Hobbies And Interests
Diet
Short legs with webbed toes and claws provide the striped skunk with the means for digging for food. Skunks eat insects, especially in the summer, as their primary source of food. Other food sources include earthworms, snails and fruit. They also eat plants like leaves and grasses and just about any type of food they can locate.
Reproduction
Striped skunks give birth to their young in litters that vary from five to seven babies. The young are born in the spring to early summer. Breeding can occur anywhere from January to March. Breeding season causes male and female striped skunks to be active and to travel in search of mates.
Hibernation
Striped skunks in New Hampshire do not hibernate in the same way as a bear that sleeps for several months. While bears may begin hibernation as early as September, skunks stay awake until the coldest part of the winter. They gather in groups of at least 10 in dens and like to get under buildings. The only activity during the coldest part of winter involves reproduction activity in January. Skunks will lose up to 58 percent of their body weight during their hibernation.
Dangers
Some striped skunks carry the rabies virus. Do not pick up a skunk because close contact could transmit the virus. Any potential contact requires taking the rabies vaccine. The same precaution applies to other animals like dogs. If a dog comes into contact with a striped skunk, the dog can be infected. The other danger from contact with a striped skunk is spraying. Skunks use their spray as a defensive mechanism and can send spray up to 12 feet. Watch for a striped skunk arching his back, raising his tail and turning away. These signs indicate a spraying may be near.