Vampire Skunk

When people hear that I have a skunk as a pet, they inevitably have a myriad of questions. The first is always, "Can he...spray?" But the runners up are, "Does he bite?" and "Does it hurt?"

To the first question, I always say "yes" and then explain that I have discovered that he has four types of biting. There's the "Hey, notice me" bite, the "playing" bite, the "Dude, you just scared the crap out of me" bite, and the "That's mine and you can't have it!" bite.

As far as the second question, it hurts in varying degrees in accordance with the bite types. From a "Eh, not so bad" hurt to a "Dude, you better watch yourself" pain, to an "Oops, shouldn't have scared him" discomfort, and finally the "Sweet Mother of God! Fine! Keep it!" debilitating agony. Evidenced by the picture below. It might not look so bad, but keep in mind it has had a whole 24 hours to bleed out and heal, and I have the lowest end of digital cameras.

This is what happens when you get in between a skunk and a Twix bar. (Please also excuse the horrendous state of my nails and cuticles. I have foregone manicures in order to be able to pay my mortgage.)