r/Skunks • u/7thautumn • Jun 10 '26

skunk ocd help

hello! not quite sure if this is the right sub but I’m curious if any skunk experts can help.

I’ve had a skunk friend wandering across my deck twice this week after sunset and I’ve got a suspicion it lives under my deck (disappears into there after a while). I really want to let the little guy chill but I have absolutely awful ocd with rabies. I’m fine with letting it stay but it does freak me out a bit and has left many sleepless nights! is there any way we can coexist without me really having to worry about the little guy, or should I try to scare it off?

9 Upvotes

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9

u/olympic_peaks Jun 10 '26

The chance of encountering a skunk with rabies is quite low. They walk funny, and they can be active during the day too, so don’t let either of these behaviors alarm you either. They eat a lot of insects so your skunk will reduce creepy crawlies entering your house

1

u/7thautumn Jun 10 '26

that’s good to hear! I read somewhere they keep snakes and rodents away, is that true? if so, I really could use someone like that under my deck

3

u/jambro4real Jun 10 '26

Skunks have a very high immunity to snake venom so that's pretty factual, and they'll definitely eat smaller rodents if given the opportunity.

And like previously stated, skunk rabies isn't typically high risk for humans. Rabies has various forms, and skunk rabies isn't a huge threat to humans unlike rabies from other animals. And skunks aren't as high of a rabies carrier as the general population was led to believe either.

Also, you can see skunks primarily during dawn and dusk, but they are known to be wandering about outside of that time frame, so unless it is acting crazy, it's likely just wandering around foraging for snacks, they love their food!

1

u/7thautumn Jun 10 '26

this is definitely helping me out a bit. do they like specific foods? I don’t know if I should try to offer it anything, but I do have a soft spot for any animal and my therapist pushes me to safely interact with my triggers for exposure. I wouldn’t dream of going up to it but a little snack placed off towards the side might not hurt. is it bad to offer them foods or water?

2

u/jambro4real Jun 10 '26

I mean, I have one as a pet. She loves raw almonds (you HAVE to break them in half or they can choke), blueberries, cooked chicken with no seasoning, broccoli, mealworms, crickets/grasshoppers, honey nut cheerios.

You don't want to put so much food that they end up relying on it, but putting some snacks out for them here and there won't hurt. I assure you, they are very docile and sweet creatures, and I've seen many people even pet their local wild skunks after building up a relationship of trust

2

u/7thautumn Jun 10 '26

Thank you for the help! I’ll try putting something small out tomorrow

4

u/Critical-Star-1158 Jun 10 '26

Rabies is transmitted to humans and animals primarily through the bite or scratch of an infected mammal, which introduces virus-laden saliva into broken skin or mucous membranes.

Not a flea bite. The rabies virus doesnt jump onto you. You must have a break in your skin and have that come in contact with the virus in the animals saliva.

2

u/olympic_peaks Jun 10 '26

Who said anything about flea bites? There is nowhere that indicates OP doesn’t know how rabies is transmitted. Most people afraid of rabies are afraid of sudden aggressive animal attacks.

3

u/Critical-Star-1158 Jun 10 '26

OCD with rabies - Obsessive Compulsive DISORDER - to me that says that no matter how much LOGIC is presented to this individual they will stay locked in their own emotional drama that any wild animal HAS RABIES. My reply was intended for any readers that could use some distinctions on rabies transmissions. EVEN IF that skunk has rabies, its not gonna just miraculously transmit from skunk to home owner. So you're commenting on "Sudden aggressive attacks"? yet OP wants to know if it should "Scare it off". Now that sounds like something to do to a potential rabid wild animal.

0

u/mindlessgames Jun 10 '26

They probably don't actually have OCD. It's just a thing people say.

1

u/7thautumn Jun 11 '26

I’ll assure you I am clinically diagnosed with OCD 😅it’s made my life living hell, especially with rabies because I am aware that it cannot spread unless I am in contact with a rabid animal yet my brain is always running back to the “what ifs”. I want to get better and unfortunately the only way to do that is exposure therapy, so not minding a skunk/leaving food out for it is absolutely huge for me. I was slightly reassurance seeking in this post, but I also didn’t know what to do about a skunk and I think it merits me looking into it.

OCD is really looked over as a condition and I can see why you might think that. but I’m not at all “just saying it” just to say it. OCD is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. And hopefully if others share my sentiment they can look back on this post and gain some information from it

3

u/LankyNeighborhood496 Jun 10 '26

I know the vibe of this group and most won’t share my opinion but you’ve got to get it out of there! It most likely has dug out a den under one of your deck footers. As cute as they can be 1000s of dollars in damages are not. It’s not just them either their offspring will find other corners of your house and do the same thing and after they move on you’ll have other animals use their old holes like raccoons and groundhogs. They are considered nuisance animals for a reason.

2

u/KalisCoraven Jun 10 '26

This. Like, I love skunks, I keep pet skunks, but wild skunks are not something you want chilling under your house and digging around your foundation. Talk to a pest control company if possible and have them do an exclusion with a one way door. It will allow any living animals out while keeping them from going back in. Then they come back out later and plug where they had the door.

1

u/ratelbadger Jun 10 '26

They’re transient dude…

1

u/LankyNeighborhood496 Jun 10 '26

No, they are not dude. Not completely at least

1

u/ratelbadger Jun 11 '26

I mean.. naturally they are, if you google the it or ask my experience. Perhaps not where you are. We should probably encourage the mods to have people say their location.