Strange Wild Animal Question - Skunk

[ballabosh]

First some background:

Last year I was sprayed by a skunk. I saw the skunk in my neighbor's yard and then the next time I went out he was in my yard, but I didn't see him until I almost stepped on him. He made a lot of noise and I backed off immediately. I didn't realize I had been sprayed -- because the air was saturated with skunk smell -- until I went inside and my wife and daughter were like "What the hell is that stink?" Oh I guess it's me.

So anyway, this summer I have seen a skunk in my yard again. I don't know if it's the same skunk or not. But a several months ago I accidentally cornered him between my garage and our fence. He had no where to go. He definitely presented. I wasn't as close as I had been to the one I encountered last year and I backed off immediately. Another time I saw him from about 50 feet away along our fence, with our neighbors dog going crazy on the other side of the fence. They couldn't have been more than 3 feet from each other. When my neighbor came out to see what was going on, I told him to get his dog in NOW! Then tonight I saw him about 15 feet from me when I walked out. We both ran in opposite directions.

The strange thing about all of these encounters is there has been no skunk smell ever. Are there skunks that have no smell? Or has this skunk had its glands removed and released back into the "wild" (I'm in Chicago)? Which would seem stupid.

I didn't know where to post this, so here it goes. Animal rights forum didn't seem right and in the outdoor forum they probably would have just suggested I shoot it (joke!).

[dropkickpa]

1. Their normal odor is musky, kind of like a ferret

The "stink" is fluid excreted from glands located in their anus. They are usually very reluctant to spray because it takes up to ten days to produce the supply of fluid. They generally rely on their coloring and warnings to ward off threats. You most likely got sprayed the first time because you scared the bejeezus out of him. Skunks don't have the best eyesight, and you didn't see him, so it was probably a really scary encounter for him.

[ballabosh]

3. Fair enough

And for the record, he scared the bejeezus out of me too. But even before he sprayed me last year, there was the general smell of skunk in the air (which I actually don't mind, lol). After he sprayed me, every time I went out and even smelled a hint of skunk, I was jumpy as hell.

This year -- no smell at all. Just seems weird.

[dropkickpa]

6. I don't blame you for being jumpy LOL

Now that you're neighbors he's probably comfortable and settled in and he hasn't had a reason to spray anything I'd be willing to bet. Hoo boy, that smell does tend to linger.

I like skunks, they're such neat little creatures, they get a bad rap just because they're stinky.

[marzipanni]

2. It sounds like the skunk is getting used to you

and doesn't feel threatened by you, and realized the dog behind a fence couldn't get to him, or would have. It seems that a skunk sprays when surprised or the invader of his space doesn't retreat. No spray, little or no odor.
LOL-I pictured you seeing your neighbor about 15 feet from you when you walked out, and you both running in opposite directions. I know you were referring to the skunk, but it did make a funny mental picture.

[ballabosh]

4. I don't know

I still think it's strange that there's no smell at all. I have had close encounters with skunks even before I got sprayed. My mom once found a litter of baby skunks by the side of the road (their mom had been hit by a car) and she enlisted me to save the babies -- transferring them in my car trunk to a wildlife rehabilatator. She assured me that, since they were babies, their musk glands were inactive.

If anyone tells you that, don't believe it. I nearly passed out from the smell of these tiny, no-musk gland baby skunks. But we did get them to the animal rehabilitator and all but one of them survived. So I suffered for a good cause.

[dropkickpa]

5. Baby skunks are soooo cute!!!

Oh, they can spray! But they are so darn cute, who can resist? My favorite baby skunk video.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/is-that-skunk/video-baby-skunks/4566/

[Rhiannon12866]

7. When I was a kid, a skunk lived under our porch.

We lived on the side of a mountain in Northern NY, thick woods all around except down by the lake. My Dad used to talk about his "buddy," the skunk, insisted that the skunk would come out and watch him leave for work. :D

He had to walk down these long winding stone steps to the road and he'd look back up to see the skunk. My Dad was a real animal lover and I'm sure that he was quite tickled by this. I agree that the skunk is getting used to you, and doesn't perceive you as a threat as long as you don't catch him by surprise. You should be flattered, as my Dad was. :-)

[Xicano]

8. Answer = The Skunkier The Better!.

Oh wait... You meant the animal skunk.

:smoke: