New Stripy Skunk Sister for Snuff!

[Nerys]

back in janurary, on my birthday in fact, i heard of a skunk that may be looking for a new home.

they'd had it since last summer, and got it at i am guessing about 16-20 weeks, it had a full tail by the time they got it, unlike snuff, who at 8 weeks had a kittens tail still.. it was also very nervous of humans and fully scented.. it was also sold to them as male..

poor guys, they wanted a snuff, and got a 4-5 month old, stinking wild hellion of a skunk instead..

they tried their best, from leaving it alone to spending time with it.. but everytime they tried to pick it up, it bit and bit.. an adult skunk bite can break fingers, so they learnt to leave it alone.. and it learnt to be left alone...

for those who have seen and met snuff, you know how bonded they can be.. this poor little scrap is the total opposite.. i;m guessing that whoever bred them, did not work with them as young as they were still scented and actively squirting quite a bit.

annnyway.. 'hee got fed, tho IMHO on too high protein a diet, with not enough veggies.. and he has been looked after.. he just never learnt that humans are ok..

so, i said i was interested in taking it on.. regardless of how wild or not it was, and a week later they managed to get a look at the sex, and found out it was a she..

She-skunks, risk death by not being bred.. so.. its just as well it was found out now, as she is just coming into heat this spring for the first time.. if they had carried on thinking she was male, she could have died this summer.

sunday, 10 hours drive, 600 miles and a hometime of 3.50am, and she is now back with me..so a sticky, smell, tufty, orange stained, small and very very nervous little girl was released into my house in the early hours of the morning.. and promptly went to ground under the wardrobe!!

shes been coming on really really well this week, i am sleeping in with them at night to get her used to a human who loafs about and does not cause a threat.. and she lets me tickle her through the slats, and will take mealworms from me very gently..

i managed to get her out for a bath without any stressing and no biting! and she seemed to enjoy the warm water and bubbles and massages... shes a bit less tufty and orange now, and a lot less smelly also! she handled the bath, and the subsequent toweling dry, and fussing on my lap very very well, i was quite proud of her actually no biting at all, not even a snap or a grumble. she must feel a lot less itchy for it.

i stashed the camera by the bed, to try and grab some pics of her without scaring her even more.. so excuse the quality, but for everyone who has been asking me what she looks like... here she is! she was called stompy, and is now looking for a new name

she is living under the wardrobe now, as opposed to snuff who lives inside the wardrobe, they are getting on well tho the pair of them





snuff gets under here with her too actually, god knows how they fit.





more to follow

[Nerys]

she is smaller than snuff is, tho apparently about 2-3 months older..

the room at the moment, with bed down, is a bit full !



but the skunks like it it seems!

the bed gets used as part of the obstacle course!

[bosshogg]

well done for helping this lil thing and isnt she cute

[Nerys]

and snuff will insist on sitting on my head half way through the night..



thats when she is not eating that is..







she seems to be litter trained ok too so far..

[Nerys]

my heart just goes out to her yes... i know how much skunks can get back out of a human pairing.. from having snuff, and no-one who meets her can miss it either.. its heartbreaking that she is so convinced humans are her enemies.. its not the people who had hers fault really though.. she was semi-wild and fully scented when they got her, and skunks are uber intelligent with very good memories.. part of the reason i am trying to make here so very very different to her previous place. and snuff helps, i smell of her, and she smells of me, and they are both sharing a wardrobe of my clothes, so that stinks of me too..

she learnt that humans could be made to go away, and therefore that they must be enemies as you don't need to make friends go away. Enemies are bad, therefore people are bad, therefore they must be defended against.. and bite and spray.. poor lamb..









what a cutie eh..



anyway, thanks for looking, and we'll keep you all posted!

Nerys

[ratboy]

I'm sure once she see's how Snuff is with you it will help her to come round Nerys

Best of luck with her

[LeeH]

they are both awesome Nerys

[PinkSnake]

Wow!! She is gorgeous Nerys! I would still love one, some day

[Titch1980]

awww i want one, and still my kids think they are ferrets, lol

[Layla]

She is lovely. Are they like ferrets in the sense that they can get pyo if not bred? Will you get her speyed or breed from her?
I wonder who bred her? I know it wont have been seb as his are all de scented.