Skunk Mating and Birthing Cycle

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There are many different types of animals that you may have to deal with as a homeowner, but one of the most frustrating to deal with is the skunk, as they are fairly large animals and can cause a significant amount of damage. It is important to understand their mating cycles if you are starting to think about how to remove skunks from a property, as the techniques that you will need to use may vary depending on whether or not you will have to consider if there is a nest of baby skunks there to deal with as well.



What Is A Skunk's Mating Habits?

Skunks are not particularly active during the winter, saving their energy reserves as much as possible, but when the spring comes this is when they will start to come into season and start to consider mating. The successful males will usually copulate with multiple females during the season, with weaker males tending to make fewer successful partnerships. This usually happens in the period around March, although it can vary slightly depending on the seasonal conditions in the area where the skunks are present.

When Do Skunks Have Babies?

The gestation period for baby skunks is usually just over two months, with the female giving birth to a litter of between four and seven kits around 65 days after copulation. This usually happens in May or early June, and the kits are born in a defenseless state where they are hairless, blind and deaf, and will not even be able to do anything for themselves until they are at least a few weeks old. The baby skunks will stay with their mother for a relatively long time compared to other animals, and in many cases this can be until the kits are up to a year old.

How Does A Female Skunk Rear Her Young?

The female will feed the young kits regularly for the first few weeks, and may even forage at unusual times of the day to suit the rearing of her young, and after around three weeks the baby skunks will be ready to open their eyes. Around two months after the young were born they will be weaned and will do a lot of their own foraging. The female will also teach many hunting and foraging methods to her kits, with one interesting technique in some areas where the female will show her young how to tap the opening to a beehive, which then allows them to eat each of the guard bees as they come out of the hive. For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does skunk removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of skunks - my main skunk removal info guide.