# We must be insane, Skunk no.6



## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

This is Pepe.
I drove 200 miles to the RSPCA's Blackberry Farm Animal Centre last night only to get bitten and sprayed for my troubles, then drove another 200 miles home again with Pepe in a very aromatic car -.-
Now Pepe is not your ordinary skunk, he's a bit special in that he has spent 6 months living free oop north and was only captured about 3 weeks ago. Despite a mention on the BBC News nobody has come forward to report a missing or stolen skunk so it has been assumed that he was abandoned. 
He could do with losing a little weight and we will be taking him to the vets for a checkup (or bringing the vet to us) at some point in the near future for a check up.

Big thanks to Rich (Glidergirl's OH) for liaising with the RSPCA for me and thanks to the RSPCA for allowing me to collect him after hours.


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

nice one guys  i had heard there had been one found wandering up north, nice to know he has gone to somewhere where he will have a good home 

interesting how well he seems to have done living wild and free.. almost too well you could say from his size.. be interesting to get a diet analysis from his time out and about..

wasn't it the york moors or something he was found on? and out 6 months?? would mean he was out up there in the cold bitter weather earlier this year too then, bless him.. seems the english countryside is good "wild" skunk territory, but then i guess its not all that different climate wise to some parts of north america.. so not all that suprising..

anyway, he looks a sweetie, how is he getting on with the others?

N


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

very good!:no1:

and yes, i'd think that skunks would be in hog heaven over there in the countryside... that is till they found the city... then they'd really be in paradise... free food everywhere!!:lol2:


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

That's the one Nerys, he was finally caught in Todmorden, W. Yorks.

He hasn't met any of the other skunks yet, he has been given his own room for the time being till he has had a chance to settle in, we have some idea of what his temperament is like, and more importantly we've had our vet check him over.


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

yeah, we were just saying.. its not even as though they would have a lot of competition... foxes maybe.. badgers maybe.. things like mink possibly if they were in that range.. but i would not mind betting, seeing as he is a loaded skunk and knows how to use it.. that he would have come off the winner in most encounters with other wild english creatures.. lol..

in the usa, the wild diet analysis has shown that they eat a lot of carrion as part of their natural diet.. not that any keeper i know feeds that as part of a captive diet.. but i wonder, if he was coming from the moors, if he now has a taste for sheep :lol2: 

N

fixx... makes you wonder doesn't it.. how many more we are going to see like this in the coming years.. even without the change in law regarding descenting, the more popular they become as pets, it stands to reason, the more we will see in situations like this.. thats the 4th i am aware of being rehomed via the rspca in the last year...


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## stubeanz (Mar 28, 2007)

well done for rescuing him not many people would take on a skunk that has been feral for 6 months!:notworthy:
hope he becomes tame for you and its crazy that he was wild for so long!
good luck 
stu


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Well done for taking him!!

Is it temperate enough here for them to breed and the babies to survive the first winter in the wild?

You'd think the price of a skunk would certainly stop people from buying them without a lot of consideration which would weed out a lot of the impulses and stop a good amount of abandonment though.

Do people microchip skunks like dogs/cats?


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

Athravan said:


> Well done for taking him!!
> 
> Is it temperate enough here for them to breed and the babies to survive the first winter in the wild?
> 
> ...


By the time winter would have come Christie any babies would have grown to almost full adult size, combine that with the fact they they will spend the first 12 months or so with Mum and they would easily cope with our winters. During the winter skunks will den down, they don't go into hibernation like bears do but a sort of torpor only waking and venturing out on more clement days. During the winter months a skunk may lose 25% of it's body weight if it has denned down alone but only around 9% if it co-habits a denning site with other skunks.

You'd have thought their price would deter people from abandoning them but then again you still see high value pedigree dogs being mis-treated, abandoned etc. I think it is just human nature sadly, a throw-away society.

All of ours are microchipped and a fair few people in the village (all the immediate neighbours for sure) know that we keep skunks, as do the North Devon Animal Ambulance and the local RSPCA.

We have no idea of Pepe's age, or how long exactly he has been wandering free like the Littlest Hobo and he may not adapt to life as a house skunk. If this turns out to be the case we will construct as large an enclosure as we can in the garden and he can go and live out there there. No matter what he has found his forever home here where he will be loved and cared for as much as our other skunks.


