doing their little handstand to let me know its play time, my female mary jane will sleep in my lap and climb up for cuddles, my male is alot more aloof and he will have mad run aroudn times with the dog but not so much with us. Stompy our male took two weeks from finding the kitchen to learn how to break into the fridge, one time he was caught in the act and ran off with a lettuce (which he hates) and made an awful grunting noise and chucked it at us, to which he stomped off in disgust.

Skunks need to have jabs when young, some people have boosters every year done some do not, these jabs are both the dog and cat jabs, they need to be wwormed every month and occasionally will need flea treatment.

Apart from the jabs and worming the diet is the main thing heres a lin to one american site for skunsk with their diet plan to give you an idea http://www.skunkhaven.net/DietNutrition.htm

this link is also a pretty good caresheet so take a look and get an idea of what skunks are about.


PS if you get a skunk from abroad you will have to sort out quarantine for it and there are a few breeders in the UK but not many

Hope this is of some help to you

[poisonjedhead]

thanks loulou

I've only ever met one skunk and it was love at first sight.

i know the laws state side, varies from state to state on there views as skunks been acceptable pets, is this due to the descenting issues?

Do you really deworm them every month.
i have been lead to believe the medicine used to deworm can be rather taxing on the liver?

none the less thanks for the info, could i pm you later on in the year for a reliable source of breeders in the UK if my situation changes and i find i have the time and conditions for one?

fingers crossed, let the skunk enter our lives
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retierd and spending my childrens inheritance.

[loulou]

You have to be very careful what wormer you use, always talk to your vet about medication your skunk will need the first time around so you know you are getting it right but do not use any wormer containing piperazine citrate, I use a horse wormer ( I wont give out the name on the internet as if anyone reads and follows the advice I do not want o be held responsible) but most use a dog wormer, some skunk owners do not worm their skunks or do it very rarely but one that i know of never did and she had a horrible spagetti like mass come from her skunk and he was riddled, she now worms every month as advised by her vet. the other skunk owner i know and speak to regular also worms every month

I am very lucky though my vet is a specialist exotics vet and has worked with skunks among other animals for years he is also the vet for our two local zoos, I trust him completely and wouldnt go to anyone else, hes also not shy to tell me if he does not know something and goes out of his way to find someone that does.