Skunks how problematic are these animals

[Rmeav8r]

Your concerns are real. If you want to know about rabies in your area call your local animal control or wildlife agency. They will tell you right away if there is a “rabies alert” or something similar. They keep very good records of those things and are always on the lookout for flare up of this very serious disease. Where I live there is a constant problem with raccoons, bobcats and skunks just to name a few. There’s not a big problem unless they are living in close contact with people or pets. A rabid animal is undetectable until it’s too late, in a mater of days it can go from peaceful to dangerously aggressive. Just a few weeks ago there was a woman that was attacked by a rabid bobcat outside her home....completely unprovoked. Like Covid...rabies is real!

 

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[signal_line]

Years ago I was hitch-hiking and a spelunker gave me a ride. He started talking about bats and rabies. Said one guy got rabies without even getting bit--just breathing the cave air. Every year around here (Billings, MT) they find some rabid animals. Bats and skunks mostly and a few raccoons. Skunks are known scavengers. Best I can recall certain times of the year (Summer) skunks are more mobile. If it was me I would call the animal control agency. They can trap them and move them someplace else. No different than keeping a cat or dog without a rabies vaccination.

 

[BillA]

from a couple of years ago,

Jesus H Christ, I can barely breathe. Its 9PM and the doors are open, a skunk comes in just strolling around (been in the house before) . . . and then gato jumps him and gets sprayed, gato comes over to me becoming ever more agitated ‘till he bolts out the door, Mr. Skunk completes his evening stroll and exits the back door as well. Now I’m trying to block all of gato’s entrances back into the house for the night. Gato is now trying to get in via a side window, no go. I need to block the front, he’s meowing out there now. This would be comic if it didn’t stink so bad. 11PM and gato’s eyes are swollen almost shut.

they live somewhere close, every evening 8pm or so for many years
they go first to the garbage, which is rinsed to avoid picking it up again
dig around some, so what?

and how did you determine they have rabies?
fear projection?

 

[crashbandicoot]

According to the biologists skunks are more prone to carry rabies than other animals,but I,ve never actually seen a rabid skunk or any other animal.Again according to bioligists most rabid animals have the "dumb"version,they just basically lie down and die.That said I don,t want skunks around the house because of the smell,not the rabies threat.Bet you didn,t know that Opossums are the only known mammal that neither carries or contracts rabies!You can check that as I,m going from memory from my long ago trapping days but I believe it,s correct.

 

[TooManyHobbies]

Ahh, Mephitis-mephitis. I've caught one or two. Most has been covered already. Yes, skunks get rabies and may carry it without showing symptoms. In CT we can't relocate them, due to being a rabies vector species (coons and fox also).
Pretty mild animal, except for their one defense. I've been sprayed more times than I can remember, from feet to face. Since I have to euthanize all skunks that I remove, I freeze them, then "milk" the essence from their glands, to sell to trap supply companies.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I wouldn't count on opossums being immune to rabies. Any mammal can contract rabies. They just seem to have such a low body temperature that the virus is less virulent and thus are opossums are less likely to die from it, or transmit it to anther mammal. But, they are a preferred vector for leptospirosis. And that can make you, or your pets, very ill - even to death. Look up "Rat Catcher's Yellows" or "black jaundice".

For that matter people hardly ever get rabies. But we are certainly not immune. 1 to 3 cases annually out of 320,000,000 people in the US. You just don't want to be one that does.

 

[BillA]

mercy, not even a skunk can live w/o being hunted
am reminded of the SF novel where they returned to harvest the seeded protein
the locals called it Earth

 

[TooManyHobbies]

And this is how we keep them out from under sheds, decks, porches, etc.

 

[crashbandicoot]

You may be right there charlie p.I was going from memory on that one from an article I read in a game biology magazine.Correct on the leptospirosis.Supposedly armadillos can carry a form of leprosy.Lots of nasties,be careful out there.

 

[Duckshot]

Ahh, Mephitis-mephitis. I've caught one or two. Most has been covered already. Yes, skunks get rabies and may carry it without showing symptoms. In CT we can't relocate them, due to being a rabies vector species (coons and fox also).
Pretty mild animal, except for their one defense. I've been sprayed more times than I can remember, from feet to face. Since I have to euthanize all skunks that I remove, I freeze them, then "milk" the essence from their glands, to sell to trap supply companies.

Sounds like work.

Have you ever seen a spotted skunk?

