Meet the animal lover who trained her pet skunk to do advanced tricks – and has spent £2k on her exotic friend.

Sierra Middleton, 26, bought her skunk, Elfo, from an exotic pet breeder in May 2022.

Her bond with Elfo is "super strong" - and she often lets him roam totally free around her house. "

Sierra used her skills as a dog trainer to teach Elfo tricks and says he is "food-motivated" and needs constant "mental stimulation"."

Elfo can heal, hide himself in a suitcase, jump out when called, stand on his hind legs like a person – and can open up his own kennel and close the cage behind him.

Sierra has spent £2k on Elfo so far – splashing out on toys and his "expensive" diet of fresh meat and produce."

The professional dog trainer, from Orlando, Florida, US, says: "Elfo is really savvy. "

"I’ve been training him using a clicker - he now knows that clicks mean food, which gives him a lot of motivation to do tricks."

"So far, I’ve taught him to heal, hide himself in a suitcase, and jump out when I call."

"He can stand on his hind legs like a person - he even knows how to open up his own kennel and close the cage behind him."

"People find it really cute!"

Sierra bought Elfo in May 2022, from an exotic pet breeder in Orlando, Florida. In the US, Florida is one of 17 states in which it’s legal to keep skunks as pets.

Despite only turning a year old in February 2023, Sierra says she’s already spent over £2,000 on his upkeep.

She said: "If I had any advice for anyone wanting to get a skunk - or any exotic pet really - it’d be to do a lot of research into how much it’s going to cost. "

"I bought him for $600 (£500), and immediately had to spend another $700 (£583) to get him neutered. The rest goes on his bed, toys and vaccines."

"His diet is also expensive at times - skunks have different dietary needs to household pets like cats or dogs."

"Skunks need fresh meat and produce in addition to pellets. I feed mine eggs, crickets, roaches, hornworms, superworms and spiders."

"He also loves vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower and sugar snap peas are his favourites."

Sierra also warns that skunks are incredibly time-consuming pets - especially within their first few years.

She said: "Skunks need parents with lots of time because they need people who can cater to all their emotional, mental and physical needs. "

"They need opportunities to forage, dig, sniff, explore, play and - of course - spend lots of time with their person to form a strong bond."

"He loves chasing our dog around and stomping with him - and I love them both."

"My favourite bonding activity to do with him is take him for walks around our yard and the park."

"Lots of socialisation is key for helping them grow comfortable and confident in the different environments they might be exposed to as well as the people, animals, sounds, sights and smells they might encounter."