It's sad anytime an animal dies. But sometimes it necessary. Many pet turkeys will probably make that sacrifice pretty soon. Their owners will cry when they chop their heads off but then will rejoice over the leftovers on the day after Thanksgiving.
It's sad anytime an animal dies. But sometimes it necessary. Many pet turkeys will probably make that sacrifice pretty soon. Their owners will cry when they chop their heads off but then will rejoice over the leftovers on the day after Thanksgiving.
This just seems like a really stupid rule. What is the basis for it?
Whatever. It's pretty clear what you are doing, your wit being so sharp and all.
Don't know that I can offer the rationale, but I can say that it is also not permitted to keep indigenous wildlife as pets. And THAT would be a public safety thing, I expect.
...and yes, people do it. It's still not allowed.
I guess what I meant was that in OK, it is legal to keep a skunk as a pet. you have to apply for a permit and buy one from a licensed breeder, but overall it can be done. So if OK will allow one to be kept as a pet, it really seems to be against everyone's best interest to have the thing vaccinated against rabies
Two pet skunk stories:
First, a no longer in business pet store in Lawton, and I knew the owners and this customer, sold a baby skunk to my friends. It could spray, did so, so they returned it. The store owner said that it couldn't do so, because its parents had been descented before the baby skunk was born. No kidding. I personally know this to be a true incident. Go figure.
Second story: An old boss of mine had an unaltered pet skunk, and it was well behaved unless startled, and then, well . . . So he, being sort of an amateur verteranian, decided to take matters into his own hands. He got some ether, a razor, a scalpel, anethestized the skunk, shaved its ass, and then lost his nerve. A few months later it sprayed again, and this time he went through with the operation. He said the skunk never liked him after that.
Sometime later, he stumbled over the skunk in a dark hallway, and it sprayed again. This time he took it to a real vet, who told him he had done a very professional job of castrating the beast, but that the scent glands were alive and well. The vet did what was necessary. I don't remember if he removed the glands, cut across them to block them with scar tissue, or did an electric burn out, which at the time were the three options, but the boss was a great storyteller and I have at least seen the skunk, so believe the entire narrative.
When I was a kid, my dad worked for a while at a welding shop in Velma, OK, and the owners had a big fat pet skunk. It was a very sweet kitty, and I hadn't thought of it in many years until this thread was posted. Thanks for reviving an old memory. CB
First, a no longer in business pet store in Lawton, and I knew the owners and this customer, sold a baby skunk to my friends. It could spray, did so, so they returned it. The store owner said that it couldn't do so, because its parents had been descented before the baby skunk was born. No kidding. I personally know this to be a true incident. Go figure.
Second story: An old boss of mine had an unaltered pet skunk, and it was well behaved unless startled, and then, well . . . So he, being sort of an amateur verteranian, decided to take matters into his own hands. He got some ether, a razor, a scalpel, anethestized the skunk, shaved its ass, and then lost his nerve. A few months later it sprayed again, and this time he went through with the operation. He said the skunk never liked him after that.
Sometime later, he stumbled over the skunk in a dark hallway, and it sprayed again. This time he took it to a real vet, who told him he had done a very professional job of castrating the beast, but that the scent glands were alive and well. The vet did what was necessary. I don't remember if he removed the glands, cut across them to block them with scar tissue, or did an electric burn out, which at the time were the three options, but the boss was a great storyteller and I have at least seen the skunk, so believe the entire narrative.
When I was a kid, my dad worked for a while at a welding shop in Velma, OK, and the owners had a big fat pet skunk. It was a very sweet kitty, and I hadn't thought of it in many years until this thread was posted. Thanks for reviving an old memory. CB
The problem is that there is no rabies vac licensed for skunks. And since there's no evidence anywhere that the vaccination would do anything, who is going to risk their life - or more accurate, risk a truly horrible death on an untested vaccination.
Now, if I WERE licensed to practice on indigenous wildlife, I would probably pop that skunk with a ferret rabies - ferrets and skunks are closely related. It might help and shouldn't hurt. But if that skunk should ever bite anyone, it would be considered unvaccinated - and that would be bad news for the skunk.
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