# so what does your skunk weigh?



## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

as the title says, what does your skunk weigh? Chester seems to have doubled in size since we got him, he was smaller than dom but now he "looks" a lot bigger...... both got weighed today, chester is 4.05kg and dom is 4.15kg!!!! is this a healthy weight or are they overweight? or does it really depend on the skunk n weights differ greatly? are males generally a lot bigger than females? a friend of ours has some n they look really healthy but are a lot smaller than these two


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> as the title says, what does your skunk weigh? Chester seems to have doubled in size since we got him, he was smaller than dom but now he "looks" a lot bigger...... both got weighed today, chester is 4.05kg and dom is 4.15kg!!!! is this a healthy weight or are they overweight? or does it really depend on the skunk n weights differ greatly? are males generally a lot bigger than females? a friend of ours has some n they look really healthy but are a lot smaller than these two


Hiya
Ours are very different in build and therefore weight. Tinkerbell is very dainty, she is barely 3kg, Pompom is 4kg and Merlin who is a much bigger build ie longer and taller is 4.4kg, his father was the biggest skunk I have seen (he was a stowaway that turned up at Heathrow!)he is the laziest of the three. When we got Pompom he was vastly overweight at 7kg, it's been hard work getting the flab off him, he loathed his skunky diet plan but now he is a much slimmer boy he can charge up and down the stairs, it's lovely to watch him as his man boobs dragged on the floor at first!! :mf_dribble:


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## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

arent skunks really expensive ??


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

africa said:


> Hiya
> Ours are very different in build and therefore weight. Tinkerbell is very dainty, she is barely 3kg, Pompom is 4kg and Merlin who is a much bigger build ie longer and taller is 4.4kg, his father was the biggest skunk I have seen (he was a stowaway that turned up at Heathrow!)he is the laziest of the three. When we got Pompom he was vastly overweight at 7kg, it's been hard work getting the flab off him, he loathed his skunky diet plan but now he is a much slimmer boy he can charge up and down the stairs, it's lovely to watch him as his man boobs dragged on the floor at first!! :mf_dribble:


so would you say 4ish kg isnt overweight?



reptismail said:


> arent skunks really expensive ??


theyre no more expensive than certain pedigree dogs, their price varies widel too, seen them for £300, seen them for as much as £1000, their colour tends to affect their price too, though personally i dont see why tbh


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## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

cool i would love one but they are always like £500 when ive seen them. how do you keep them ??


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> so would you say 4ish kg isnt overweight?
> 
> The fatty deposit at the base of the tail is a good guide,if its over 2/3 the length of the tail then it's diet time. I think most British kept adult skunks that I know of are between 2.5 and 4kgs whereas in America many are more than that- loads on the Striped Bandits forum in fact. Having said that I'm pretty sure there is no recommended weight as they are all different sizes and builds. Do you remember Tatty, the skunk who ate pain killers? She was 6kg and the vet had a hell of a job getting a line in because of her fat layers. Emma has since put her on a diet ( Hi Emma if you are reading:2thumb:, haven't bumped into you for ages).
> There's been a thread re weight on The Exotic Keepers Forum recently.


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

reptismail said:


> cool i would love one but they are always like £500 when ive seen them. how do you keep them ??


 
well you get them vaccinated like dogs, against distemper etc. Ours are free roamin in the kitchen, they get bathed once a week, more if needed cos sometimes they can get smelly. Ours dont spray though as theyre descented, which is illegal now, so any born after april 2007 should be entire, ive never smelt it myself but emma j has been skunked a few times n i think you get used to it :lol2:
you can litter train them, ours were when they were caged but since lettin them free roam theyve decided to poo round the litters instead of in them, though theyre gettin better heh

They eat better than we do! eating mainly veg, the occasional bit of fruit. Yoghurt, cottage cheese, live food, defrosted chicks, chicken, mince, etc etc. WE take ours out for walks on a harness, though theyre not used to it yet...... well i say they, chester had his last lot of jabs today so can go out in a weeks time. 
Ours drink from a water bowl so always have some available

have i forgot anything?


