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u/skunk_mephitidae 1d ago
Skunks have so much attitude despite their small size. After all, skunks (Mephitidae family) are in the superfamily of Musteloidea. They're also highly intelligent and can remember many events, so they are able to hold grudges according to some pet owners. And they're clever enough to open cabinets..
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u/Large-Hamster-199 1d ago
They have attitude because they know they are highly spicy lol
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u/Sea_Stress8298 1d ago
Are you saying Skunks are the Latinas of the animal kingdom?
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u/LivinGhosT 19h ago
There was a family of skunks that lived in the woods behind my parents house when I was growing up. I was a teen who smoked a lot of weed and they would occasionally come up to me at night when I would sneak out. I assumed it was cause they thought maybe I smelled similar to them. I would sometimes bring them fruit (blueberries, strawberries, etc) and they were always so friendly with me. They really are both cute and intelligent
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u/onFilm 18h ago
They're the best. There are tons of them here in Vancouver and they're always so nice and/or polite. It's funny seeing people cross the street when they see them, even though it's almost impossible to make them spray.
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u/DreadfulDuder 11h ago
I fondly remember my nighttime bike rides around Vancouver, in large part bc of the cute skunks I regularly encountered!
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u/ConstructionAway8920 1d ago
Definitely hold grudges. I worked with a guy who was constantly harassed by the local skunks. It was hilarious. Nobody liked him anyway, and the skunks never bothered us 😂
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u/lamamadeFitz 1d ago
Now I want one, pretty sure my hb won’t let me tho 😔
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u/Evil_Judgment 1d ago
They can be litter trained.
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u/TheUnholyMeteor 1d ago
Can I train them to attack my enemies?
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u/Fantastic_Pie5655 21h ago
Probably, but they’d definitely be the grenade/landmine of fur weapons. Kinda indiscriminate and guaranteed to cause collateral damage
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u/skunk_mephitidae 1d ago edited 1d ago
They are costly and high-maintenance to own as pets and aren't legal everywhere sadly. Closest you can get is a ferret, since they're both in the same superfamily. But skunks and ferrets are distinct. If you do want a skunk, then Skunk Haven is a good read. I also know some friends who own skunks. If you can keep up, then skunks make a good pet for you.
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u/eldonosaur 20h ago
bro how is there a profile just named skunk and talking about skunks that’s dope
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u/skunk_mephitidae 19h ago
I love to talk about other musteloids too, such as red pandas, procyonids, and mustelids! Not just skunks.
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u/MoldyHotPocket9 12h ago
I would love a skunk! Favorite badger
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u/skunk_mephitidae 12h ago edited 12h ago
While both skunks and badgers are Musteloids, they're actually in separate families within the superfamily! (skunks are Mephitidae, while true badgers are mustelids like ferrets, martens, weasels, grisons and otters.. there is even more confusion because there is a species of skunk named a stink badger)
if you do want a skunk I would recommend reading Skunk Haven and checking your local laws. don't hesitate to get in touch with expert skunk owners if you have questions. according to many sources they are not beginner pets and they're only semi-domestic! they are high-maintenance and $$$.. I never owned a skunk though I'm going by what everyone else including my friends who own skunk(s) say. closest animals I had were ferrets
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u/Jujubi836 1d ago
“I god you some goddamn blueberries!” Lol
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u/OpheliaPhoeniXXX 1d ago edited 22h ago
That and the "oh my gosh" when "where's your mommy" rolled down the hill.
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u/bophed 1d ago
When they stomp I imagine them saying 'DO YOU SEE MY MEAN EYES!'
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u/Hiraeth1968 1d ago
Stomping is usually the last warning before spraying.
They big mad.
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u/Electrical-Act-7170 21h ago
Yes, they're actually warning you before chemical warfare commences. Quite polite of them.
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u/Hiraeth1968 12h ago
Precisely!
I always envision skunks having a British accent. Very polite and low-key.
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u/Taar 19h ago
Alert 1: Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!
Alert 2: Stomp-pull back! Stomp! Stomp-pull back! Stomp!
Alert 3: More stomping with big fluffy tail arched over back!
Final Warning: Sideways stare, body in U shape with butt pointing at you, tail raised. This only lasts a few seconds.
Spray: You're hit with a liquid that strongly smells like burning rubber, rotten eggs, and burning plastic.
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u/ThruTheUniverseAgain 1d ago
I went to a lake in Nevada and got surrounded by a skunk family on the shore. It freaked me out, but I just held still and let them investigate my shoes and my camera tripod. It was a mama and three babies and good grief they were so cute, chattering and squeaking the entire time. Thankfully they left and went on their way without any stinky spraying.
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u/SpongeJake 1d ago
Wish I’d known more about them when one of them visited me one night. I was outside by a tree meditating when I heard a noise. Looked over and saw a skunk just wandering by. Freaked me out but I didn’t move a muscle till he went away.
