I just wanted to send a message to the woman who was asking if skunks and
ferrets can get along.  I used to have a lot of really good web sites
saved to my favorites page, some of which were about the care of domestic
skunks, ferrets and other species of animals, but I lost everything when
we reconfigured our computer. :(
 
You can find a lot of really good information by just going in to
different search engines like google, yahoo, msn, askjeeves, etc.. and
typing in a word or phrase explaining what you're looking for.  I typed
in 'domestic skunk' and several web sites came up regarding the care of
domestic skunks as well as some good information about humanely trapping
a wild skunk to remove it from your property.
 
It's really a shame that your husband didn't do a little more research
and try to find someone to come and pick up the skunks to relocate them
before he decided to shoot one of them.  There are usually wildlife
rescue agencies in almost every state who deal with that very thing.
If your husband had done a little research he could have contacted a
wildlife specialist to come and pick up the skunks without hurting them.
Skunks usually won't even bother people if you don't bother them.  They
don't even really like to waste their spray unless they feel threatened.
Typically they will give you a warning ahead of time by raising their
tail which alerts people to back off.  My aunt down south actually raised
a wild skunk which she found abandoned as a baby laying on the side of
the road.  The mother skunk had apparently gotten killed by dogs, so the
baby was orphaned.  My aunt brought the little hairless baby skunk home
and raised him till he was grown.  Back then skunks weren't nearly as
common as pets/companions as they are now and she didn't know to have him
descented.  Needless to say on a couple of occasions she got between her
skunk and dogs that had chased him in to the yard and got sprayed by
accident.  The skunk never attempted to spray her at any time though,
only defended itself when it felt threatened by the dogs chasing it.  She
had really bonded with him and he would follow her around like a little
puppy everywhere she went, never tried to run away even though he was
free to when outside.  Her abusive Dad decided to eventually take the
poor little skunk out somewhere and kill it later (after allowing her to
raise it from infancy, knowing they had bonded).
 
As to whether or not skunks and ferrets can get along, yes they can given
the time to bond.  I have actually seen photos of ferrets and skunks
sharing beds all cuddled up and playing together, so I know it has been
done.  I can't remember her name offhand, but there is a woman in L.A.
who works with domestic and wild skunks and educates the public about
them so that people can get over the misconceptions they may have and
treat them more humanely.
 
Just like with ferrets and other animals, there are a lot of
misconceptions and false information going around.  People get overly
paranoid and are being told by Fish and Game that they're all rabies
carriers and that vaccines don't work, which is completely untrue.  I
found a report written by Fish and Game where they actually stated
outright lies to justify senseless killing of wild animals out of
irrational fear.  Fish and Game also stated in a report that they think
even dogs and cats and other animals should be banned in certain cities
and that ANY type of "pet ownership" shouldn't be permitted.  They are
often known for killing healthy animals, yet claim they are only
"protecting" them.  Don't get me wrong; I'm not bashing every single fish
and game employee, but MANY of them ARE ignorant and really shouldn't be
working with animals period.
 
A lot of people don't realize that skunks, like ferrets, have been
domesticated for a long time - hundreds of years according to records,
maybe even longer.  Flying squirrels and other "wild" animals have also
been domesticated for a long time, something I did not realize at first
when I stumbled upon a very tiny baby flying squirrel, Rocky, who had
fallen to the ground from a nest in a large oak tree near my Dad's house.
I was visiting my family on vacation a little over a year ago when I
discovered him hopping around all scared on the ground.  I nearly stepped
on the poor little guy because it was late at night and I didn't see him
at first.  Anyway, to make a long story shorter I picked him up and
carried him inside to show to my sister.  At first we thought he was
injured, but then upon closer inspection we realized he wasn't injured at
all; he was just not a typical squirrel.  He had extra folds of skin on
his sides to help him glide when he was older.  We got him some formula
that night and then took him to the vet another day and asked what kind
of care he needed as we had no clue.  After getting extensive information
and better formula for him and getting very attached we decided to keep
him.  My sister has had him for a little over a year now and he has
really thrived in their care.  He has a huge living space complete with
tree branches, two houses, gets the best food and lot's of attention and
he is very healthy.  Someone from the FML once emailed me when I
mentioned Rocky before, lecturing me about how "wrong" she felt it was
for us to not release Rocky back in to the wilds.  I found this really
hypocritical, especially in view of the fact that this woman admitted
to having many ferrets, birds and other animals in her home.  There are
many people who don't consider ferrets to be suitable "pets" either and
we all know how frisky they can be, which is actually what we love about
them. :)  But the point is, I couldn't believe how judgemental this woman
could be when she, herself had so many domesticated "wild" animals as
companions.  Even when an animal has been domesticated for a very long
time it's impossible to totally breed out ALL of their instincts or
certain personality traits, not that we would want to.  Even dogs and
cats often display different sides of their personalities, such as
hunting instincts, etc... Of course all animals need special care and
people should never adopt an animal of any species without doing research
and learning what's involved such as proper care, housing and diet,
etc... A squirrel is not for just anyone just like a ferret or skunk is
not for just anyone.
If you would like to get the woman's address in L.A. who rescues skunks
let me know and I'll be glad to get that information to you by email.
 
I hope what I said helped some.
 
Take care,
Sheri
[Posted in FML issue 4355]