She has two young children 2 and 5 I have tryed to convince her it is unwise to proceed with this. Does anyone know the dangers involved in having a pet skunk in the home with young children?
2006-06-18 12:22:40 · 18 answers · asked by thomas p 3 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
They are fine pets.
I have friends who had one. He was fun. We used to walk him in the neighbor hood. He scared the neighbors dog.
I would not have one with small children. They have very long claws and very sharpo teeth. Children are often not good with dog and a wild animal would be worse.
I work with a dog resuce and we do not adopt out dogs to people with children under 5.
They can be vaccinated for rabies and the vaccine works fine. They can not be infected with rabies and not show symptoms. Anything infected with rabies will die. There is not cure and nothing will stop the progression of the diesease. And it does not stay dormant in your system.
2006-06-18 13:40:14 · answer #1 · answered by tlctreecare 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Skunks can make great pets, once descented, but never for children that young. The age group you are describing should be around something a little more robust than a skunk, like a dog.
We got a Golden Retriever when my son was two and things worked out great. Skunks will bite and/or scratch when startled and kids that young just do not have the self control to handle that very well. Have her wait until the kids are closer to 10, for the babies sake.
2006-06-18 19:47:05 · answer #2 · answered by Huh? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
skunks do NOT carry rabies without expressing it. If you're talking about having antibodies ("When the modified vaccinia virus infects a wild animal, it produces the antigenic protein normally made by the rabies virus. The wild animal's body recognizes the protein as foreign, and the animal develops active immunity.") this DOES NOT allow passing the disease on. Every dog cat and other animal vaccinated would equally be at risk if this was the case.
Properly cared for and understood a skunk is not a danger. HOWEVER do *research* - this is not a pet to get without regard. Many states (see below) they are illegal to have. Some states there are restrictions - GA you can't have black and white ones but can have the other colors. (yes skunks come in other colors!). If you are not willing to stick with it - they can live 20 years - don't get one. They can't just be turned loose or given away. Skunks generally interact well with calm, willing to listen and learn children. Grabby, aggressive, chasing children will generally not do well with skunks, unless taught to respect them.(the same is true with dogs and cats!!)
Skunks can be good pets but are not for every home.
2006-06-18 19:58:47 · answer #3 · answered by Jan H 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Skunks are no more dangerous than a cat, dog, or ferret. Generally speaking pet skunks get their foul smelling spraying glands removed by a vet when they are young, so you dont have to deal with any of those smells. They are not aggresive animals
2006-06-18 19:28:29 · answer #4 · answered by Dagfinn 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Having a skunk in a home with such small children is not a good idea. It might be time to be a parent and just say "No".
2006-06-19 03:32:16 · answer #5 · answered by Kim 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
WEll I would say not until the children are older and know how to handle it but if you get one get it descented and make sure you can find a vet that can treat skunks
2006-06-18 21:44:00 · answer #6 · answered by Skittles 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally had a pet skunk. He was a great pet....very easy to take care of too.
I fed him canned dog food and he used a litter box like a cat.
In case she gets a male....and needs a good name...mine was named Buckwheat.
2006-06-19 19:51:13 · answer #7 · answered by hotdogs33624 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Big problem: Even when the musk sacs (the stinky spray) are removed they still have a strong odor.
Biggest problem: Skunks can carry rabies all of their life and never show any symptoms. Skunks cannot be vaccinated against rabies, the vaccination won't "take".
Another problem: Skunks are wild animals. You may be able to tame a skunk but like other feral animals, they can't be domesticated.
2006-06-18 19:29:42 · answer #8 · answered by Albannach 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
as long as it got the smell glands removed and she trains it, the skunk will be quite tame. but remind her that if she gets sick of the skunk, where will it go without protection. try descussing the pros and cons and see what her final decision is.
2006-06-18 20:00:26 · answer #9 · answered by RandomPie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, ONE danger is that if the kids make a wrong move, that skunk will spray the poor kids!( if this does happen, give them a tomato juice bath) 2 they are disgusting and stink HORRIBLY!
~*Alyssa*~
2006-06-18 19:50:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