# Skunks in the UK?



## Bradders100 (Feb 3, 2008)

Can you get skunks in the uk????

I've wanted one for absolutly years -_-

What are they like as pets? I know you can't decent them anymore so do they spray alot so to speak XD

Dumb questions but ya know haha

Thanks!


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

Yes, you can get Skunks in the UK.
I think they make excellent pets....for the right person/people.
Contrary to what Joe Public thinks and the cartoon skunk Pepe le Pue portrays they do not stink all the time, we have three intact skunks here and they only smell slightly stronger (if at all) than our de-scented ones, in fact ferrets and polecats smell a lot stronger than skunks imo. 
No they don't spray a lot if they are well socialised, you may get a minor whiff if you startle them but on the whole it's not that common.
No such thing as a dumb question.

p.s. there a 15 threads alone on the first page on the Exotic mammals part of RFUK


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

not alot more i can add to that really lol 

but yips you can get them in the uk and what fixx has said is very true


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

Can you get skunks in the uk????

yes, there are, we think, probably over 500 skunks in the uk, living as pets.. in animal attractions, with animal educators..

we do not have the range of colours seen in the usa, but we do have black and whites, chocolates, albinos, tans, smokes and possibly apricots if you go by the us descriptions. UK skunks also come in Sliver Back, Chip and Swirl.. descriptions of the amount of white markings each skunk has.

 What are they like as pets? 

generally fantastic.. although quite demanding. its been likened to being owned by a cheeky 2 year old child..

I know you can't decent them anymore so do they spray alot so to speak XD

of the 8 i have, only one is fully loaded, so i am not the best person to ask on that front. given the right skunk, and the right socialisation, there is no reason a skunk should spray a lot.. spraying is done for defence.. technically a captive skunk should not need to defend itself. skunk spray is not the nicest of things, can can cause problems to other household pets tho. there are pros and cons to everything.. many people still feel the spray is the con side..

as fixx has said, there are a lot of posts and pics on here of RFUK'ers skunks.. i am not sure how many members on here now own them, but we must be into double figures easily now..

search skunk on the forum search engine.. you will find lots..

this is quanah, my newest addition.. 










a mini version of snuff, my older albino girly..












N


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## Bradders100 (Feb 3, 2008)

Is there breeders in this country then? or do you import, as i've looked for breeders and come up less than empty handed!!!!

They look like such delightful little animals, i'd rather have a normal B&W one mind, they remind me of small dogs or large rats xD

Got them cheeky little faces hahah!!!!

Are they quite playful then or are they lazy or does it depends entirely on the skunk haha?


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## Bradders100 (Feb 3, 2008)

Nerys said:


> this is quanah, my newest addition..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Absolutely GORGEOUS!!!! They are such amazing animals!!!


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Bradders100 said:


> Is there breeders in this country then? or do you import, as i've looked for breeders and come up less than empty handed!!!!
> 
> They look like such delightful little animals, i'd rather have a normal B&W one mind, they remind me of small dogs or large rats xD
> 
> ...


LOL quiet playful aint the word for it they are very playful as nerys has said its like having a toddler to care for they are very demanding creatures 

yes there are breeders in the uk i got my lil guy from one stop in nottingham they breed them there though think they are having a break so wont be breeding for a while again


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## Bradders100 (Feb 3, 2008)

Would be nice to actually have a playful pet,fair enough I have the rat and the dogs, but our female just shoves toys in yer face, runs off, you get the toy off her, two seconds later she'd bored and goes to sleep!
And our male wont play with us cos he thinks he is going to hurt us (he plays with his mouth you see)

And the rat just wants to play with our male dog but obviously cant cos all he wants to do is bite at her so she chases him -_-

Damn animals bonding with each other HAHA


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

they are yes, once owned by skunks, you are never the same without one lol

there are people breeding them in the UK yes. a number of people on here have UK 2008 bred skunks, of course scented now yes... quanah was bred in nottingham, as was emma's Havoc.. i know lou and ray have two young ones.. both bred in the west although by different breeders.. tillie has a young one from Seb Miller at Jungle Talk, who is one of the few people with a public skunk for sale page, he takes bookings on litters so worth talking to.

and then, yes, there are imports. any skunk that has been legally imported, whether scented or not, and from both the EU and the states/canada, is required to undergo 6 months q'tine before release into the owners hands. skunks cannot get passports as the rabies vaccine is not yet recognised for skunk use by the officals.

early next year there will be imported skunks available. the disadvantage of course is you miss out on all the fun of baby skunkhood.. not to mention the close bonding you get from an early age. although the skunks will be worked with by the staff in the centre, i would not deny that personally i would prefer a baby to work, than one of 8 months. 

however, as i have found with 8, and no doubt others with more than one know, all skunks are different. in the same way some cats are people cats and some cats are not.. some are lap cats.. some hate laps.. so skunks are the same. no two have identical personalites.. i have had babies from 8 weeks who came in as biters and never tamed down.. and babies from the same batch who remain with me today and are the sweetest of skunks who have never once bitten.. 

so there is a lot that is the skunk, as well as the way its being brought up. some skunks take dislikes to one person, but love another.. Pacer here, will not bite me, but will have rory everytime.. he was sold to me as a biter.. yet even when i went to pick him up, he never bite.. much to the sellers suprise and slight indignation lol.

they can be very playful, and very lazy all in the same day.. they eat for england, can get into things you would not dream possible.. dig up carpets, strip wallpaper and shit on your bed.. (yes, thanks snuff.. i know you were sulking but even so!)

