# UK Skunk Breeders



## Pouchie

Just thought I would raise a concern as this is the best place to grab a lot of people with related skunks.

Due to the fact that so many of the skunks sold last year come from the same breeder (apparently he bred somewhere in the region of 40 - 60) , there are a bunch of us with a skunk from this gene pool. 

I just wondered, as no-one has had time or will to start a stud book of some kind, how will everyone stop these skunks being bred together?

It wouldnt take long for the skunks in the UK to get all fooked up and interbred, especially if the same breeder turns out the same amount this year.

I must say, the only matings I know of that are going on are definitely unrelated ones so it looks ok so far.

However, I know that personally, if I didn't have an unrelated male and wanted to borrow one, all the local males are related to my Koko within over 100 miles. 

What does everyone else think?


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## Ally

Personally?

A stud book is a fantastic idea, but probably a long and thankless task...
Hopefully someone out there is passionate enough about skunks to devote the time to it.


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## cooljules

Ally said:


> Personally?
> 
> A stud book is a fantastic idea, but probably a long and thankless task...
> Hopefully someone out there is passionate enough about skunks to devote the time to it.


yup, i think inbreeding skunks would cause a stink:whistling2:


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## FoxyMumma

cooljules said:


> yup, i think inbreeding skunks would cause a stink:whistling2:


Lmao, I knew someone would say it...

But Id have to agree with ally that it would possibly be a thankless job but it needs to be done, I know I dont own a skunkie yet but would love to one day and I would like to know from what background it is from and if there was info on his/her gene pool it would definatly be a bonus : victory:


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## Fixx

Pouchie said:


> Just thought I would raise a concern as this is the best place to grab a lot of people with related skunks.
> 
> Due to the fact that so many of the skunks sold last year come from the same breeder (apparently he bred somewhere in the region of 40 - 60) , there are a bunch of us with a skunk from this gene pool.
> 
> I just wondered, as no-one has had time or will to start a stud book of some kind, how will everyone stop these skunks being bred together?
> 
> It wouldnt take long for the skunks in the UK to get all fooked up and interbred, especially if the same breeder turns out the same amount this year.
> 
> I must say, the only matings I know of that are going on are definitely unrelated ones so it looks ok so far.
> 
> However, I know that personally, if I didn't have an unrelated male and wanted to borrow one, all the local males are related to my Koko within over 100 miles.
> 
> What does everyone else think?



I quite agree Pouchie. Sadly there will be those out there that think inter-breeding is OK to do, more motivated by money (and the allure of baby skunks) than the well being of any potential offspring. I know a certain amount of inbreeding is seen as acceptable in reptiles but mammalian physiology is a lot different and any inbreeding could lead to issues. 

A Skunk Kennel Club perhaps? 

Fred's off to Cornwall for a dirty couple of weeks with George's mum at the weekend, we're not expecting any stud fees or the 'pick of the litter' from it.


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## Emmaj

All mine bar 1 are castrated : victory:


Though yeps i do think it would be a good idea to get something sorted like fixx said a sort of KC for skunks would be a good idea 

long job i reckon but would be worth it in the end to stop inter breeding :2thumb:


only problem some people may have if skunks are pet shop bought then they may not know where they originally came from


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## Ally

There's one for Pygmy Hedgehogs isn't there? Maybe contact them and find out what they do/how they do it.


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## feorag

I was just going to suggest the hedgehog thing.

I've not got a skunk and, as much as I would like one, don't see myself getting one in the near or distant future, but I agree totally with what Pouchie says - if any kind of animals are being bred from they should have some sort of paperwork to identify their breeding and ancestry to prevent inbreeding in the future.


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## Lover

Emmaj said:


> All mine bar 1 are castrated : victory:
> 
> 
> Though yeps i do think it would be a good idea to get something sorted like fixx said a sort of KC for skunks would be a good idea
> 
> long job i reckon but would be worth it in the end to stop inter breeding :2thumb:
> 
> 
> *only problem some people may have if skunks are pet shop bought then they may not know where they originally came from*


 
What you mean people will be breeding pet shop bought ones?


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## Lucy_

It is a good idea... but there are so many people out there with skunks that people dont know about! i know about 7 people who have got skunks, and their friends have, but only a handfull of people know they have them, and they want to keep it that way... so im guessing there are also ALOT more!

