I am stuck with a skunk family in our barn.. A mother and there seems to be 2 young ones.. They are adorable little things but....... :blink:

At night the mother leaves to go hunting, and she leaves the two babies. I have no idea how old they are... but I'm guessing a couple of months..

What I would like to know is: When does a skunk start spraying???

This is the same barn that my wild turkeys are in... see my other post...
Here

We don't want to have to kill them for nothing.. but I don't want to get sprayed either... and we do have a dog!!!

TIA

i always heard moth balls. this may be an old wives tail but thats just what i heard but you may want to see if they would harm they turkeys? i am not sure but my great grandma swears it will keep skunks and racoons out of places?

They may not harm the turkeys, but they stole the first batch of eggs that they layed! I guess that is why Lafille layed her eggs under my kitchen window this time. I leave the porch light to try and deter the mother skunk from coming around... So far so good!

Does anyone know at what age skunks do start spraying?? I really would like to know for how long I can walk in the barn without being sprayed!! :lol:

It's more of a behavior thing. The skunks in my area are on a 'timer'. They know when not to be in my yard because the dogs will be loose. I would think the baby skunks are able to spray as soon as they're able to roam on their own. If and when they become comfortable with you and the times you come into the barn is when they won't bother you. As long as you don't bother them. lol

They can spray at 8 days old I found from this page:

http://www.awrc.org/skunks.htm

If they don't feel threatened, skunks won't spray. Babies are more docile and even though they can, they may not spray if they were young and picked up. If they're already running around, they are old enough to probably spray if you try to pick them up.

Here are some links of evicting and deterring skunks:

http://www.livingwithwildlife.org/wildlife...mals/skunk.html

http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/urban_wildlif...ith_skunks.html

http://www.mercercounty.org/mcwc/PDFs/MCWC...g%20skunks'

http://www.massaudubon.org/printwildlife.php?id=27

http://www.fundwildlife.org/coexist/skunks.html

I hope those give you some ideas! It seems you'll have to wait until the babies are up and running and then seal any openings they're using to get in. They won't harm your adult turkeys but may continue to get eggs and possibly poults if any hatch.

Thank you soooooooooo much for these links!!! They are really, very interesting...

I guess I'll try and wait it out, for the young un's to leave with Mom!!

Benny and Lafille (my two wild turkeys for those of you that didn't know)are virtually living under my kitchen window for the moment so it will give the skunks time to grow up and leave!! :) The 2 young uns play around like 2 little kittens.. rolling over each other and running around! They are soooooooo cute, that we can't bare to kill them sooooo...
But I will have some peroxide ready in case we need it!! :lol:

Hi,

I have a pet skunk, his name is Waldo (he is not descented). This is my second pet skunk, the first one got killed by a car.
In general, skunks spray far less than one would imagine. I also have noticed that when skunks get used to people (heh, they are sooo easy to tame) they almost never spray. Should they spray anyways, tomato juice will take the smell away in a hurry. But as long as you don't make any sudden movements, chances are that they won't spray.
Spraying is a last resort because they actually can't stand the smell either.
As was mentioned here before, skunks, like many other animals, are smart and they will get to know your habits. They will stay out of your way. They will find out when you come and go and they will not bother you.
The best way to deal with them is to create habits so that they can get used to your habits and work around your schedule.
Just be aware of the tail. Skunks can't spray unless their tail is in an upward position. As long as you don't see the tail go up you don't have to run..
But I promise they won't spray as long as you walk around slowly. It are sudden movements that scare them. Once my cat accidentally jumped right on top of Waldo, she came running out of nowhere and they kind of collided. That was the one and only time that Waldo sprayed. (unfortunately it happened right in front of my kitchen door)

Usually skunks are on their own. Should you get rid of the skunks, chances are you will get other skunks. But as long as you let the skunks live where they live, you might not get any more skunks and the ones you have around now can get used to you very easily. In other words, getting rid of the skunks would be like inviting other skunks to come and live with you. It's like solving one problem and creating another problem in the process. So perhaps the best way to deal with this is to let them be, they will get used to you and you won't have to worry about them.

