Animals You Shouldn’t Keep as Pets

You have plenty of options as to what kind of animal to have  as a pet. Dogs, cats and other domesticated animals are popular options. However, certain people prefer exotic animals, these may seem like a novel choice, but particular animals are not suitable to have as domestic pets.. They may cause damage to your property or transmit viruses, bacteria, germs and diseases.

Bats

Bats are not ideal pets because they have sharp teeth, may transmit rabies and bring other diseases that may infect you, your pets or anyone in your home. These animals also leave a trail of guano and urine that are not only foul smelling, but may also spread disease. They may also damage walls, wirings, and the exterior and interior of your home when they build a den to raise their young.

Skunks

Skunks may seem like cute animals to keep as pets, but these creatures release a foul odour when they feel threatened. It may take days to remove the awful smell when it sticks to your skin and clothes. These animals may also bring disease, bugs and bacteria into your property.

Raccoons

These creatures have a mask-like facial feature, powerful paws and beady eyes. These animals may seem harmless at first when they rummage through your garbage, but they do not make good pets. Raccoons become aggressive when they feel that their young are in danger. They may bite and scratch you, resulting in injuries or transmission of rabies.

Their powerful paws can also damage property by tearing through walls, roofing, insulation and wires. All these will increase your energy and repair bill. Raccoons also bring all sorts of bugs and germs that may cause diseases.

Foxes

Foxes may seem like good pets because of their physical similarities to dogs. However, these animals are dangerous, especially if you have small children at home. It is possible to tame these creatures up to a certain extent; however, they are not trustworthy.

Wolves

Keeping a wolf as a pet may seem like a good idea, but these animals have wild instincts that are impossible to tame and domesticate fully. These creatures hunt when they are hungry, play when they want to and sleep whenever they feel like it. They will not make good pets because they act on instinct purely.

These are some of the animals that you must not keep as pets because of their wild nature. You may tame them up to a certain extent; however, their instincts will prevail in the end. When you find any of these animals in or around your property, hire an expert animal removal specialist to prevent an infestation and intrusion.

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Skunks: 10 interesting facts about these striped animals

Skunks are very well known for their pungent spray, but there's more to these striped animals people don't know about. Skunks may vary in colour, and may be spotted or striped. They belong to the family of Mephitidae, and the most common, the striped skunk, found in Canada is called Mephitis mephitis.

Skunks are just as interesting as others in animal kingdom. There are many things about them that makes even these pungent little critters special. Let us take a look at some of them.

1. Skunk's chemical spray is not their normal gas release. The spray is actually produced by two anal glands, is highly repellant, and comes in a limited amount. Skunks cannot spray all the time; they need time to replenish the substance produced by the glands.
2. Skunks warn their predators by squealing or hissing, pounding their claws to the ground and uncurling their bushy tails. They even perform warning dances. This is to intimidate predators and shoo them away, conserving their spray and minimizing the risks of being preyed upon while the glands are out of substance. They can shoot a target within ten feet.
3. Skunk spray contains thiols which are sulfur-based compounds. This makes the spray highly flammable. The spray can cause nausea and temporary blindness, depending on the intensity and to the level of exposure to the spray. It may also take several weeks or months for the odour to go away completely.
4. They are excellent diggers but poor climbers. Their short legs are ideally for digging. They burrow dens and may take refuge under houses' foundations, sheds, decks and porches. They are unable to climb onto a roof and get into an attic.
5. Skunks are nocturnal animals. Since they forage at night, they are more vulnerable to terrestrial attacks compared to daytime hunters. This is also the reason why skunks have evolved to produce an effective anti-predator spray.
6. Skunks are docile animals and are less likely to pick fights themselves. They are even willing to share their dens with other skunks, unless there is a mother skunk caring for her kits.
7. Male skunks usually mate with multiple females. Their mating season starts by the month of February.
8. Skunks have a very developed sense of hearing and smell, although they have poor eyesight.
9. A skunk litter may be composed of 2-10 kits. The mother protects the young and will aggressively defend when threat is sensed. The babies will continue to live with their mothers until the fall season.
10. Skunks can carry rabies. Since they are nocturnal, skunks seen in daytime are suspected to be carriers of rabies, especially if they act uncharacteristically. However, mother skunks also forage by day to find food for their young, so not all skunks that you see roaming around by daytime are guaranteed carriers of rabies.

Skunks are not all bad. They do what they can to survive, and people need to see that they have their own roles in the balance of our environment. They belong to the wild, and if some of them get astray and somehow wound up being in your property, find a wildlife control company that offers humane ways like Skedaddle. You will not only save your family's life, but the lives of these creatures as well.

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