Are Skunks Good Pets?

No, skunks are not good pets. In fact, no wild animal makes for a good pet, and the clue is really in the name — the animal is a WILD one. It might be nice to coexist with skunks in the backyard, as long as they can't get into the home, but it is not a smart idea to invite that animal right in. 


Rabies 

Skunks are a dangerous animal as far as rabies is concerned. Once upon a time, it would have been common practice to believe that a skunk seen out during the day is an infected or rabid one, but this is no longer the case. Skunks regularly come out during the day in this day and age, despite being nocturnal animals, and this is because there is such a high demand and competition for food during the night, when they would usually go on the hunt. To counteract this, the skunks have simply chosen to change their pattern a little. This doesn't apply to all skunks in all areas, nor is it a reason to get close to a skunk that is seen out and about during the day. 

Rabies can be a danger even when the skunk doesn't appear to be infected. The disease can lie in an almost dormant state for a few hours, days, or even weeks and months before the symptoms start to show, and the skunk could still bite and infect other animals during that time. 


Spray 

Skunks spray. If you've never had the misfortune of being sprayed by one, we'll save you the bother: it smells. It smells very bad, and for a long time. Getting rid of the odor is virtually impossible (unless you have the tricks of the trade), and in some cases, the spray could even be dangerous. If sprayed in the face, something that often happens with dogs, temporary blindness puts any animal in danger, including humans. The spray can also cause labored breathing if it gets into the mouth or nose, and in some cases, it can have a burning effect on the skin. 

If you choose to have a pet skunk, you must either live with an animal that is going to spray you, your family, and your other pets or animals, whenever it feels threatened or startled. Even something simple such as playing with the animal could result in a spraying situation, and it's not a scent you're going to want to actively invite into your home. 

Skunks are descented before being presented as pets, although this is practice considered highly inhumane and gives the animal absolute no shot of staying alive, should you then decide to release it back into the wild again. In almost every case of homeowners adopting a skunk as their new exotic pet, they realize that the critter is too much to handle and usually passes it along. We have encountered plenty of pet skunks that have been released. Sadly, as much as you can't take the wild out of these animals, taking the tame out of them once you're done with them is also difficult. They struggle coming to terms with life as a wild animal once they have already been a pet. 


Other Diseases

There are so many different reasons why skunks don't make good pets. Rabies is just one of a long list of diseases that have been linked to the black and white fur ball, and those diseases can affect you, your family, your children, other animals on your property, and even other animals in the wild. That's before you look into just how vicious the humble skunk can be. 


Threatening Behavior & Conflict

With long, arched claws, they'll do some pretty hefty damage if they choose to get angry, and you just don't know when a skunk will get angry, particularly a once-wild one. With some animals, something as simple as not allowing them access to a food they aren't allowed to have could be perceived as a reason to get angry. Many human-animal conflicts arise as a direct result of feeding attempts. 

Animals that are wild are not built for in-home life. They don't know how to be a pet. Dogs and cats have taken generations to become suitable for family friends, and we're sure you wouldn't dream of allowing a feral dog into your home? That's exactly what you're doing when you introduce a wild animal into your home with the intention of making it your pet. You are inviting a feral animal — one that doesn't know how to be tame, no matter how young it was when it came to you — into the building that is meant to keep you safe. 



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