A skunk isn't exactly a beloved animal; the mass media has ensured that by wildly exaggerating the skunk's identity as a stinky animal to get a few laughs. In reality, they are fascinating creatures.
They stand out with their alluring coat of black and white hair, and just like opossums, they are immune to snake venom. They spray a foul-smelling oily liquid, but only when they feel threatened by predators or humans, and that too sparingly, since it takes a whole week to reload the anal glands which produce the liquid. In fact, perhaps conscious of the effects of the deadly weapon that they possess, they will give a clear warning before spraying; they will turn their back to you, stamp their feet and hiss audibly.
What a cool bunch, right? However, just like other members of the animal kingdom, they need to satiate themselves with food and water. Now, you might own a skunk, or you might want nothing better than to be as far away from them as possible. Either way, it can help to learn about a skunk's diet and eating habits so that you can properly take care of your pet, or be prepared to feed a stray one if you come across it.
Insects
Skunks have a predilection for all kinds of insects during the months of summer and spring when the latter are easily available. They prefer to feast on grasshoppers, beetles, beetle larvae, bees, and crickets.
The nutty and the fruity
During the fall and winter months, it's hard for a skunk to come across insects, so it has to make do with fruits, vegetables, and nuts instead. Though they aren't picky about what they eat, they do prefer to eat berries, pears, bananas, and apples, as well as corn, peas, carrots, and almonds.
The meaty stuff
Skunks are omnivores, after all. Therefore, their diet also includes meat. Mice are a popular option during the winter, while rabbits and other small mammals are also considered, though rarely. If you own a skunk, you may feed it fish or chicken.
The weird stuff
All scavengers seem to have an affinity for this. Skunks will chomp on bird seed and pet food, as well as garbage and any other edible thing thrown away by us human beings.
How does a skunk get its food?
Of course, if you own a skunk, you're the one feeding it, but what about those in the wild? Skunks are notorious for being lazy hunters and will try to expend as little effort as possible. They are most active during dusk and dawn, and will usually dig cone-shaped holes in grassy areas to gobble up the worms and other insects which emerge. If they feel like eating bees, they will do so by approaching a beehive and scratching it, thereby compelling a few bees to come out and investigate, and of course, the skunk wastes no time in eating them up.
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