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。