17. Starting with summer and spring, these are the times that skunks feed on fresh food sources as they’re available in plentiful supply. We've always had a love of the outdoors, nature and wildlife. As such even if skunks may seem and sound like a nuisance, they do still help in getting rid of destructive insects around the home and yard instead. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. In order to maintain this site and keep providing valuable information and learning tools, rangerplanet.com has become a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. They eat predominantly insects, earthworms, frogs, and small mammals that live in the soil such as moles. Although humans consider skunks as a nuisance because of their unpleasant odor, they are beneficial in many ways. This content has been checked and verified by a qualified veterinary practitioner. They may choose to leave the comfort of their den at night to forage for food. Skunks are omnivorous, eating both plant and animal material and changing their diets as the seasons change. They also commonly eat berries, roots, leaves, grasses, fungi and nuts. See more ideas about baby skunks, skunk, cute animals. Skunks can eat chickens, but they are not the main threat. Although this may sound unpleasant to us, skunks are omnivores and so they are very versatile and adaptable when it comes to food. This will firstly trigger the guard bees to come out and they usually are the first set of bees that get eaten up. In Winter, when food is extremely sparse skunks may invade garbage and trash for food. Theyâre immune to snake venom. As winter approaches, when the availability of food reduces, skunks will eat food that is not as fresh and those that even fall to the ground and are easily accessible. Skunks also love fruits and will forage for wild berries, fungi, and nuts. As we mentioned earlier, skunks are omnivores and their diet also consists of plants. So, similar to a fox’s diet, skunks will eat garbage! During spring and summertime, skunks will feed on grasshoppers, bees, beetles, beetle larvae, and crickets as well as others from our first list above. They forage for plant life like corn, cherries, grapes and berries, whether or not they are fresh. It would be like raising a child on a diet of only hamburgers, fried chicken, and water. Skunks are omnivores, meaning their diet consists of what they can find. A skunk will eat baby rabbits and full grown rabbits. Baby skunk removal done poorly can result in injuring or orphaning the baby. Not as a main food source. To some extent, they do have scavenger tendencies, so this means that their diet is very adaptable depending on seasons and availability – and is key to their survival. Since skunks are opportunists, they will eat chickens if they can easily get to them. Obviously, the smell of this critter is an issue. I just saw a video of a skunk and rabbit fighting. Especially during the summer months, when food is in abundance, skunks will use this time to eat lots of food to sustain both themselves and their young better through the winter months. USFWS Mountain-Prairie, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr. Skunks at different elevations and in different habitats during different times of the year will have different diets. Adapted from the book Wild Neighbors . It used to be thought that skunks could live on dog or cat food, with the occasional people food table scraps as a treat. But it has to be said the plant-based diet is mostly only an alternative that skunks turn to during times when food is scarce. This includes fruits and crops that are left rotten or not harvested. The skunk diet is seasonal and more dependent on the availability of food rather than choice. Skunks are very opportunistic with their diet and are not picky with food; they go for available foods. Most skunks, especially when food is not available, will also look to invade homes and feed on decaying plants and other food sources around properties, which is mainly when skunks become an annoyance for humans. Here Are the Reasons - a Simple Guide. Berries and nuts â Skunks like eating many types of berries as well as nuts like walnuts, pecans, and hickory nuts. This is because when skunks don’t find what they want in the garbage they can often target other food courses, such as:-. For the first few weeks of life, they are dependent on their mothers for almost everything. This also means that if they cannot find prey that they can kill and feed on, they will have to rely on foraging for food that they can eat to sustain themselves and their young, including plants and other edible foods. Why Is Wood Brown? Here’s What To Do, Small amphibians such as frogs, toads, and newts. Whether or not you can have a pet skunk depends on your state and its regulations, so be sure to do your research. But, mostly during late fall and winter, skunks often do have to eat plants as an alternative, when available, skunks will opt to eat:-, During winter, skunks may also search for and eat:-. A basic morning meal for your adult pet skunk can consist of: Kits (baby skunks) less than four months old need to eat four times a day (like puppies do). When baby skunks just come into the world, like any other animal life, they are not really ready to take on the world by themselves. The guys behind rangerplanet.com. 2 ... Do the following and get the baby to a rehabber as soon as possible. And don't be taken in by those begging faces; skunks will eat even when they are full. Firstly they scratch the beehives with their forefeet and long claws. It then proceeded to drag away the rabbit. The only caveat to having skunks in the area, is not to startle them. Where possible, skunks will eat forage for. April 23, 2017 June 6, 2017 admintag The skunk is not adapted to hunt for large or rapid prey, such as, for example, rabbits or birds. Pet skunks have the same problem of overeating just as we do. Thinking you might need to outrun a moose? If you want a healthy lawn, skunks can help there too. Rejected by her mother and only a few hours old on this video, we have to hand rear her with a little help from our very kind dog. Help support our efforts for wildlife causes and keep this site working for nature. The diets of these skunks are carefully monitored to ensure that they receive all the nutrients they need to stay healthy. This means that when skunks locate a steady source of food from garbage and trash cans, they may forge a habit of visiting your home more often in search of the same food source, especially during winter, when food is scarce. As we mentioned earlier, skunks are omnivores and their diet also consists of plants. As mentioned earlier, they do tend to become the most active in the darkest hours. More skunk recipes can be found at Skunk Haven and at Owners Of Pet Skunks (OOPS). How Skunks Eat Bees Skunks have particularly thick fur which helps to protect them from the stings of animals such as bees, and they have a very clever technique that is usually passed from the mother to her kits. This means that they rely on both plant and animal material in order to survive. They have long claws on their feet that they use to dig in the earth looking for food. 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