Q: I have baby skunks under my shed and see them out playing during the day. Does this mean they are orphaned?

A: Not necessarily but it means you should watch the situation very carefully and act quickly if you are concerned. Sometimes, if it is a hot day and the babies are getting big (over 7 inches long not counting the tail) they will come out for brief periods during the day to play while mother sleeps inside the den.

However, if they are very small (under 7 inches long not counting the tail) and are coming out regularly during the day and, particularly around the evening supper hour or at dusk without mother, and if they wander away at all from the denning hole, they may well have been abandoned and are searching for food. They might look robust and healthy, even wrestling and playing with one another, but they could be in grave difficulty.

In situations like this, put out a small bowl of water and food – canned cat food or small pieces of chicken – beside their entrance hole and continue to observe closely. If mother is there, she generally takes the babies out at dusk. You can watch to see if this happens or put a wide and thick layer of flour around the entrance holes and check to see the size of the footprints.

Baby skunks are left abandoned most frequently when someone traps and relocates the mother or the mother is killed on the road. If the babies are on their own, they will need help as soon as possible because they tend to go downhill quickly and die from dehydration and starvation. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator for help or go to www.orphanedwildlifecare.com for instructions.