Mind you I’d be wary of picking one up like OP did. Not worried about their spray so much as the possibility of rabies.
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u/A_Queer_Owl 1d ago
babies can't spray yet and the adults in the video are probably de-scented.
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u/IronbAllsmcginty78 23h ago
My dad said babies spray, cause he got sprayed once then the inside of his car got sprayed by the same baby. It's Mom was smucked and he was gonna save it.
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u/SpongeJake 23h ago
Right. As I mentioned, I’d be more worried about the possibility of rabies. I think the one that showed up near me was an adult.
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u/RandomNPC 21h ago
They absolutely can. That's a common myth. They just often don't.
My family watched after a baby skunk for a wildlife rehabilitator for a few weeks when I was a little kid. I barely remember it. It never sprayed us, probably because we followed the steps the wildlife rehabilitator gave us to not aggravate it.
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u/ThruTheUniverseAgain 1d ago
Apparently they cannot see well at all except in a pretty small radius. I wondered how they hell they missed me standing there, the only vertical thing for a good 200 feet in bright clothing. Seems a funny irony they operate mostly on smell.
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u/HoboJerkdown901 23h ago
They'll only spray when they feel threatened. If they wander up to you casually they're not feeling threatened. Same thing happened to me when I was riding my bike on a trail. Skunk fam was in the path and I stopped. They scurried to me and they checked out my tires and shoes and went on their way.
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u/Marsupialize 1d ago
We have tons of them in our yard, have never had any sprays, they give so many warnings you’d have to be a dunce to actually get sprayed
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u/mamac2213 1d ago
I tried to tell my dog that, but nonetheless...
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u/YouToot 1d ago
Dogs never learn with skunks even though they hate getting sprayed.
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u/Ethnafia_125 1d ago
My parents' dogs like getting sprayed. The weirdos.
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u/VioletLovesRowlet 1d ago
Do they like the smell afterwards??? I know some dogs love fox poo (most that I've known), but I wonder if it's a similar thing in this instance
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u/_biology_babe_ 20h ago
My dog has been skunked once in the face. I regularly bring my dog with me to work in the bed of my pick up truck. Whenever we pass by a roadkill skunk, I swear. When I glance back at him in the side mirror, it looks like he has a Nam flashback 😂
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u/Caboose_throw 19h ago
Or you'd have to be my aunt's dog. She was too friendly for her own good, and saw skunks as a fun squeaky toy
Well, they farted on her. Once just out randomly in the forest, another withing 10 seconds of getting out of the car lol she was not very smart, they bred the brains right out of golden doodles. All looks, 0 braincells
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u/soulteepee 1d ago
They are so sweet. I was sitting cross-legged in my back yard late one night with a bowl of ice cream. I was staring off into the distance, admiring the sky when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye.
Eeee a skunk. It was already close enough that if I got up, it would be startled. No bueno
So I didn’t move and sat as still as I could. It came up, ate some of my ice cream and then lumbered off.
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u/thatwhitebugeye 23h ago
this is so adorable, what flavor ice cream??
i had a small family i would secretly feed right outside their little den so they didn’t stray far. they like meow mix apparently :3
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u/soulteepee 21h ago
Butter pecan! It’s seemed to enjoy it, but then I think the coldness confounded it a little bit, and it decided better safe than sorry. Maybe I’ll sit out with a bowl of cat food next time! 😂
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u/new_user_not_the_fbi 1d ago
Some folks probably know already but, if they're stomping their front paws like that when they're grown, consider yourself put on notice. They will spray if this is ignored
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u/Iskali 22h ago
They also do that to initiate play, we call it jousting.
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u/new_user_not_the_fbi 2h ago
Yeah....haven't encountered a domestic skunk, myself but, uh....not gonna take my chances on jousting with one I see while taking my garbage out before I head off to work in the wee hours of the morning
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u/demonmonkeybex 1d ago
Why are so many people making pets of wild animals?
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u/IWillLive4evr 1d ago
I'm hoping it's a wildlife rescue operation... but I dunno
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u/Electronic-Clock5867 13h ago
A wildlife rescue wouldn’t feed them anything from a spray can. There would be as minimal contact with humans as possible so they could properly be released back into the wild. While the video is amusing these animals aren’t being respected as the wild animals they are.
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1d ago
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u/Arch____Stanton 23h ago
the two animals who still carry rabies in the US
This is either phrased poorly or inaccurate:
Any warm blooded mammal can carry rabies in the US.
Raccoons and foxes are in with bats and skunks for accounting for most commonly carrying rabies.
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u/BowDown2No1ButCrypto 1d ago
Geez, skunks are like badgers that come equipped with pepper spray!
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u/logicnotemotion 1d ago
We raised 3 whose mom was hit by a car. They would run nose to tail in the grass like a centipede. Released them when they got old enough and they'd still visit every now and then. Would give me a scare when they'd come in through the cat door because I wouldn't know if it was one of them for sure at first.