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> well you get them vaccinated like dogs, against distemper etc. Ours are free roamin in the kitchen, they get bathed once a week, more if needed cos sometimes they can get smelly. Ours dont spray though as theyre descented, which is illegal now, so any born after april 2007 should be entire, ive never smelt it myself but emma j has been skunked a few times n i think you get used to it :lol2:
> you can litter train them, ours were when they were caged but since lettin them free roam theyve decided to poo round the litters instead of in them, though theyre gettin better heh
> 
> They eat better than we do! eating mainly veg, the occasional bit of fruit. Yoghurt, cottage cheese, live food, defrosted chicks, chicken, mince, etc etc. WE take ours out for walks on a harness, though theyre not used to it yet...... well i say they, chester had his last lot of jabs today so can go out in a weeks time.
> ...


yes m'deer you have lolcas certant skunk is stubbo they steal lmost everything and they just love to play fight and cat just loves to mollycoddle them just the same as i do with teddy  

how could you mrs thats soooo noughty of you *tightens the rope aroud your neack:whip::flrt:* you do know i love you though dont you!?!? ...... X x


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## Morgan007 (Apr 10, 2009)

Hi could you put some pictures on , id love to see them, skunks are so beautiful.. Unfortunetly the only skunk i will ever own is Peppe Le pew soft toy from disney shop :lol2:


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

quilson_mc_spike said:


> yes m'deer you have lolcas certant skunk is *stubbo* they steal lmost everything and they just love to play fight and cat just loves to mollycoddle them just the same as i do with teddy
> 
> how could you mrs thats soooo noughty of you *tightens the rope aroud your neack:whip::flrt:* you do know i love you though dont you!?!? ...... X x


is what?!?


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

Morgan007 said:


> Hi could you put some pictures on , id love to see them, skunks are so beautiful.. Unfortunetly the only skunk i will ever own is Peppe Le pew soft toy from disney shop :lol2:


here you go, heres a thread with a lot of pics of our two on :flrt:

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/other-pets-exotics/255185-our-skunks-photos-fantastic-tara.html


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Back to your original question: Goli who is a little younger than Nizhi is 2.79Kg & Nizhi who tends to eat more is 3.66Kg - as weighed on Monday. I am currently weighing them weekly as they might be pregnant - then again they might not :whistling2: but by weighing them I am hoping to record the growth curves during pregancy.

As for all the other questions people are asking - do a search on this section of the forum & you will find TONNES of other topics with loads of info all about the many skunks kept by RFUK members :2thumb:

Africa I assume Merlin came from Sebs breeding lines if his father was the infamous stowaway :lol2:

Cat as others have said, I dont think there is a "set" weight for an adult skunk. So many factors will affect it, but if we collate lots of weight & info it is possible to record an average weight which can then be used as a guideline for people to ensure their pets are not oeverweight & if used alongside the fatty deposit on the tail could be quite useful. However we would need to record LOTS of weights & also log the sex, age & possibly the colours to make a good comparison. This topics was covered on another forum but got a bit heated :lol2::lol2::lol2:


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

carlycharlie said:


> Back to your original question: Goli who is a little younger than Nizhi is 2.79Kg & Nizhi who tends to eat more is 3.66Kg - as weighed on Monday. I am currently weighing them weekly as they might be pregnant - then again they might not :whistling2: but by weighing them I am hoping to record the growth curves during pregancy.
> 
> As for all the other questions people are asking - do a search on this section of the forum & you will find TONNES of other topics with loads of info all about the many skunks kept by RFUK members :2thumb:
> 
> ...


funny you should say that cos i was wonderin if the chocolates are prone to obeisity, or if theyre all a little bigger cos the chocolates i have met have always been "fatter" than the black and whites, and though Domino is suprisingly a teeny bit heavier, Chester is definately the fatter of the two


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Quote (Africa I assume Merlin came from Sebs breeding lines if his father was the infamous stowaway :lol2



Hiya 
Yes Merlin and Tinkerbell are both Seb skunks, Merlins Dad Stinker is the infamous stowaway, dont know if you have ever seen him but he is GINORMOUS compared to all the others:lol2:


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> funny you should say that cos i was wonderin if the chocolates are prone to obeisity, or if theyre all a little bigger cos the chocolates i have met have always been "fatter" than the black and whites, and though Domino is suprisingly a teeny bit heavier, Chester is definately the fatter of the two


