about eight weeks

A heat source

1. a clean sock filled with dry, uncooked rice, and microwaved for one minute.
2. a plastic bottle from the recycling bin filled with hot tap water.
3. an electric heating pad set to “LOW” and placed under half of the box.

Put the injured baby skunk in a cardboard box in a dark, quiet place. Put a heat source like a rice sock or warm water bottle in the box with them. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator right away.

Feeding amount and frequency A good rule of thumb for maximum volume amount to feed per feeding session is 5% of the skunk’s body weight in grams (Sedgwick et al. 1988). This is approximate maximum stomach capacity. One half to 3/4 of the maximum is a safe amount to feed.

The young are nursed in the den for about six weeks before joining their mother on trips outside the den. By this time they are miniature replicas of adults. The young are weaned by about two months of age. The family group breaks up in the fall and the young move to new territory.

The average lifespan of striped skunks in the wild is 7 years. They can live up to 10 years in human care.

These unsavory and highly inhumane methods include drowning, injecting acetone (nail polish remover) and other chemical solvents into a skunk’s chest with a long pole syringe. A skunk will almost always spray when it is killed and your best bet for not getting sprayed is of course, for you to be a good distance away.

Male skunks tend to be slightly larger than female skunks, but the difference may not be significant. It is typically a difference of just a few inches or pounds. Furthermore, if you see one skunk alone and have nothing to compare it to, this is not an effective means of identification.

Skunk droppings look similar to those of a cat and are typically found in lawns and gardens. The waste is tubular, has blunt ends, and usually measures about a quarter to half an inch in diameter and one to two inches long. Skunk poop generally contains bits of undigested insects, berry seeds, fur, or feathers.

Male skunk is called buck, female – doe, and baby skunk – kit.

Female skunks travel up to a mile and a half in a day, while males can travel up to seven miles. Lomoro said the odor the females emit isn’t a full spray. That is reserved for more threatening situations because skunks tend to be frugal with the sprays. “They only have 15 mL of fluid — five or six uses,” Lomoro said.

It may seem ironic, but skunks hate certain odors (as if they have room to judge). Citrus, ammonia, mothballs and predator urine (dog, coyote, etc) are three smells that can scare off skunks. If you use mothballs or ammonia-soaked cotton balls, be sure to keep them far away from children.

Skunks are feeling the love around Valentine’s Day as their mating season starts February. Males spray each other as they fight over females for their love. Females will spray males they don’t want to mate with, and the smell can reach up to a mile away.

Skunks are nocturnal and their eyes are very light sensitive. A bright light or a motion sensor flood light will scare skunks away. Most animals, including skunks, dislike the smell of citrus fruits. Place orange or lemon peels around the yard as a natural skunk repellent.

How to get rid of a skunk?

1. Shine a work lamp into the den.
2. Block the opening to the den with rags soaked in an animal-repellent liquid.
3. Repeat this operation patiently for 10 days or so.
4. Once the skunk is gone, block the access hole to the den using chicken wire, sheet metal, etc.