I was speaking to someone the other day who breeds, he puts out about 30 each year... they all go to people in the UK and dont get exported... so for the last 9 years of him breeding... how many of these people are known who have bought from him? hardly any...
So yes it would be a great idea, but very complicated... plus if you are breeding a skunk with someone, you would expect them to know history etc about it, so you can then determine if it is related.:flrt:
Ours all went with paperwork last year, proving parentage etc with a mini family tree type thing... one main reason we did this was because of the issue that was going on at the time about all the illegal imports, and if you could prove where your skunkie was from, it would be detained.

Lucy xx


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## Emmaj

Lover said:


> What you mean people will be breeding pet shop bought ones?


 
I dont know what people will breed 

but there are many skunks that were bought in pet shops last year 


thats what i ment..............so they may not know where they originally came from 

i bought havoc from a pet shop..............but i know his history 

i also bought siku from a pets shop............i dont know his history though 

and chaos's original owners bought him from a pet shop too 

and i also think mickeys original owners did 

thats what i was getting at in people may not know where they orignally came from


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## Lover

Emmaj said:


> I dont know what people will breed
> 
> but there are many skunks that were bought in pet shops last year
> 
> 
> thats what i ment..............so they may not know where they originally came from
> 
> i bought havoc from a pet shop..............but i know his history
> 
> i also bought siku from a pets shop............i dont know his history though
> 
> and chaos's original owners bought him from a pet shop too
> 
> and i also think mickeys original owners did
> 
> thats what i was getting at in people may not know where they orignally came from


I understand its like most rats came from pet shops back in the day. I only know of one shop which get skunks. If pet shops get skunks you would think all would get background info as there a rare 'exotic pet'. 

woop woop my mc donalds is here... XD


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## Emmaj

Lover said:


> I understand its like most rats came from pet shops back in the day. I only know of one shop which get skunks. If pet shops get skunks you would think all would get background info as there a rare 'exotic pet'.
> 
> woop woop my mc donalds is here... XD


 
Nopes not really lol most pet shops dont care where they have come from as long as they sell them :lol2:

there is only a small handful of shops that do care about the back ground of animals 

running a pet shop aint like private breeding pet shops buy in bulk an add extra on when selling 

to them it makes no difference where an animal has come from aslong as it makes them a profit


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## Lucy_

Lover, it would be nice to think that... however there were quite a few places last year that were selling illigal imports... so history on these... who knows?

xx


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## Ally

It'll always be the same as with Hedgies, loads outside the radar as it were...
Although if there is an option for something like this, then a lot of breeders will go for it as it gives them an edge over unregistered skunks.

It's the kind of thing that will grow purely because it's there.


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## Lover

Lucy_ said:


> Lover, it would be nice to think that... however there were quite a few places last year that were selling illigal imports... so history on these... who knows?
> 
> xx


 
i thought pet shops like this would of been alot more careful with what animals were sold by them. Guess just like pets at home then. Lol.

So is there other people here who have pet shop skunks? Also are they any harder to keep as with other pets i have had in past from pet shops always seemed to get bad health or be really skitty. It's easier if you know the animals well you can tame them up faster and seems a piece of cake.


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## Emmaj

Lover said:


> i thought pet shops like this would of been alot more careful with what animals were sold by them. Guess just like pets at homethen. Lol.


LOL pets @ home probs care more about where their animals come from than other smaller pet shops do 


At the end of the day its a business to them its a way of life and making money 

so they dont care where they come from just the profit thats gonna fill the tills :lol2:


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## Lover

Emmaj said:


> LOL pets @ home probs care more about where their animals come from than other smaller pet shops do
> 
> 
> At the end of the day its a business to them its a way of life and making money
> 
> so they dont care where they come from just the profit thats gonna fill the tills :lol2:


 
Affraid pets at home sell pets from animal farms i know the rodents are. 
They do care for them in the shop i guess and they do try make it better for the animals now. Only because of complaints from public. Lol.


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## Ally

tbh if they were illegal imports and can be proven as such without getting anyone into trouble, they'd probably be good for the bloodlines!
That's the problem with a small island like ours, bloodlines are a bit trapped.


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## Emmaj

Ally said:


> tbh if they were illegal imports and can be proven as such without getting anyone into trouble, they'd probably be good for the bloodlines!
> That's the problem with a small island like ours, bloodlines are a bit trapped.