I saw one scamper accros a road at night in MN once, never seen one again.

 

[Xraywolf]

I like skunks, they seem pretty laid back to me and mind their own business if you mind yours. Very few around my house, though I can smell them from time to time rarely ever see one. I have a camper out in the sticks and they thrive around there, there is one albino skunk there that I have known for years, almost like a feral pet. I leave stuff out for them at night and like to watch them and the coons competing for grub. Left 3/4 of a big old birthday cake, by the time I could take a whiz and come back they were licking the platter, all of them had icing on their chops.

 

[IDXMonster]

I like skunks, they seem pretty laid back to me and mind their own business if you mind yours. Very few around my house, though I can smell them from time to time rarely ever see one. I have a camper out in the sticks and they thrive around there, there is one albino skunk there that I have known for years, almost like a feral pet. I leave stuff out for them at night and like to watch them and the coons competing for grub. Left 3/4 of a big old birthday cake, by the time I could take a whiz and come back they were licking the platter, all of them had icing on their chops.

The first sentence is the trick....leave them alone. Don’t create a food source if you don’t want them around. Your pets don’t know any better, so make sure they’re vaccinated. If attacked or screwed with, they will defend themselves, and you won’t like the results. It’s just about all common sense, really. I don’t claim to be an animal expert but I can’t imagine they’re any more “dangerous” than raccoons or even your neighbors crabby ass cat. Dogs can be WAY more dangerous than any of the smaller animals around, though “nuisance” dogs are still a rarity.
People are still scared of possums. Can you imagine? It’s almost laughable, but people will always be scared of what they aren’t familiar with. The little turds that really mess stuff up are SQUIRRELS! They’re not gonna jack you for your wallet or anything but if there is something around to be wrecked, they’ll wreck it!

 

[Xraywolf]

As others have pointed out, humans are the malicious ones to watch out for.
No skunk is going to spray you just to ruin your day, they only do it when they perceive themselves to be threatened, they are nearly tame when they sense a good attitude, and especially if they think you are a food source like they do me.
Possums I think people are freaked by their looks and negative attitude, they look like a stretched out mangy rat and are very elusive and just plain weird, never a sign of happiness or curiosity. I saw a huge one the other night walking my dog, we both caught some motion at the same time and he went charging over - He was dead by the time I got there, tongue hanging out, eyes all skewed in their sockets, no sign of any breath. I let my dog rag doll it a few seconds then told him to drop it, which he did and we moved on. On the way back we both looked where his corpse should have been and he was long gone, they really do put on a stellar act of being dead, I would have bet $$ on it.

 

[John Matuszak]

My dog growing up was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Didn't matter how many times she took a skunkful of skunk juice to the eyes – she never learned her lesson and kept on harrassing them. Poor thing probably spent half her nights sleeping in the garage, stinking to high heaven.

 

[wainzoid]

 

[fistfulladirt]

That was the first 45 record I ever bought as a teen, back in the 70’s. Thanks for the memories.

 

[signal_line]

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/de-skunking-your-dog

 

[fistfulladirt]

Back in the 80’s one of dad’s renters had a year old de-scented pet female skunk. They didn’t want her anymore so I volunteered to adopt her. Big mistake. When she was delivered I saw she was extremely over weight, reason being they had only fed her bread covered with butter and sugar. I tried to wean her off of that, no luck. If I tried to feed her something else she would stamp her feet, throw a tantrum and scream like a baby. She’d also have nothing to do with any male human but a girlfriend could pick her up and hold her no problem. That skunk ended up someone else’s problem.

 

[Tpmetal]

A hound I owned could kill one and not bring stench into the house.

that is impressive!

 

[Tpmetal]

Your concerns are real. If you want to know about rabies in your area call your local animal control or wildlife agency. They will tell you right away if there is a “rabies alert” or something similar. They keep very good records of those things and are always on the lookout for flare up of this very serious disease. Where I live there is a constant problem with raccoons, bobcats and skunks just to name a few. There’s not a big problem unless they are living in close contact with people or pets. A rabid animal is undetectable until it’s too late, in a mater of days it can go from peaceful to dangerously aggressive. Just a few weeks ago there was a woman that was attacked by a rabid bobcat outside her home....completely unprovoked. Like Covid...rabies is real!

I saw a video online of a rabid bob cat attack...guy had to pull it off his wife and give it a good throw, ended up having to shoot it too.