So I've been doing more than average ADC on skunks this spring and have a question in regards to quill quantity before giving birth. Most of the females haven't given birth yet around here but are close. It seems the ones who are pregnant don't seem to have much (if any) quill while the ones who are dry do . This raises my curiosity as to why this is. Is it due to pressure in the birth canal during birth against the glands might cause them to leak during birth? If so, does the body absorb excess quill until afterwards or stop producing all together? Maybe this doesn't happen at all and I just managed to run into a fluke. Hope someone can answer this for me.

I can't answer your question at all. What I can say is I have ran into a bunch of pregnant skunks that were all to able to spray and more than willing to. They are very aggressive before and after giving birth.

Might not answer your question, but I just trapped a male skunk in a body grip trap and he sprayed. Also just caught a female skunk and there was no smell. Little baby skunk crawled out from under my coop looking for her.

Well hearing this, maybe they can spray right up to giving birth as well as after.

So Jurassic, I've heard the little ones can't spray or can't control it. Did the little ones spray at all when you encountered them?

I traped 1 female in a cage did not spray and had nothing in the pods

From what I have seen if you kill skunks, and leave them lay around the essence is absorbed back into their body. It is something that takes a few days. As far as skunks spraying in body grips, I had way more leak than spray. I used to take over 100 a year and the most were in body grips in boxes.

Ive taken many skunks, (females) befor and after giving birth. I havent ever noticed any difference this time of year than any other or in males. Some just dont have much in them and others do. What i have noticed is maybe just a slight increase of essence in the spring after winter is just over. My 2 cents worth.

I guess my question is how can they give birth without unloading? I'm sure we've all had some leak o. Us when we skin them out so it doesn't take much pressure.

That was my thought. We dont have enough skunks around here thanks to the distemper outbreaks in the late 00's so I dont get too many post-natal skunk calls.

Grab a little one for a pet.Take it to a vet and get it de bagged-they are docile and easy to train to a litter box like a house cat.They eat almost anything and grow fast their first 9 months.
When small like that they only spray a little,then they are done.Then you can bag it and take it to the vet.

One day the young cand spray
Next day .Sprayed

The little one didn’t spray. I didn’t try pestering it either to try making it spray lol. It was curled up and kinda waddled as it walked. Not sure how old it was. Body was about 4” long. I also heard they don’t spray.

Boco, the last thing I want is a skunk as a pet.

I loved having mine.great fun and the best wild animal pet I ever had as a kid.
Dont get a coon for a pet-they are a handful.
Wolf either-they eventually turn like a coon.

If anything I’d want a Lynx. Indoor pet. Declawed.

Skunks giving birth and spraying are two totally different acts. Spraying is the little stinkers defense mechanism and giving birth is just that. Plain and simple,God made them that way.

I think he's asking why the extra pressure of babies passing through the birth canal doesn't put pressure on the scent glands right above and squeeze out some quill since it doesn't seem to take much pressure to make them leak.

This but I guess I haven't worded it correctly. Thanks Lugnut.

My guess would be that by the time we are skinning them all muscles including the muscles surrounding the scent gland on either side of the anus are relaxed in death (primary flaccidity) or in some stage of rigor mortis making it easier for slight pressure to make the glands, especially full ones, leak.

I think that live skunks probably have very good control over their primary weapon.

I've read that skunk quill is flammable, does anybody know this for a fact?

Yes, pure quill is flammable and can be very combustible if exposed to a heat source. Too expensive now to find out for yourself.

Thanks Bob!