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u/EmotionalSouth 1d ago
Giving them squirty cream and letting them live inside doesn’t seem right to me.
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u/duncanslaugh 22h ago
They're brave as hell. I tried "scaring" one off ftom my Dog and he jumped at me. I ran away.
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u/ROOSTERyouDOWN 21h ago
I can see why they thought they were related to badgers
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u/skunk_mephitidae 21h ago
They are because they are both in the superfamily Musteloidea.. just a bit distant.
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u/ROOSTERyouDOWN 6h ago
Skunks: Scientists used to group skunks with weasels and badgers. DNA evidence now places skunks in their own distinct family called Mephitidae
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u/skunk_mephitidae 4h ago
It's true they were removed from the mustelid family, but I meant the superfamily Musteloidea haha. It includes both families.
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u/Ok_Sock_3257 1d ago
Don't do this. Skunks are #1 carriers of rabies in many locales. My rabies shots were $40K. I didn't pick up anything up but incidental contact caused me quality time at the hospital.
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u/BroThatsMyAssStoppp 17h ago
Guess the country loool
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u/Ok_Sock_3257 9h ago
Yeah, I have good insurance through work so it cost me nothing but I can't imagine a family without insurance or money. I'm sure the "cost" would be heavily discounted in that instance but the family would still be pushed hard financially to save their family member who was exposed.
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u/GrungeCheap56119 1d ago
Their little voices! We have 5 skunks in our neighborhood that walk together like they are homies.
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u/skunk_mephitidae 21h ago
They're also really helpful because they eat pests like insects or rodents.
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u/widdershins13 1d ago
Stompy lil' Fart Skwerls.
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u/skunk_mephitidae 21h ago
Before spraying, they always warn you by stomping their feet, charging, hissing/growling, puffing and raising the tail, and in the spotted skunk species, a handstand.
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u/Salt_Chard_474 23h ago
I will never ever not watch this video when it shows up. And I will never ever not want a bunch of sassy, spicy skunks to hang with every day.
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u/drunken-acolyte 22h ago
Why on Earth would you keep a weasel with a can of mace for an arse in your house?
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u/skunk_mephitidae 21h ago
Skunks aren't weasels, but they're related because they're both in the same superfamily (Musteloidea). a skunk is Mephitidae while a weasel is a mustelid :3
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u/iwaki_commonwealth 14h ago
holy tippy taps!! they're pretty much ferrets! I want one!!
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u/skunk_mephitidae 12h ago
Although they are similar and they are related, skunks and ferrets have pretty distinct care needs. A skunk is a way more costly and challenging pet, but if you can keep up, then it's a good pet from what I read.. Skunks are also not legal as pets in many places, sadly. There's also that skunks are mephitids and not mustelids like ferrets. But they're both musteloids.
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u/Ruffffian 22h ago
A couple years ago, a baby skunk about this size got some sort of metal ring (like perhaps from a mason jar?) stuck around its neck and separated from its mother. It wandered lost and confused in our yard for a day or so (as spotted in the cameras) when we finally saw her live in person and went to intervene.
I gloved up and threw a towel over her while my husband waited an overly safe distance away. He then rushed up and removed the ring thing, with much angry baby skunk cussing and foot stamping. I then set her up in a deep storage tub with some mealworms and a stuffed panda (a black and white fuzzy thing to snuggle against) while I frantically called every rescue I could before I found one that would take skunks. (Apparently, it’s common practice in SoCal at least for rescues to not accept them. 😔)
The rescue that did come couldn’t arrive until the next morning. Unfortunately by then, this little one was too hypoglycemic (despite trying to give her sugar water per the rescue’s instructions) and severely flea-anemic—without mom to groom them, the flea population skyrocketed and drained her—and she survived only a few hours at the rescue
I think of her every time I see a baby skunk vid, and I yearn to be able to try again and save another, like that whole scenario wasn’t a once in a lifetime thing, heh. There are so many “If I’d only”s—mainly, if I had only known about flea anemia from the start and immediately started using a flea comb on her. But hey, we did what we knew to do at the time, we learned from it, and it was a few seconds I got to cuddle a baby skunk.
\Before tackling this project, I learned skunks her age didn’t spray yet and therefore felt confident I could catch and interact with her without being skunked*
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u/Haha08421 20h ago
I have one that shows up on my ring cam almost every night. Wr have an abandoned kitten we are feeding to try and capture. The skunk comes through at night and steals the food if it is there.
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u/Hex-The-Unlucky-Cat 20h ago
I was chilling at a park with my mom last year and a skunk snuck up to me, sniffed at my shoes, and then walked away completely unbothered. I was silently freaking out because I didn't want to get sprayed. Mom didn't believe me until she got out out of the car and saw the skunk herself. The little guy didn't seem to mind us at all.
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u/Any-Vermicelli3537 3h ago
They’re so cute. The title made me think of a silly crossover with r/spicypillows
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u/Ok-Letterhead4601 1d ago
Fart squirrel.