 
LOL cat you have seen my choc monster ha ha 

all mine varey in weights too i need to get some new scales they were last weighed when castrated 

havoc is the lightest at 2.5k siku is just over 3 as is kaimi chaos is just over 4 an mickey just under 4 

but they are all different builds as well mickey an chaos are rather largely built skunks where as siku an havoc an kaimi aint


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> is what?!?


stubborn lol i wasnt typing to good at the time lol... X x


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

Emmaj said:


> LOL cat you have seen my choc monster ha ha
> 
> all mine varey in weights too i need to get some new scales they were last weighed when castrated
> 
> ...


 
well chester has turned out exactly like your fatty chocolate, with the little pouches under the eyes etc so i wondered if it was the chocs that are a bit more prone


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> well chester has turned out exactly like your fatty chocolate, with the little pouches under the eyes etc so i wondered if it was the chocs that are a bit more prone


 
Hmmm yeah cos chaos eats less then havoc does yet he is monster sized an havoc is mini :lol2:

though i have to say compared to how big he was he has lost alot of weight has chaos


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Something else to consider when doing comparisons with the skunk weights is neutering. As we all know this can affect weight gain in other animals, so it would be interesting to compare intact v neutered skunk weights.

So thats age, sex, colour & neutering in the equation :whistling2:

I see a couple have said the chocs "look" fatter - this could simply be due to fur length creating an illusions - Goli my apricot skunk is definitely more rounded in shape than Nizhi the black & white swirl.


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## africajohn (Oct 8, 2008)

carlycharlie said:


> Something else to consider when doing comparisons with the skunk weights is neutering. As we all know this can affect weight gain in other animals, so it would be interesting to compare intact v neutered skunk weights.
> 
> So thats age, sex, colour & neutering in the equation :whistling2:
> 
> I see a couple have said the chocs "look" fatter - this could simply be due to fur length creating an illusions - Goli my apricot skunk is definitely more rounded in shape than Nizhi the black & white swirl.


I agree with you there. Pompoms ( the albino)fur is very thick and coarser than Tinks and Merl therefore giving him the football efect even though he isn't the heaviest...anymore!


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

carlycharlie said:


> Something else to consider when doing comparisons with the skunk weights is neutering. As we all know this can affect weight gain in other animals, so it would be interesting to compare intact v neutered skunk weights.
> 
> So thats age, sex, colour & neutering in the equation :whistling2:
> 
> I see a couple have said the chocs "look" fatter - this could simply be due to fur length creating an illusions - Goli my apricot skunk is definitely more rounded in shape than Nizhi the black & white swirl.


 
yeah the fur could be different but i also mean that the few bigger chocs i have seen have like little pouches of fat under their eyes, that cant be blamed on fur length cos their fur is really short on their face. Domino doesnt have these but chester has


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> yeah the fur could be different but i also mean that the few bigger chocs i have seen have like little pouches of fat under their eyes, that cant be blamed on fur length cos their fur is really short on their face. Domino doesnt have these but chester has


 
I notice Goli looks like she has these fat pouches under her eyes but they are not actualy that - to me they look more like either tear stains or just a darker patch if fur. This could be more noticable on the coloured skunks as oppsed to the B&W ones - I assume because tear stains would not show on the black fur?

Also would the fat pouches under the eyes be an indicatior of obesity like the tail fat deposits that are too far down the tail?


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

carlycharlie said:


> Something else to consider when doing comparisons with the skunk weights is neutering. As we all know this can affect weight gain in other animals, so it would be interesting to compare intact v neutered skunk weights.
> 
> So thats age, sex, colour & neutering in the equation :whistling2:
> 
> I see a couple have said the chocs "look" fatter - this could simply be due to fur length creating an illusions - Goli my apricot skunk is definitely more rounded in shape than Nizhi the black & white swirl.