They are mainly nocturnal animals (Waldo sleeps practically all day long and he roams around at night) and they get along with cats VERY well. Their favorite food is catfood by the way. It is true that skunks love eggs, so that will be a problem with the turkeys. Maybe you can put a fence around the turkeys?

If there are any areas where you don't want the skunks to come, just sprinkle some cayenne pepper around. The smell hurts them and they will avoid such places. Of course when you have a dog I'm not sure if the dog would get bothered by the cayenne pepper.

Strange as it may sound, skunks calm down when you sing. Since I am known in the neighborhood as the "skunk tamer" I've had many a phone call from people asking to help get rid of their skunks. I usually life trap them, then I throw a blanket over the trap and take the trap away. The traps are not high enough for them to put up their tail so they can't spray. I then take the skunk to the woods and let it free. I start singing before I remove the blanket and sure enough, by the time I take the blanket away the skunk is very calm. I then give it a bit of cat food and open the trap. I've never gotten sprayed by those skunks.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Your skunk is inside or outside? What does he think of your new chickens or haven't they met? He would like some eggs I'm sure. Why didn't you have him descented? I assume he was wild and not one of the domesticated skunks that some people have. I've seen some in all different colors. We'd love to see a photo of Waldo.

Well, it all started with my first Waldo. One day I went to the woods to check on a friend's traps. One of the life traps had a skunk trapped in it. How to get a skunk out of a life trap I thought? My friend was in bed with the flu so I knew I had to deal with this on my own. I didn't want to shoot the poor skunk and I also didn't want to let him starve to death. I went all the way back home and came back with some cat food. I taped a spoon to the end of a stick and started feeding the skunk cat food. He loved it. I did this for hours on end, little bits of food at a time. Each time I came a bit closer to the trap until I was right next to it. I had been talking to the skunk constantly. Finally I was able to slowly open the trap. I carefully backed away and started walking away from the trap. I then turned around and started walking home. After a while I looked behind me and to my utmost surprise the skunk was following me. He followed me all the way home. Once there I gave him some more catfood. A few days later I found out that the skunk was here to stay. He made acquaintance with my cat and they got along just great. They became such good friends that you never saw one without the other. Waldo became very tame and I could pet him, pick him up, everything.. I allowed him to come in the house in wintertime, risking being sprayed, but by the time winter rolled around he was so tame that I couldn't imagine him spraying at all. He stayed with me for about a year and then he got killed by a car. It really broke my heart. Even the cat was sad and kept looking for him. A while later I decided to trap another skunk and thus arrived the Waldo I have now. He wasn't as easy to tame as my previous one, it took longer before he got used to me but now he is part of the family. I don't have my skunk descented for the same reason I'd never have my cat declawed. Both love to be outdoors. For Waldo his scent gland is his means to defend himself against predators. I wouldn't take that away from him. He feels very comfortable in the house so I highly doubt that he would ever spray. Mousti (my cat) and Waldo sleep in the same bed. A nice bed I made out of a cardboard box. I put a soft blanket in the box and they love sleeping in it. They really only come in the house when I wake up in the morning. They eat and then they go in their bed and sleep most of the day. They wake up around dusk and go back outside where they roam around during the night. Waldo usually sleeps longer than Mousti.
No he has not seen my chickens yet. By the time he wakes up the chickens are already in the coop for the night with the door closed. Plus I have a pen. Neither Mousti nor Waldo can actually get to the chickens.
I don't have a camera but buying one is definitely on my list. As soon as I have one I'll be able to show pictures.
Skunks make great pets and they are very affectionate. Waldo loves to be petted. He listens to his name and he loves to sit on my lap.

Wow, you have some way with the wild beasts! What you've done is tame wild skunks as opposed to buying a domesticated one which they sell. Obviously, since Waldo is really wild and just paying you a visit, he would need to retain his spraying abilities. At our house, I'm sure if we opened the door, the raccoons would come in and make themselves at home.