they do things like that out of spite.. to let you know you have not been up to scratch that day.. snuff.. i sprayed a bug killer behind her litter box area.. (damn flies) and she clearly was not impressed.. i have never seen her on my bed before, yet when i went up later.. there was a huge turd.. right at the junction of my pillow and the duvet... there are stories on the us forums of skunks shitting in shoes to show you they are cross.. but oddly the bed seems a place of choice for a lot of skunks.. if you piss them off.. take care when you go to bed.. seems to be the way it goes!

quanah then complicated matters by being startled by me sneaking up on him (his words not mine!) and squirting me.. as he was on the bed at the time.. it could have gotten nasty.. however he has a bloody good aim and got me full on chest and chin.. thank you quanah.. your name means fragrant. maybe i should change it to Rose and hope for the best...

N


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

this is pro, one of my black and white boys.. pro often goes out and about with me when i am on courier runs.. he is quite content to sleep on the front seat of the van in his fleece..










and this is pacer.. who is sort of a silver back (he has a few black hairs in the middle but not many.. both pacer and pro get on with the meerkats.. although they are normally trying to raid their food stash it has to be said.










N


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Nerys said:


> they are yes, once owned by skunks, you are never the same without one lol
> 
> there are people breeding them in the UK yes. a number of people on here have UK 2008 bred skunks, of course scented now yes... quanah was bred in nottingham, as was emma's Havoc.. i know lou and ray have two young ones.. both bred in the west although by different breeders.. tillie has a young one from Seb Miller at Jungle Talk, who is one of the few people with a public skunk for sale page, he takes bookings on litters so worth talking to.
> 
> ...


 
LOL and i was lucky to witness the spraying over the telephone oh dear it was funny though nerys :lol2:


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

especially when rory starting yelling up the stairs..:lol2::lol2::lol2:

bless him, he does put up with a lot from me and mine

N


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Nerys said:


> especially when rory starting yelling up the stairs..:lol2::lol2::lol2:
> 
> bless him, he does put up with a lot from me and mine
> 
> N


 
not saying too much as i have to me nice i want my gurlies LOL 

but yeah awww bless him he did make me giggle with the shouting upstairs :lol2:


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## Bradders100 (Feb 3, 2008)

I would love one so much!!!!!!!

Pro is really cute I could munch him haha!

I wouldn't want to import anyway, would rather have one from england and young so i could bond with it better ^^

And OMG you have meerkats?!! Are these pets?!

I didn't know you could have them -_-

Mom prefers my caged animals more than anything though so wouldn't be impressed with skunks, meerkats, etc haha

Shes prefers my reptiles I think xD

Though when I move out i'm so getting a skunk instead of a puppy  lol!!


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Bradders100 said:


> I would love one so much!!!!!!!
> 
> Pro is really cute I could munch him haha!
> 
> ...


 
most animals can be kept as pets within the right environment 

skunks are very cute yes but as has been said very very demanding i know this 1st hand 

here are pics of havoc an one of bam who i am lookin afte for a friend bam is the chocolate one


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## Bradders100 (Feb 3, 2008)

They are still very cute ^^

Maybe one day...

*sigh*

They are just so cute!


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

lol, yes, meerkats.. i do have a couple of meerkats.. they are not house pets, and not cuddle tame, although we do watch meerkat mannor together outside, and they come when i call them and take food from me and so on. 

the bolder of the two will climb inside my trouser legs when i am sat on the floor to see if there is anything worth eating up there.. she helps when i am cleaning out. by using th binbags as a climbing rock and raiding them for anything she can dig out..

watching meerkat mannor










clean out night..










skunk raid!










rat! rat! rat! (she spotted a wild one in the roof)










the bit my fingers avoid..










grooming... for a meerkat, there is nothing quite like another meerkat for a pal.. they rarely make good long term single house pets.. tho of course there are some exceptions to the rule..










N


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Bradders100 said:


> They are still very cute ^^
> 
> Maybe one day...
> 
> ...


Not when they are stomping at you and biting your toes an ankle bone they aint LOL havoc keeps running up stomping an trying to eat my ankle :lol2:


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

lol emma.. i just shot you a video of quanah playing.. although he does not play as much when i have a camera in one hand, even so.. you get to meet his friend the giraffe.. and the just stolen part of ferret harness.. he's paused to eat now.. but the video is still only *checks* 10% uploaded!

N


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Nerys said:


> lol emma.. i just shot you a video of quanah playing.. although he does not play as much when i have a camera in one hand, even so.. you get to meet his friend the giraffe.. and the just stolen part of ferret harness.. he's paused to eat now.. but the video is still only *checks* 10% uploaded!
> 
> N


LOL i cant wait to see it :flrt:


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

yey.. get there in the end..



this is us at the moment.. me one hand in the drawer playing with a furball..one hand on the keyboard typing lol..

N


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

LOL nerys thats fab is that vid vid i love it how they do the drunk run when ickle havoc still does it :lol2:

nice effort of a stomp he has too wait a few more weeks till he is a mad stomping loony like havoc is :lol2:

he is currently curled up under the sofa under me lol:lol2:


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## Bradders100 (Feb 3, 2008)

That vid is so cute!!!

I do the dangle thing with my rat when i get my mobile out and dangle the charm over her head (its jingles like a bell and she LOVES it)

So sweet


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