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## JPReptiles (Dec 2, 2007)

Fixx said:


> This is Pepe.
> I drove 200 miles to the RSPCA's Blackberry Farm Animal Centre last night only to get bitten and sprayed for my troubles, then drove another 200 miles home again with Pepe in a very aromatic car -.-
> Now Pepe is not your ordinary skunk, he's a bit special in that he has spent 6 months living free oop north and was only captured about 3 weeks ago. Despite a mention on the BBC News nobody has come forward to report a missing or stolen skunk so it has been assumed that he was abandoned.
> He could do with losing a little weight and we will be taking him to the vets for a checkup (or bringing the vet to us) at some point in the near future for a check up.
> ...


Good luck with him Fixx

John


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## BeWhitty_99 (Aug 7, 2008)

*blackberry farm skunk*

hi, i work at blackberry farm and was looking after the skunk. i was searching on the net for the video the news people were filming but had no luck then found this site! i was just wondering how he was settling in, i heard you had a bit of a time getting hi8m away. the place still pongs a bit after his little spray!


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Good luck and best wishes for your new addition.

He looks lovely. Is he quite timid and attempting to spray regular or did he spray you becuase you had to grab him. 
Thinking of grabbing our male tomorrow when i take female to vet.

best wishes


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

kodakira said:


> Good luck and best wishes for your new addition.
> 
> He looks lovely. Is he quite timid and attempting to spray regular or did he spray you becuase you had to grab him.
> Thinking of grabbing our male tomorrow when i take female to vet.
> ...


Quite timid, but not spraying all the time, in fact he only sprayed me (and bit me) when I had to catch him up and I am expecting him to do it again when I catch him up for a vets check-up next week.

Get some safety glasses because it stings like a stingy thing if you get sprayed in the eye.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

LOL it stings ya eyes even if you dont get sprayed in the eye ray :lol2:


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

BeWhitty_99 said:


> hi, i work at blackberry farm and was looking after the skunk. i was searching on the net for the video the news people were filming but had no luck then found this site! i was just wondering how he was settling in, i heard you had a bit of a time getting hi8m away. the place still pongs a bit after his little spray!


You have a PM BeWhitty_99, welcome to RFUK. :2thumb:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

:2thumb: Well done you for taking him on.


Fixx said:


> You'd have thought their price would deter people from abandoning them but then again you still see high value pedigree dogs being mis-treated, abandoned etc. I think it is just human nature sadly, a throw-away society.


 Precisely the point! I think that money is all relevant. £1,000 to me in my current situation is a small fortune, but to someone else that could be peanuts!

That is why I think charging a lot for a pet doesn't necessarily mean it will be going to a better home or be more valued! Often the people who care most don't have money to throw away - they do without so their pets don't!


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

Hello again.

Just wondering how things were going with your latest edition. Is he coming round a little or is he still quite timid. Does he still posture to stink you.:devil:
Considering he had been living wild I thought he looked quite well ( but what do i know ).
Do you find that skunks generally readily accept other skunks or do you need to introduce them slowly to each other. How has pepe settled in with the others or have you not introduced him yet.

I apologise for all the questions but I am sincerely interested.

Ours completely taken over our lives ( in a nice way ). Completely fascinated by them and want to learn as much as we can about them.

Best wishes


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

kodakira said:


> Hello again.
> 
> Just wondering how things were going with your latest edition. Is he coming round a little or is he still quite timid. Does he still posture to stink you.:devil:
> Considering he had been living wild I thought he looked quite well ( but what do i know ).
> Do you find that skunks generally readily accept other skunks or do you need to introduce them slowly to each other. How has pepe settled in with the others or have you not introduced him yet.


Things are going slowly but we are making progress, we were treated the other evening when Pepe deigned to make an appearance out of his hidey hole and wandered around the room whilst we were in there, but any overt move towards him sends him on the defensive. He will 'lean' over and sniff your hand if you hold it out to him on occasions though.
He hasn't been introduced to any of the other skunks yet, he is still under quarantine and will be for a few more weeks yet, at least till our vet has seen him and given him the once over, who knows what he has picked up on his travels.
When (if) we do introduce him it will be done slowly through a baby gate initially , just to judge reactions from both sides (he'll also get a chance to see the dog then as well)...if that goes well then we'll introduce them face to face one at a time and if that goes well he can run riot with the mob. If he doesn't 'tame' then we may have to think about an outdoor enclosure for him.



kodakira said:


> I apologise for all the questions but I am sincerely interested.
> 
> Ours completely taken over our lives ( in a nice way ). Completely fascinated by them and want to learn as much as we can about them.
> 
> Best wishes


I know that feeling so no apologies are necessary, always willing to answer questions and share ideas about skunks.


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