Skunk Feeding

Believe it or not, the skunk can be domesticated and made into a household pet. While this is rare, it's not unheard of. First and foremost, the issue of taking care of pet skunks is their scent glands. While skunks only spray when on the defensive, most pet skunks have their scent glands removed around four weeks of age. Another difficulty in owning a skunk is learning to deal with their comprehensive diet.

  1. Diet

    • Skunks are omnivores. That is, they eat both plants and meat. Little research has been done on a domesticated skunk's diet and very few options --- if any --- are available at pet stores. This leaves you to whip up your pet's meals from scratch. In a natural environment, skunks feed primarily on vegetation, nuts and insects. In a domesticated environment, a skunk's diet will need to reflect this temperamental balance. A diet of 30-40 percent vegetable and 60-70 percent protein is a safe medium. Nevertheless, it's best to closely watch over your skunk and adjust its diet accordingly.

    Foods

    • Try out a variety of different foods to figure what your skunk likes best. Vegetables, including sprouts, celery, cucumbers and bell peppers are all safe options. While protein can be obtained from nuts, turkey, chicken, eggs or small amounts of peanut butter, the best source of protein for a skunk is insects. Skunks need to ingest a proper amount of taurine, an amino acid found in meat. Heat destroys taurine so meat must be fed raw to the skunk. As with most domesticated pets, processed foods --- especially chocolate --- are not healthy for your skunk. Store-bought cat or dog food should also be avoided.

    Nursing

    • Feeding a baby skunk is very different than feeding a young or adult skunk. As with all mammals, baby skunks feed of the milk of their mothers. Baby skunks taken away from their mothers to be domesticated need to be properly nursed or could face adverse reactions, including death. Never feed a baby skunk cow's milk, human milk or any variety of human baby formula. Milk substitutes for puppies, such as Esbilac, will work. Use an oral syringe and never a bottle. Warm the formula and feed it to your pet. The proper amount typically ranges between 1 to 5 cc.

    Warnings

    • If you decide to purchase a pet skunk, you must be extremely careful about monitoring its diet. One of the biggest problems with domesticated skunks is obesity. Because they're beggars, skunks continue to beg for food, even after they're full. Also, because skunks are extremely sensitive when it comes to their diet, it's important to completely separate meals of protein and meals and vegetables. Never combine the two as each is dissolved into the system at very different rates.