英国人流行养臭鼬 称比养猫狗更干净
There are those pet-lovers for whom a cat is too conventional and a mutt simply too it appears they wouldn’t turn up their nose at a skunk.
对于那些标新立异的宠物爱好者来说,养猫养狗可能已经过于平淡无奇,早过时了。对他们来说,哪怕是臭鼬所放出的臭气也并非忍无可忍。
Breeders estimate that there are around 2,000 kept as domestic pets, and demand is increasing.
据相关人士估计,目前在英国约有2000左右的臭鼬被当成家养宠物,而且这样的需求还一直在增长之中。
Katie Sleightholme, 30, allows her skunk, Busby, the run of her home. She paid £375 for her pet, who is 17in long, and weighs 10lb, but skunks can cost up to £1,500 in a shop.
现年30岁的Katie Sleightholme放任她的宠物臭鼬Busby在家中横冲直撞。当初,她花了375英镑买下了这只17英寸长重10磅的小家伙,而现如今,宠物店里臭鼬的标价已经飙升到了1500英镑。
The mother-of three, who already has two dogs, 13 guinea pigs, three rabbits and two hamsters, says her children Ella, eight, Alfie, five, and 19-month-old Maisie dote on their new pet.
Katie现在是三个孩子的母亲,他们家已经养有两只狗,十三只几内亚猪,三只兔子以及两只仓鼠,据她表示,八岁的Ella、五岁的Alfie和十九个月大的Maisie都非常喜爱这只新宠物。
She said: ‘Most nights he will crawl up and sleep on my shoulder and snuggle into my neck.
她说:“常常在晚上,他会爬上来,趴在我肩头睡着,就依偎在我的脖子旁。”
‘He’s incredibly affectionate and sociable. He follows the kids around when they are playing and even sleeps with the two dogs.
“他与人非常的亲密,也很懂得交流,他会跟着三个孩子一起玩耍,甚至会和两条狗儿睡在一起。”
‘We are trying to train him to walk with a lead and harness so we can walk him with the dogs.’
“我们正尝试着训练他有方向的行走,如此一来我们在遛狗的时候也可以顺便带他散步。”
Skunks are omnivores with a natural diet including insects, fruits, nuts, mice and other small mammals. Mrs Sleightholme, from the Wirral, feeds Busby chicken, which she tops up with fruit and vegetables.
臭鼬是一个自然派的饮食者,它们的食物包括有昆虫,水果,坚果,鼠和其他小型哺乳动物杂食动物。Katie为Busby准备的饲料则有鸡肉水果和蔬菜。
But he will dig into the dog’s dry food if left to his own devices,’ she said.
“但如果离狗儿很近的话,他更喜欢分狗儿的干粮吃,”她说。