 

Ooooooooo yeah is something to think about 

well all mine are castrated bar one which is my apricot he is the middley one size wise with siku 

mickey is a big skunky as is chaos but yet mickey size(structure wise) is bigger than chaos 

now what i found with castration is..............they lost weight initially havoc went very skinny he is gaining again as did chaos but thankfully chaos needed to lol and hasnt piled it all back on again 

i went through a few bizzarre things after castration with some of mine lol but hey thats another thread haha 

Oooo coat wise too 

my choc is short coated an when came had a very rough coat with a pathetic tail lol he has blown his winter coat now an summer is coming through alot smoother an seems to be getting a bit of oooomph to his tail now too 

my choc an apricot seem to be a lil stubbier in the nose than the classics an bino is too


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

carlycharlie said:


> I notice Goli looks like she has these fat pouches under her eyes but they are not actualy that - to me they look more like either tear stains or just a darker patch if fur. This could be more noticable on the coloured skunks as oppsed to the B&W ones - I assume because tear stains would not show on the black fur?
> 
> Also would the fat pouches under the eyes be an indicatior of obesity like the tail fat deposits that are too far down the tail?


 
are golis actually raised n stickin out? as appose to just a different shade n flat? cos chesters are raised. i dont think my camera is strong enough to get a good pic of it. Dom has a lighter patch of fur in the same place but its not raised


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

Emmaj said:


> Ooooooooo yeah is something to think about
> 
> well all mine are castrated bar one which is my apricot he is the middley one size wise with siku
> 
> ...


 
chester has longer fur than dom i think so could be creatin the illusion hes fatter than he is


also emma!! Dom now has a proper tail!!! its fab!!!! not as pathetic as it was hehe


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> chester has longer fur than dom i think so could be creatin the illusion hes fatter than he is
> 
> 
> also emma!! Dom now has a proper tail!!! its fab!!!! not as pathetic as it was hehe


 
Hee hee fab aint it 

chaos an kaimis tails are coming on too kaimis is still a lil thin but its getting there 

he isnt as yellow as he was either his heads alot whiter an his stripes are coming on too you can see the white coming through at the roots :2thumb:


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

> are golis actually raised n stickin out? as appose to just a different shade n flat? cos chesters are raised. i dont think my camera is strong enough to get a good pic of it. Dom has a lighter patch of fur in the same place but its not raised


Golis are flat........as I said, I don't think they are fat pouches.

The fur will of course change from when many of us got our skunkies for the first time - 1 because they of course moult & 2 because they are now kept indoors with heating etc - not how many of them were kept by the breeder. Thus the longer winter coat will probably go & be replaced by a summer coat - or at least thats how I perceive it to be. Mine are both moulting right now.......keep finding long white hairs all over the place :whistling2:

Emm don't forget yours are all different ages so you probably cant compare their weights as such. Hence collecting lots of data for comparison is the only way you can gain a rough average weight for them all.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

carlycharlie said:


> Golis are flat........as I said, I don't think they are fat pouches.
> 
> The fur will of course change from when many of us got our skunkies for the first time - 1 because they of course moult & 2 because they are now kept indoors with heating etc - not how many of them were kept by the breeder. Thus the longer winter coat will probably go & be replaced by a summer coat - or at least thats how I perceive it to be. Mine are both moulting right now.......keep finding long white hairs all over the place :whistling2:
> 
> Emm don't forget yours are all different ages so you probably cant compare their weights as such. Hence collecting lots of data for comparison is the only way you can gain a rough average weight for them all.


 
Ken there all pretty similar ages there all around a year old lol 

3 have come from the same place im 90% sure 

the other 2 are from completely different places 

i was talkin about size differences the other nite on phone with N we sorta made our own fairy tale theories on it :lol2:

but we both do wonder on the places they have been bred an the differnt ways of being brought up if they could make a difference


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## iXXo (Mar 8, 2009)

How come they banned desenting? out of interest and cos im too lazy too google massive ammounts of info today


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

iXXo said:


> How come they banned desenting? out of interest and cos im too lazy too google massive ammounts of info today


 
i think its seen as a form of mutilation, like tail docking in dogs. i cant elabourate any more cos its something ive not read up on fully either. Though i dont see it as mutilation personally, they castrate animals, takin away another part of their body so i dont see why descenting is any different. in a home environment i think its better to have descented skunks, not just for the skunk but for the other members of the house hold too, but thats just my opinion


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

carlycharlie said:


> Golis are flat........as I said, I don't think they are fat pouches.
> 
> The fur will of course change from when many of us got our skunkies for the first time - 1 because they of course moult & 2 because they are now kept indoors with heating etc - not how many of them were kept by the breeder. *Thus the longer winter coat will probably go & be replaced by a summer coat - or at least thats how I perceive it to be.* Mine are both moulting right now.......keep finding long white hairs all over the place :whistling2:
> 
> Emm don't forget yours are all different ages so you probably cant compare their weights as such. Hence collecting lots of data for comparison is the only way you can gain a rough average weight for them all.


