We see skunks pretty frequently at the Midwest Ohio Reptile Show here in
Columbus, as well as in pet stores in Lancaster and Chilicothe.  Linda Harrah
in Buckeye Lake has two (her vet descents and neuters them, too!)  The breeders
have told us that skunks only give birth in the spring, so they're only
available in mid-summer.
One of the big "ferret manuals", by the lady who claims to have started the pet
ferret hobby, begins with an introduction that describes her pet skunks.  She
says they were pretty, but very boring compared to ferrets (but then, what
wouldn't be?).  Linda's aren't neutered, so they're stinky and grouchy and have
to live outside in a shed. My friend's family got rid of theirs when she bit
their little girl on the nose.
We plan to add a stinker to the household after we finally move to a house
(haha, ask me again in ten years!), because skunks can get big (30-40 lbs).
Personally, I would recommend minks to anyone with too much energy who never
liked their carpet much anyway =).
 
BTW, I really appreciate all of the sympathy about Charli--you never feel like
you've done enough for them!
 
Is it really true that _nobody_ else has had a really antisocial ferret like
Allie?  Maybe she's an alien!
 
Laura McDonald
"Tell them to send us fried chicken!"
Allie, Smokey, Felix, 'Possum, Hershey, and Bandit
 
[Posted in FML issue 0657]