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]