 
But proving that could then lead to having the animal removed an destroyed as the animal hasnt been through the quarantine process 

this is why people wouldnt come forward an say they own one of the illegal imports : victory:


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## Lucy_

Lover said:


> i thought pet shops like this would of been alot more careful with what animals were sold by them. Guess just like pets at home then. Lol.
> 
> So is there other people here who have pet shop skunks? Also are they any harder to keep as with other pets i have had in past from pet shops always seemed to get bad health or be really skitty. It's easier if you know the animals well you can tame them up faster and seems a piece of cake.


Emmaj has a skunk from us (havoc), as does nerys, who were both 'pet shop bred' (by us) my little one is from the same litter as emmas... however they were shop bred because this was the best place we found to do it as we could make them secluded and put them in a quite place, rather than at in a hoome environment where were are rusing around like mad people all the time lol.

None of our ones are skitty, bad tempered etc etc so i think it depends on the shop, who runs it, how they treat their animals etc

Lucy xx

All


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## Pouchie

Maybe I'm wrong, but going off the skunks that I know, by next year they will all be related anyway due to the fact so many come from one place and are being crossed with the few known unrelateds this year.. hence the offspring will be related to the mass of skunks that came from the same place and will have no-one to breed with next year.

Someone needs to do a stud book and someone needs to do an import! :lol2:


For now, unless each and every breeder is responsible and only pairs up known unrelateds, it is going to go unchecked. 

It worries me because it would be awful to see genetic disorders and the like popping up in skunks just because nobody really knows where they all originated and that the skunks they are mating have common ancestors (

I'm busy with this issue concerning other species and am by no means the best person to do a skunk registry anyway, like I said last year aswell. 

It would be great to see something started by the end of the year though if anyone is brave enough :lol2:


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## Lucy_

Emmaj said:


> *LOL pets @ home probs care more about where their animals come from than other smaller pet shops do *
> 
> 
> At the end of the day its a business to them its a way of life and making money
> 
> so they dont care where they come from just the profit thats gonna fill the tills :lol2:


your in for a slapping lady! hehhe:flrt:


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## Lucy_

Emmaj said:


> But proving that could then lead to having the animal removed an destroyed as the animal hasnt been through the quarantine process
> 
> this is why people wouldnt come forward an say they own one of the illegal imports : victory:


 
Exactly, so its a bit of a catch 22 situation with those...
xxx


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## Lover

Lucy_ said:


> Emmaj has a skunk from us (havoc), as does nerys, who were both 'pet shop bred' (by us) my little one is from the same litter as emmas... however they were shop bred because this was the best place we found to do it as we could make them secluded and put them in a quite place, rather than at in a hoome environment where were are rusing around like mad people all the time lol.
> 
> None of our ones are skitty, bad tempered etc etc so i think it depends on the shop, who runs it, how they treat their animals etc
> 
> Lucy xx
> 
> All


 
i wasnt saying every pet stores animals are bad health or bad temp. I was mainly on about pet @ home its the only stor i bought from in past. As you know that shop is just based money minded to be honest.


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## Emmaj

Lucy_ said:


> Emmaj has a skunk from us (havoc), as does nerys, who were both 'pet shop bred' (by us) my little one is from the same litter as emmas... however they were shop bred because this was the best place we found to do it as we could make them secluded and put them in a quite place, rather than at in a hoome environment where were are rusing around like mad people all the time lol.
> 
> None of our ones are skitty, bad tempered etc etc so i think it depends on the shop, who runs it, how they treat their animals etc
> 
> Lucy xx
> 
> All


Havoc is the most social skunk i own lol he follows me everywhere all the others are pretty shy but havoc is fearless :lol2:


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## Emmaj

Lucy_ said:


> your in for a slapping lady! hehhe:flrt:


tut your place was in with the small handful that i mentioned :lol2:


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## Emmaj

Pouchie said:


