Wild Skunk Rescue

If you live outside of Northeast Ohio, please find a rehabilitation facility listing near you to take in injured or orphaned skunks. Please google wild life rehabilitator "put your states name" to find some one to take the orphan baby skunk.

Make sure they are a no kill facality. Some states such as Michigan and Illnois do not rehab skunks.

Please make sure the skunk is an orphan as babies do wander from the nest in the day time. Example: You have a human teenager and your sleeping and the teenager sneaks out of the home.

In the mean time please feed the baby skunk. Baby's are like a diabetic and may seizure with no food. Can get fresh goats milk and soak dog food to make like a mush. If you get it canned, do dilute it 50/50 with water. With Fresh goats milk, we do not dilute. Fresh goat milk can be found at health food stores. If you get powder follow directions. You can get powdered goatsmilk at Walmart in the human baby section.

You can also look thru these links for a wild life rehabilitator but by googling the state you live in should have the most updated listing of legal rehabbers. http://www.owra.org/find-a-wildlife-rehabilitator


In 2004 we received our Wildlife Rehabalitors permit from the state of Ohio. These wild skunks are kept outside away from the domestic skunk rescues that live inside our home. These wild skunks are released to the wild when able.

Ohio laws changed in 2014 and we had to choose wild or domestic and we choose to help domestic skunks. We NO longer rehab or take in wild skunks. We do council people with wild skunk issues. We promote not to kill them and leave mother and babies alone until they move on themselves.

Skunk enclosure This is our outside skunk enclosure. The future plans are to build a line of shorter release pens.

We will help anyone with any wild skunk questions. Remember, in most states it is illegal to keep a wild skunk as a pet. Please give to a rehabber in your area - Do not play or bond to the wild skunk. Rehabbers - if you have any skunk questions we will help you as much as possibe.

If you see a dead mother on the road and babies are around, DO NOT pick up wild animals with bare hands, use gloves. Put in box and call a rehabber in your area. DO NOT touch a wild skunk with your bare hands even when feeding - wear rubber gloves. You do not want to get bit by any wild animal.... If you have any questions you can call us for a referral. We will help you find the closest rehabber in your state. Keep the baby warm and try to give food until you get to a licensed rehabber in your state.

Please, if you find a baby skunk, call a no-kill rehabilitation facility in your area.

The mother of this litter of kits was killed. People tried to do right by caring for them, yet they were scared they would get sprayed. By the time the litter was given over to a rehabber, the kits were eaten alive by maggots.

Please do NOT take any animals out of the wild to make them your pet.

Put them back where you found them or call a licensed rehabilitator in your state.

This skunk was taken out of the wild as an orphan. The family thought they were doing something good to save this skunk. At the age of 1.5 years old she got burned very badly from a home radiator. The family did not provide the proper care nor did they get vet care to save this skunk. She suffered terribly for almost two weeks with the burning pain and infection setting in. The diameter of the burn was over 5 inches around and she was under weight at three pounds. She was signed over to Skunk Haven, a licensed wild life rehabilitator. We rushed her to a vet: Dr. H. S. Sodiwal, DVM at Rolling Hills Animal Hospital located at 714 Pearl Rd., Brunswick, OH 44212 where he preformed surgery. (The ex-owners refused to help pay). She then went to Lisa's home (Lisa cares for the wild side of Skunk Haven and is on their rehab permit) and was given 24/7 care due to how severe the burn was. She would spray continually, bite, scream and would not eat. She was setadated and given many antibiotics along with honey wraps to draw out the infection from her burning skin. We were dealing with a fully loaded skunk, she was malnourished, had a burn through her leg, had an infection, was not eating, not spayed, was self mutilating, not walking, and had bone problems. After a month she was moved to Skunk Haven where her care was continued. Finally her screaming and self mutilating stopped. She was given many herbs for healing the body from within, had colloidal silver sprayed on the burn along with Epsom salt and/or Betadine soaks to her wound every day. Finally after three months she started to stand and walk. Every day she continues to get stronger.

Due to laws if a wild animal is non-releasable they are to be put down, unless they are used by a licensed facility for educational purposes. SkunkHaven was granted permission to retain her be used as an ambassador to teach the public the pitfalls of taking in wild animals. NOT TO TAKE WILDLIFE OUT OF THE WILD TO MAKE THEM YOUR PET!

If you would like to donate on her behalf:


Tips on Wild Skunk Care :

Baby's younger that six weeks old need to be fed at least every two-to-three hours. Buy Skunk Milk mix from Fox Valley Nutrition 800-679-4666 or goat milk (condensed or powdered). We use this until the kits are weaned off the formula... feed with an eye dropper or syringe.

We recommend using a high protein, high fat milk replacer. Fox Valley 32/45 formula, Espilac Puppy formula, or condensed goat milk mixed with water 1:1. Products formulated for cats have too much protein and too little fat, this can lead to severe problems with a young skunk by causing diarrhea or bloating, or lead to general malnutrition. Cat food, dry or canned products, should not be used for young skunks because of the high protein/low fat content.

Two week old skunk kit Feeding baby skunk
Note: We maintain rabies pre-exposure shots.
Do not handle skunks without proper gloves.

You can buy goats milk from your grocery store found in the dry milk aisle. If you use the goats milk, be sure to dilute the goat's milk as this can cause diarrhea. If your skunk is shaking, feed it and give comfort/warmth.

Add colostrum, Rep-Cal with D3, vitamin C, B-complex, liquid taurine, and Nuta-cal or Pet-tinic to formula (goats milk or Skunk Milk). Only add a very little of each.

People that find skunks that are six weeks old or older - mix egg and what you may have in the home like cat or dog food softened with water or Pedialite, add a little syrup to stimulate the appetite, cheese, bread softened in water or egg, chicken, ground beef. You want to keep the skunk alive until you can get proper care with a rehabber. Remember, most vets will NOT see a loaded skunk, and you cannot keep a wild animal.

Rehabilitaters

For tics, lice, mites, and fleas we use a Pyrethrin formula shampoo with oatmeal we buy from the vets. Dilute the shampoo before applying to a skunk less than four months old. We have used a tick remover to get all the ticks off the babies. We have used Adam's Flea Spray for outside around cages.

You can also use organic apple cider vinegar spray around cages for fly's and in the skunks food to rid of flys. Garlic added to food will help prevent internal parsites.

If you have any other tips we can use please let us know.

Wild skunk kitsWild skunk kits.

Feeding times for wild skunks should be at twilight and early morning. Hide meal worms, worms, crickets, etc., in places for the skunks to find. You can also put in pinkies. Release times vary according to the rehabbers I have talked to; anywhere from 15 weeks to five months when glands are fully developed.