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Skunk Precautions

Primarily due to the rabies scare, skunk owners must be especially cautious with their pets.  People are so misinformed about rabies that a bite doesn't even have to occur for your pet to be in danger.  I personally had an emergency room nurse tell me that you could get rabies by petting a rabid animal's fur.  This is simply not true, but she was one of the people in charge of deciding who gets the post exposure vaccine. 

Given the lack of education of the general public, and the fact that some skunks do tend to bite, babies especially, but some never grow out of it, skunks can and do die as a result of bites.  Whether they bite in play or bite out of fear doesn't matter to health officials whose primary concern is human lives.  So, if you have a skunk, here are some common sense precautions:

  • KNOW YOUR SKUNK!  Does your skunk tend to bite during play, when they are stressed or when they are hungry?  If so, be very careful during times when your skunk may tend to bite and he/she is around other people.

  • Though your skunk is the cutest creature on the face of the planet, be careful how often you take him/her out in public.  Some skunks deal just fine being out in public and gawked over by strangers, others stress.  When you are out in public with your skunk, make sure to always keep a hold of his/her head.  If somebody is going to touch your skunk, position yourself so that if a bite is going to occur, its you that gets bitten and not a stranger.  So many skunks have died because the kids at the park wanted to pet them.

  • Know who you are bringing into your home and make sure that they are fully aware of your skunk and his/her behavior.  Even the closest of friends have become very fearful after a play bite and caused a beloved pet to die. 

  • If the people who are around your skunk are nervous, make certain that your skunk and those people do not come into contact.  If you are home, put your skunk in another room, if you are out, hold him/her.  People who are nervous are more likely to cause the skunk to bite and to panic if/when it does.