It could soon be legal to have a pet skunk in Tennessee.
It is currently a criminal offense to keep a skunk as a pet, but a bill before lawmakers would change that.
The proposal received a few laughs on the Senate floor on Wednesday, but was ultimately approved. Only three senators opposed the measure.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, said skunks make great pets and the law would require them to be fixed before being domesticated.
“A skunk should have its scent glands removed and also the skunk should be neutered, whether it is a male or female, it should be neutered as a domesticated animal,” Bailey said.
“I’m probably the only senator up here that had a pet skunk when I was a child,” said Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains. “My mother got my little brother a dog, but they got me a skunk. But I really don’t recommend them.”
The measure was also on the House agriculture committee agenda on Wednesday.
(And if you're wondering why people have skunks as pets, as we did, try google searching: "baby skunks")
A version of this article originally appeared on WSMV.com