Skunks molt once a yearin spring/early summer, kits retain their first coat until the following year, skunks have no 'summer' and 'winter' coats to speak of. Plus being kept indoors will have no bearing on the density of a skunks pelage.


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## iXXo (Mar 8, 2009)

Thanks FooFoo


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## trigger (Jan 6, 2009)

Totally off thread but Africa and Africajohn very kindly bought some of their tribe over for me to meet yesterday. I am now totally hooked, I NEED a Skunk!! Will now be reading all skunk related threads with interest!:notworthy:


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

trigger said:


> Totally off thread but Africa and Africajohn very kindly bought some of their tribe over for me to meet yesterday. I am now totally hooked, I NEED a Skunk!! Will now be reading all skunk related threads with interest!:notworthy:


....and we had a wonderful time too, everyone should visit your Centre and meet your staff and animals :no1:. 

Plenty of skunky related threads on here to go at to make you NEED one even more!!!!


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## Daleos89 (Apr 25, 2008)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> so what does your skunk weigh?


only ever an ounce at a time...i cant afford much more...


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Fixx said:


> Skunks molt once a yearin spring/early summer, kits retain their first coat until the following year, skunks have no 'summer' and 'winter' coats to speak of. Plus being kept indoors will have no bearing on the density of a skunks pelage.


Thanks for that ray; as I said thats how I perceived it because I have only kept skunks for a very short period.

However speaking to a large skunk breeder they noted a difference in the fur they kept & bred outdoors to ones people had as pets indoors......obviously this is not my observation & I am only repeating what I was informed. It could simply have been they last saw the skunks as kits & thus when seen again as adults they did appear different.

All one big learning curve for those of us keeping skunks don't ya think?


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

Skunks kept outside could have different looking fur due to weathering whereas the fur of a skunk kept pampered indoors may not have this.


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Ray I think the breeder said it was length of fur not density they had noted the "difference" in? I shall have to ask again for clarification when I am next in contact with them.


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## taraliz (Aug 10, 2008)

My skunk weighs about 3gramms.

Thanks Cat


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

well they say black is slimming :lol2:


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## humbubble_smiles (Jun 13, 2008)

Daleos89 said:


> only ever an ounce at a time...i cant afford much more...


 

you wish!!


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

taraliz said:


> My skunk weighs about 3gramms.
> 
> Thanks Cat


 
hehe it weighs that much?
you welcome hehe


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## naminé (Apr 19, 2009)

My skunks weigh:

male albino almost 1 year old : 2kg, he's always been a very small guy but he eats ALOT
he's been a premature who got through adulthood

female chocolate 1 year old : 2.6kg

female black white chip 2years old: 2.3kg

They all eat very well but don't get greasy foods or too many treats

but as you all know :skunks come in all sizes and I happen to like smaller ones :mf_dribble:


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## tillie (Jan 9, 2008)

George (Stinky owned by Seb is his dad) will be 1 year old in May and weighs 2.6 kg, he is also neutered. Sometimes when I look at him I think he is getting too fat......heres some pics I took on the same night, what do you think? I think the 1st 2 he looks fine but the last 2...well!!




























He looks huge in this pic!


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

he looks gorgeous tillie, and he does look huge in that last pic!!! ours are right fat gits by the sounds of the weight of everyone elses skunks! :lol2:


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## Kev132 (Aug 13, 2006)

Im on kevs account because he shouts at me if i sign him out...

I weighed Daisy tonight and she weighs 963g and is around 12weeks old now... I havent weighed Bam recentle but when I last weighed her she was about 2.6kg's...

Lucy xx


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