# Help Please!!! With New Born Skunks



## meandthee (Nov 16, 2009)

Hello, we have just come home to find our female skunk with 3 babies. She was just about start eating one of the babies, hence one with an ear missing. So we have taken them away from mum and are now rearing them ourselves. Anybody done this before and anything we should know? I know taking them out is a last resort but mum was eating them so it was essential. Please no silly comments just help please. 

Thank You


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## Loderuna (Mar 9, 2010)

I'm so sorry to hear this tragic news! Unfortunately, it is very common for skunks to eat their kits. As for hand-rearing the babies, I'm afraid you are in for some heartache, as it is highly unlikely that the kits will survive. 

I have some lamlac (milk replacer), so you are welcome to it - I am in Elkesley, Notts. You would need to feed with a dropper or small syringe at least every 2 hours.

Fostering could be an option. Can you post your location in Notts for people? I think my Lavender is still feeding her last 10 week old kit, but I doubt very much if she would foster such young ones and she might just kill them.

I have posted an alert in the emergency/hand rearing section of EKF for you, so hopefully some other skunkers will be along - they may have more helpful advice!

Sue.

Try this link?
http://www.animaladvocates.us/skunkmanual.pdf


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

meandthee said:


> Hello, we have just come home to find our female skunk with 3 babies. She was just about start eating one of the babies, hence one with an ear missing. So we have taken them away from mum and are now rearing them ourselves. Anybody done this before and anything we should know? I know taking them out is a last resort but mum was eating them so it was essential. Please no silly comments just help please.
> 
> Thank You


 
Sounds grim, really sorry.
Any reason why she would eat her babies? Please dont take this badly but was she well fed, any threat to her (eg. male around and aggressive)?
And was she_ really_ eating the kit? I have read hand rearing is extremely difficult, I would say nigh on impossible but I`m sure someone with a lot more knowledge than myself will appear soon.....
My Ella has recently had a litter of four (three weeks back), she sometimes appears to be treating the kits very rough but everything is fine.....

Dave.


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## meandthee (Nov 16, 2009)

Hi Loderuna, I am in Mansfield, about half an hour from you. We are currently feeding them on goats milk, this not good enough? We would appreciate it if we could have the lamlac, that would be great. My phone number is 07828 151485 if you want to ring me or give me yours and i'll ring you. Thank you so much.


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## stoaty (Jul 21, 2008)

Sorry to hear your heartbreaking news and I think that there will be more heartbreak ahead for you. To hand rear from this age will be almost impossible but I will keep my fingers crossed for your little ones. I know this sounds really negative.

ian


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Echo above and genuinely hope it turns out ok for you.....

Dave.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

meandthee said:


> Hi Loderuna, I am in Mansfield, about half an hour from you. We are currently feeding them on goats milk, this not good enough? We would appreciate it if we could have the lamlac, that would be great. My phone number is 07828 151485 if you want to ring me or give me yours and i'll ring you. Thank you so much.


I agree it will be extremely hard, because they are so small, but where there's life there's hope and so i would say don't give up!

Full cream goats milk will be fine, but it will help if you make up a solution 1 quarter pint of full fat goats milk, 1 teaspoon of bio yoghurt (to help with gut flora) and 2-3 drops of ABIDEC baby vitamins (easily bought in supermarkets). Make this solution up and store it in the fridge. Warm only what you need in a small bowl over a bigger bowl of hot water. After 24 hours throw it out and make up a fresh solution.

I'm sure you're aware that you will need to toilet them after every feed, so rub their tummies and around the bottom with some warm damp cotton wool to encourage them to wee and poo.

You've a hard road ahead of you and I sincerely hope it works out for you, but you've got to give it a try.


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## Loderuna (Mar 9, 2010)

Meandthee have just left with a bag of lamlac. Good luck guys and keep us posted!


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## meandthee (Nov 16, 2009)

Thank you everybody for your posts, thanks for the support. Thank you for the bag of lamlac, very much appreciated. Also, the father, Charlie, is one of Stoaty's babies from last year, he's fantastic. 

Thanks you everybody for your advice and i will keep everybody updated :2thumb:


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

With them being so young it may be helpful to get some goat colostrum(find a local goat breeder) I reared a litter of new born domestic kittens born by c-section and rejected and they all survived, also heat is a big factor in handrearing baby animals of all species
Good luck


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

*Good luck....*

.....and keep us updated if you are able.

regards
Dave.


