Sid the Kid A few months ago I blogged about the pet skunk I had in college. His name was Sidney, affectionately known as Sid the Kid, and I finally found some of his pictures and scanned them to my laptop.
I bought him in a pet store when I was a student at Auburn University. Pet skunks are raised by skunk breeders and are domesticated pets. These aren't wild-caught animals. They're docile and friendly, although they do love to nip and nibble on bare toes at night!
Pet skunks are also not stinky. Their scent glands are removed by a veterinarian when they're wee kits. Skunks do have a musky scent, but that's because they're in the musk family with ferrets and weasels and has nothing to do with their unique defense mechanism.
Skunks are near-sighted and stay close to their mama when they're young making them easy to leash train. Once they're accustomed to wearing a harness, just snap on a leash and they're follow you anywhere.
Skunks are quiet, playful, and nocturnal. They can be litter box trained and are omnivores meaning they eat both plants and animals. Some states don't allow the keeping of domesticated skunks as pets so check with local laws before acquiring one. Georgia allows them as pets, but only if they're not black with the tell-tale white stripe. Alabama allows them, but they must be acquired from a licensed breeder in Alabama.
I used to take Sidney on play-dates with my friend's ferret. They'd wrestle and roll around together. Sidney being the heavy weight of the two would eventually just sit on the ferret and the wrestle mania would be over.
One day I'd like to have another pet skunk, especially now that I'm older and wiser and out of college!
Sidney wearing his blue harness and leash
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