> Maybe I'm wrong, but going off the skunks that I know, by next year they will all be related anyway due to the fact so many come from one place and are being crossed with the few known unrelateds this year.. hence the offspring will be related to the mass of skunks that came from the same place and will have no-one to breed with next year.
> 
> Someone needs to do a stud book and someone needs to do an import! :lol2:
> 
> 
> For now, unless each and every breeder is responsible and only pairs up known unrelateds, it is going to go unchecked.
> 
> It worries me because it would be awful to see genetic disorders and the like popping up in skunks just because nobody really knows where they all originated and that the skunks they are mating have common ancestors (
> 
> I'm busy with this issue concerning other species and am by no means the best person to do a skunk registry anyway, like I said last year aswell.
> 
> It would be great to see something started by the end of the year though if anyone is brave enough :lol2:


I think its a good idea to try start something caz as more people may add into it as time goes an like they have with the GPR an APH 

so its worth a go : victory:


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## Ally

Emmaj said:


> But proving that could then lead to having the animal removed an destroyed as the animal hasnt been through the quarantine process
> 
> this is why people wouldnt come forward an say they own one of the illegal imports : victory:


I know, shame really!

(obviously the law should always be upheld - I'm definatley not recommending that it's a good thing that there may be illegalimports here!)


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## Lucy_

i think its a good idea aswel... :2thumb: like you said caz it will hopefully help to stop inbreeding as there are ALOT around atm that come from the same two breeders...


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## mr herp

how do u guys stop your skunks from doing that wierd farting thing


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## Lover

mr herp said:


> how do u guys stop your skunks from doing that wierd farting thing


They do it when they feel vilated.. Lol

Its instinct to do it when they feel threatened?


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## Pouchie

mr herp said:


> how do u guys stop your skunks from doing that wierd farting thing


 
Some people really know how to lower the tone of a serious thread :whip:


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## carlycharlie

I totaly agree that some kind of stud book or registry would be very useful.

Also I assue Pouchies point is that it needs to be started soon before we all get into breeding & we loose sight of the skunks origins - the longer we leave it the bigger the headache kind of thing.

As for those with illegal imports - if they are so under the radar, are they breding babies we also dont know about??? For those who seem to know of people with these illegal skunks, perhaps you know if they are breeding them or not?

There are enough of us now on RFUK alone who own skunks to at least get something off the ground........after all the kennel club started from very small begginings & look at it now :whistling2:

Can you imagine the UK finaly having skunks shows like they do in USA & on the continent? It is possible with some hard work, commitment and good will amongst all the skunk keepers.


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## Moshpitviper

Just for hijacking purposes.... anyone wanna stud a male out to me? 50/50 split. providing of course its not related to this female.


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## Fixx

Moshpitviper said:


> Just for hijacking purposes.... anyone wanna stud a male out to me? 50/50 split. providing of course its not related to this female.


If you can get her down here she can come 'play' with one of our boys if you want, no 50/50 required :2thumb:


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## smokey progg

well when im older and have my own house i will want one and by then im worried breeding will be all related couldn't you get some funding from a local wildlife/pet charity i have no experience in this though so i dunno?


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## farmercoope

theres now a skunk registry for the UK. check my sig


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## alexwilliamsreptiles

mr herp said:


> how do u guys stop your skunks from doing that wierd farting thing


corks:crazy:


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## Talk To The Animals

alexwilliamsreptiles said:


> corks:crazy:


I love the farting thing!! It's so cute!! :2thumb:


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## Emmaj

Talk To The Animals said:


> I love the farting thing!! It's so cute!! :2thumb:


Yes aint it just and it has a loverly aroma to it too :lol2:


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## Pouchie

http://www.exotickeepersforum.co.uk/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=823&mode=view

http://www.exotickeepersforum.co.uk/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=822&mode=view

5 week old Skunk Kits above :flrt:


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## leggy

They are just the sweetest babys :flrt:


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## feorag

Aww, they look like a row of stuffed toys!! :flrt: :flrt: :flrt: :flrt:


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## aphibb

Hi
i was reading your thread with interest. i come from a farming background, the system they use with pedigree cattle is each breeder registers on a central register a "herd name" which is used like our surnames. its then upto the breeder to maintain there own stud book.
so all offspring from a breeder as a prefix "herd name" then the animals name.
this helps with trading between breeders on the register. 
and also you can start a stud register.


