Should I feed a baby skunk I found?

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Baby skunks do look very cute and cuddly with their soft black and white fur, and some finders are tempted to raise them as pets. But raising and feeding a baby skunk is not so easy and straightforward.



In actual fact, that kit is a tiny and fragile animal that needs a lot of care. In fact, it is unlikely to survive if it does not receive adequate care, and so it is safer to hand a baby skunk find over to professional wildlife rehabilitators, rather than give it inexperienced care, albeit well-meaning. You must also find out what is obtainable in your state or county as regards the care of wild animals.

If you find a baby skunk, observe to see if it is dehydrated or not. A dehydrated kit should be given warm water wit Nutri-cal orally in the right proportion and with the use of a 1cc syringe.

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It is however, not advisable for you to feed that baby skunk because the food that it needs in not the regular puppy or kitten meals. A baby skunk requires an entirely different meal from a kitten or puppy. Inappropriate meals can result in the animal getting sick and weak with diarrhea.

If you must feed the kit though, note that they are usually well fed with calcium, protein, minerals and vitamins in the right proportions for good growth. If it is not properly fed, a baby skunk may suffer from kidney stone, bone spurs, poor development, bone calcification, and so on. Thus, it is important that these nutrients be given to the baby skunk in the right proportion; it must neither be too much or too small.

You can get the correct formula for baby skunk from animal control professional or give a mixture of KMR and warm water. A well fed baby skunk will defecate and urinate with ease and frequently.

After about 3 months of feeding the baby skunk, it should be able to eat on its own. By this time, you may start feeding it with fatty fish, eggs, carrots, sea foods, vegetable oil, yoghurt, cottage cheese, vanilla wafer, chopped mushrooms, peas, corn, squash, nuts, cod liver oil and so on.

Go back to the Skunk Removal page, or learn tips by reading How to get rid of skunks.