I'm not sure what the laws are in your area, but here where I live, if we brought any wild animal into our house and/or tamed it, and someone found out, they put the animal down. We have a wildlife sanctuary near us. The woman who runs it had a couple of raccoons. One time they accidently "got together." When the authorities found out about the babies, the babies were immediately murdered because she didn't have a license to breed them, and they're paranoid about rabies and such. I'm just saying this because you want to be careful who you tell about any wild animals that you have in your possession. You may not want to be as forthcoming as you have been here. I would never "rat" on anyone who has an animal they shouldn't but others might.

Fairchild's "secret" is very safe with me!!!! I love reading her enteries!! I am an animal lover too!! :D

LOL Thanks Ellen!

Robyn, you are right. We have the same laws here. It is against the law to tame a wild animal and keep it in the house. However, this friend of mine whom I checked the traps for is a forest ranger. He is also the one who would be coming to people's house and take their wild animals away should they be discovered. Since I found the skunk while doing HIM a big favor he'll never say anything about it. He knows about my "pet" and he even helped me trap another skunk after my first Waldo died. Just about everyone in town knows about Waldo but this is a very small town and people don't rat on one another. One could say that time has stopped here a hundred years ago. Everyone helps everyone and everyone knows the dirt on everyone else. Trading is preferred over buying and selling. Every house has a key under the mat. People multi-task. The school principal is also the mayor. The funeral director delivers the newspapers, etc.. I feel quite blessed.

Well, I obviously won't tell either!! I'm finding this whole thread super interesting!!
I've learned more about skunks this past week, then I have in almost a lifetime!! :)
I find it soooooooooo cool that you've been able to tame wild skunks!!! If it weren't for the turkeys and our dog, I would like to try it!!
I have no idea what our laws are here in Canada!! But as we are in the country, I doubt anyone would say anything!!

Our skunks are still around, although I haven't seen the 2 babies for a couple of nights. I think they must have started roaming around with Mom..

They are definately around here tho.... as last night at around 12:30 am..we woke to that familiar smell!!! Something had just gotten sprayed. Well we finally got back to sleep, not thinking anymore of it! Our dog was inside with us, so we said, no problem!!

We got up this morning, and before going to work I always say goodmorning to Benny and Lafille, and check their water, etc. Well guess who got it????

Benny got sprayed!!! :blink: :o He must have started running after one of them again, and got it!!

Anyone ever bathe a turkey with tomato juice??? :) :) :) :) lololol

fairchild,where do you live i wanna move there!!!! i think it is neat you would take an animal everyone usaully wants to kill and show it love and compassion!!

Jessw, I live in the higher elevations of the Adirondack mountains (Upstate New York) but you really don't want to move here unless you love temperatures of 40 below zero and colder. Traditionally we have two seasons here.. July and winter. I love the peace and nature this area provides. I am retired as a travelling magician/juggler and am currently working on my second book. The peace and nature is all I need to keep the inspiration flowing.

I have a friend who has tamed several black bears. If anyone need to know anything about bears, heh I know quite a bit about them and it is my wish to tame one of my own, but that might still be a few years down the road.


Dublon, glad you learned a few things about skunks. The most important thing to know is that they are generally very friendly and they are by no means our enemy. As you said.. "if it weren't for the turkeys and the dog.." that is always a problem, mixing different kinds of animals that usually don't live together. They have their instincts, and unless you have them all together when they are still babies, it often won't work out.

Poor Benny, he will smell for a while. The smell will be worse when he is wet, so make sure he doesn't go play in a puddle or in the rain.

mmm i think i will pass on temp!! i have a 4yr old 3 yr old and 7 month old who love to swim so i dont think theyd be to happy there!! i live in tennessee and i like it ok? and wow on the black bear that is so neat!! they only thing i have tamed is a cat!!

LOL jessw, taming a cat could be considered a huge accomplishment. I know for a fact that my cat tamed ME. She decides when she goes out, what kind of food she eats, when she gets treats, etc.. I have little or no say in the rules my cat made.