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Shell195 said:


> With them being so young it may be helpful to get some goat colostrum(find a local goat breeder) I reared a litter of new born domestic kittens born by c-section and rejected and they all survived, also heat is a big factor in handrearing baby animals of all species
> Good luck


 
I would second this - getting some fresh goats milk would sure help their cahnces of survival. Goats milk is a great substitute when having to hand rear & often better for some animals than the powdered milk alternatives.

Wish you all the best, having lost a litter of skunks earlier this year I know how gut wrenching it is.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Any news?


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## meandthee (Nov 16, 2009)

Hello everybody, just a little update. They are all ok, fed ok through the night. I'll get some pictures up soon


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## meandthee (Nov 16, 2009)

Also forgot, somehow, that my girlfriend looked at the mum this morning at about 7am and saw another little baby in there with her. So we have decided that with it being a more 'calm' birth she might be ok with it. We have heard it squeaking. We have now covered her over, so she cant see the dog or anybody. My girlfriend had a little peek in and mum is laid on her side, but couldn't see the baby, so fingers crossed its ok and she raises this one herself. 

We have named them already lol, we have Charlie Junior because he looks like his dad lol, Destiny as she is a little beaten up with an ear missing and tail cut and she is still here lol, and we also have Finale as he was attached to the afterbirth and now we have a newcomer to the family. We have named them Fate. 

Pictures are coming now and we will update you with more news

Thanks for all the help :2thumb:


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## meandthee (Nov 16, 2009)

Here are some photos :2thumb:


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Well done getting them through the night, fingers crossed they thrive for you


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## Loderuna (Mar 9, 2010)

Glad they are still with you!


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

You might find a soft teddy about the size of their mum on top of a warm heat mat/pad helps we used to do this with abandoned kittens and pups and found it helped tremendously. 

They are seriously cute. Do you think there is a possibility of adding them back to the nest now that mum seems to have calmed down with the other one? I know nothing about skunk maternity though so just curious.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Great news that they've made it through the night, every day increases their chance of survival.

they seem to be a good size! :2thumb:

I presume that you've now put them onto the Lamlac, but I would still add bio yoghurt and ABIDEC vitamins to it, if it were me.


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## meandthee (Nov 16, 2009)

They've all fed and toileted fine.fingers crossed. We have considered putting them back but the risk is to high on all the babies even the one she is with. Yes we have started them on the lambs milk, i've also bought them some new softer teets which they seem to be suckling from easier. thanks again for all the help.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

To be honest I wouldn't put them back with the mother either as there's a great possibility she might not recognise them as hers and kill them.


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## stoaty (Jul 21, 2008)

Its great news that they are still with us. I dont envy you the days ahead with all that bottle feeding but I am a 'grandad' so keep going, lol. Glad you like the dad though.

ian


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## stuckmojo (Jun 7, 2010)

awesome..

I hope this goes well, its stuff like this that reaffirms my faith in humans.

Good luck, and I sincerely hope each one of the devils lives strong and healthy.


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

Any update on how the little ones are getting on?


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## meandthee (Nov 16, 2009)

Hello, sorry we haven't updated sooner. We have been very tired and busy.

We have some very sad news, two of the three babies have died. One of the males, Charlie Jr, died on Thursday. Now the female, Destiny, died last night. They both deteriorated very fast, just limp and breathing heavily. We are absolutely gutted.

Now for the good news and hope it stays this way. The last male we have, Finale, is doing very well. He is feeding great and growing nicely. The one that is still with the mother is doing well, we haven't seen him/her yet but have heard it squeeking, so we know its ok. We just hope everything goes well and these last 2 survive, fingers crossed.

I am going to open a new thread with updates on as this is getting quite full lol. 

Thank You everybody :2thumb:


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Oh I'm so sorry to hear that but I have everything crossed for the other two! You guys are doing great


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

So sorry to hear you've lost 2 of them, but fingers crossed for the 3rd one you're handrearing. Do you mind if I ask if you're checking for dehydration, because even feeding milk, which is a liquid, a very young baby can become dehydrated very quickly, so you need to check on that regularly, so you can rehydrate quickly.

I fell foul of that many years ago, the first time I had to tube feed a very sickly kitten. It just didn't cross my mind that he could dehydrate, but he did and I lost him, so now whatever I'm handrearing, I constantly check for deyhdration.


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## Loderuna (Mar 9, 2010)

Sorry to hear that you lost two. You've done your best for them and the odds were not in their favour. Fingers crossed that Finale continues to do well!


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Hope all ends well, you have done superbly thus far, must be gut wrenching, feel for ya.

Dave


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