This is Fang to Skunk! He loves his snacks and peanuts are one of his favourite!
Fang was brought to MRWC in 2017 as a tiny baby. He was very small for his age, skinny, and had infections in both eyes. Once he was healthy again it was decided to keep him as an education animal. He is socialized, meaning he is friendly and comfortable with people. Mammals don't imprint the way birds can.
Fang is a boy and weighs close to 8 lbs. He could live to 15 years. He has been neutered and his scent glands have been removed so he is unable to spray. Skunks spray a very stinky liquid as their self-defense. They have just 2 tbsp of spray and it takes them up to 10 days to make more. They only use it if they feel their life is in danger and don’t even like the smell of it themselves! Skunks are very good diggers but cannot climb or jump. They are mostly nocturnal and although they sleep a lot during the winter, don’t truly hibernate. They are omnivores, meaning they eat just about anything, but mostly feed on insects, fruit, mice, and eggs. Skunks are attracted to garbage, pet food, and compost so keeping these things cleaned up and put away will discourage them from coming close to people. They are beneficial as they keep insect and rodent populations under control. The name “Fang" means "pleasant smelling”.