Dublon,
My co-workers think I am crazy......I laughed so hard about poor Benny!! Poor guy!! The visual is hysterical!! :lol: You and Fairchild keep this interesting thread going. I want to hear about the bears!!
Ellen

Jess, where do you live in TN? I live north of Memphis.
Ellen

Well i think my cat rules the roost to!! i live in southern middle tn in shelbyville walking horse capital of the world!! or so they say!!

The turkeys are neat!! i am anxious to see how he does when the little ones hatch!!

My daughter, who lives in Maryland, volunteers at the Baltimore Zoo. She works in the Animal Embassy. And there is a skunk in there named Flower. She is the sweetest thing. She has been descented. I believe she was someone's pet at some time. When you hold her she puts her head in the crook of your arm and lets you just love her. I can see how you get attached to the wild ones Fairchild. Keep up the good work!!

Ellen, you'll have to let us know sometime when we (my mother Ellen and I) go back to the Baltimore Zoo (oops, Maryland Zoo at Baltimore, blah!) if your daughter is around that day to show us some behind the scenes stuff. We did that once with a vet there but that was a long time ago. I would love to hold a skunk! My boss has a friend who works at the Washington Zoo. He got to hold the baby panda before it even went public. He doesn't even like animals so I was super jealous!

Robyn,
Yes, Angie can take you and your mother to the zoo. It would be best to wait til this fall...they do educational things with their animals and go to schools, birthdays, daycares, etc. In fall they are not so busy. You can email Angie at: astraughn@verizon.net She loves to show off her babies. So, email her, ok? I went with her to the zoo in May. They have Flower, 3 penquins (Tux, Tails & Ascot), servel, porcupine (Marty) he is soooooo sweet, snakes, giant bunny, 110 pound python, turtles, tucan, hawks, kucabara (sp), owls, a big fat rooster named Colonel, parrots, maccaws!! That would be great. Angie is my daughter that helped me dig my pond. She is also a pond person.
Ellen

Well don't worry Ellen!!! lololol My co-workers and family think I'm crazy too sooooo join the club!! :)

Of course we didn't see this happen, but Benny looked awfully pitiful the next morning!! Poor thing!! Of course he got very insulted when we laughed at him!!
Since his spraying... he has officially given up his night job, and roosts on the porch railing now... not too far from where Lafille has taken over the brooding job... full time!!

His day time job is watching over Lafille, and running after cars that come in the yard... including mine when I try to leave for work!! Man he runs fast!!! If he keeps this up, we'll have to rename him Roadrunner!!

Oh and we have a new thing going on now... Turkey eggs are turning up in the yard!!! Either my dog brings them in the house, and plops them on the floor, or we find them here and there outside!! They are not Lafille's eggs.. She started out with 13 and she still has 13!!

Are the skunks bringing them from somewhere?? Maybe an apology to Benny for spraying him?? I have no idea!! :ph43r:

LOL that is strange, turkey eggs showing up in the yard.
We have a lot of wild turkeys here. And sure enough, the one time of the year when they are everywhere is right around Thanksgiving. A while ago, I woke up and went outside, and right in my back yard were about a hundred wild turkeys. Hmm.. maybe something else to tame..

100 turkeys at once! Wow! In 30 years here, I've had two "I'm not sure if I saw what I saw" wild turkey sightings and one definite one. One bird each time. That's it!

The extra eggs must be from wild nests in the area. Dogs are more apt to dump them around. The skunks would eat them I'd think.

So, I guess Benny won't answer the question for us then of whether or not a tom can incubate full time and what would have happened if he'd hatched them. It's lucky he's not bothering the hen while she's sitting. My tom would trample my hen if she sat down.

It is too bad that Benny didn't keep brooding as it would have been extremely interesting to see what would have happened. But...
he is being a very good boy, staying beside Lafille all day long. Every once in a while he'll get up and run around abit, only to return to Lafille's side!!

It is really quite the love affair!! I guess his real test will be when the eggs hatch! 20 days to go!!

And at least the skunk smell is wearing off a bit!! :)

It must be SO cute to watch them!! :D