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## angela__k__84

Hi, sorry to hi-jack as I do not actually keep skunks (I do follow the threads though as in the future I would like to)
The way they do it with APH is a breeder or individual application form to register.
If you do not know the entire history or lineage then you still register - as it starts a lineage.
I know a lot of people have their skunks from a pet shop but why not start a history for them now?
All you really need to do is plug it all into a database and when you are considering your mating all you would need to do was contact the person running it to either confirm or deny that your planned matings are related or you could create a database of names - with peoples permission - so the person running it could pair you up, give you the contact details of someone local-ish with the opposite sex skunk who wants to breed and isn't related.
Sorry, I am rambling.
My point was even if you don't have a history for your skunk you can still register it, therefore starting a lineage.


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## Lucy_

angela__k__84 said:


> Hi, sorry to hi-jack as I do not actually keep skunks (I do follow the threads though as in the future I would like to)
> The way they do it with APH is a breeder or individual application form to register.
> If you do not know the entire history or lineage then you still register - as it starts a lineage.
> I know a lot of people have their skunks from a pet shop but why not start a history for them now?
> All you really need to do is plug it all into a database and when you are considering your mating all you would need to do was contact the person running it to either confirm or deny that your planned matings are related or you could create a database of names - with peoples permission - so the person running it could pair you up, give you the contact details of someone local-ish with the opposite sex skunk who wants to breed and isn't related.
> Sorry, I am rambling.
> My point was even if you don't have a history for your skunk you can still register it, therefore starting a lineage.


Hi Angela, 

This is what we have setup, and i totally agree with you in the fact that even if people dont know history, they should still reg their skunks to start their history...

Lucy x


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## zxr0811

Re Breeding
Hi i have a female skunk i was hoping to breed from. I got my skunk from a breeder in Bristol. Would she be related to your male? Would you be willing to breed our skunks?


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## carlycharlie

zxr0811 said:


> Re Breeding
> Hi i have a female skunk i was hoping to breed from. I got my skunk from a breeder in Bristol. Would she be related to your male? Would you be willing to breed our skunks?


 
If you get in touch with Lucy & tell her the breeders details & the names of the parent skunks she might be able to tell who you could breed your skunk with..........basically add yours to the Skunk Registry - see the link on Lucy's post.


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## LoveForLizards

Lucy_ said:


> Hi Angela,
> 
> This is what we have setup, and i totally agree with you in the fact that *even if people dont know history, they should still reg their skunks to start their history*...
> 
> Lucy x


Surely there's no point to that anyway? Because if somebody with a Skunk with no history decides to breed said Skunk (for whatever reason) then if there's no history there's no telling who the Skunk is related to? Therefore it'd be unethical the breed said Skunk in the first place, so if the owner didn't, there'd be no point 'starting their history' ? In reality most Skunks in the UK are related at least distantly due to the UK being so small, and there being a few of the 'top' breeders who are big scale and breeding vast amounts of Skunks every year and not enough being imported (I do know of a couple of people hoping to import a couple of Skunks soon though, if all goes as planned there'll be a real Lavender imported :2thumb, one of the reasons I know that has caused some to decided against breeding Skunks, even with Skunks who have a traceable history. Wow I hope that makes sense :lol2:


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## selina20

I think if you are going to breed any animal some kind of stud book should be made. Especially if there are desirable colours and a few of that colour

Its not the same but i do a similar thing with my tarantulas. Eventhough inverts can be inbred i do try and restrict it.


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## jaykickboxer

Do u mind mr asking who's the big breeder im realy intersted in a skunk but it needs to be descented as it would be a house pet.


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## Emmaj

jaykickboxer said:


> Do u mind mr asking who's the big breeder im realy intersted in a skunk but it needs to be descented as it would be a house pet.


 
will pm you : victory:


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## jaykickboxer

Thanks


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## Helen Young

*Pet skunk*

Hi I noticed in one of the posts Seb Miller`s name was mentioned , I bought my baby kit from Seb when he was 10 weeks old He is now 3 years old and is just the best pet ever. And I can recommend anyone looking to buy a pet Skunk going to this breeder , When I went to buy Mr Bumbles Seb asked me what I knew about having a Skunk as a pet and after I told Seb what I knew through research and looking in to them and told him that I had also went round vets where I lived to make sure they would take my pet Skunk on there books and spent 3 hours at his home only then did Seb agree to sell me one of his kits . Seb also gave me paper work on my pet with his date of birth what his diet was ect . And also offers great support . I got to see both Mr Bumbles parents . I can truly say I am one very happy Skunk owner .


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