Services we offer:
- Animal removal
- Eviction, exclusion
- Behavior modification
- Humane repellents and deterrents
- Skunk-proof barriers (yards, gardens, lawns)
Skunks are primarily nocturnal omnivores, consuming many garden 'pests', like snails, slugs, grubs, crickets as well as rats, mice and gophers. They are also known for destroying yellow jacket nests.
Free pest control! GREAT to have around!
While skunks are mostly nocturnal, it's not uncommon to see one sunning or to see curious baby skunks, called kits, exploring outside of their den in the middle of the day.
Skunk mating season begins in winter and 'baby season' peaks in spring. The kits are born helpless, like puppies - deaf and blind. At about 8-10 weeks of age the kits start to explore more and eventually accompany their mother on nighttime foraging adventures. Toward the end of the year, the young will start to disperse from their family unit.
Where there is a reliable source of food, skunks may be observed in small groups but otherwise they are solitary animals. In urban environments, skunks will seek shelter underneath structures, like houses, porches, decks and outbuildings.
The key to reducing the presence of skunks is reducing the
food and shelter they are attracted to and depend upon.
Striped skunks are excellent excavators but cannot climb well. They can easily become entrapped in window wells, pits and crawlspaces. Their limited climbing ability means they can be excluded from yards and gardens fairly easily. Give us a call for guidance.
WARNING: Skunks can get stuck in fencing with 2" openings.
If you'd like to learn more about skunks, we highly recommend watching the documentary, Is That Skunk?
ONGOING INTERMITTENT 'SMELL OF SKUNK'
If you've been smelling skunk for more than a few days and the smell comes and goes, you may have a dead skunk on your property, somewhere. The smell of a dead skunk is 'sweeter' and lacks the harsh onion-garlic notes of a fresh spray.
Some common causes of mortality include being entrapped under a building after repairs were made (closing off the animal's access), fumigation for termites and consuming poisoned rats and mice.
SKUNK UNDER STRUCTURE
If you suspect a skunk is living under your house or other structure, give us a call to go over some options. The time of year will affect what strategies can be used. If it's during the peak of 'baby season', precautions must be taken to not separate the mother from her kits. A few tips:
- Do not close off any entry points.
- Do not apply cayenne or hot pepper products.
- Do not use mothballs.
If you know how the skunk is entering, and you feel safe in doing so, place balled-up newspaper in the entry. Block the hole entirely with newspaper. Check the next morning to see if it's been disturbed to confirm activity.
We also recommend motion activated surveillance cameras, like Reolink, to help figure out how animals are entering and if there is one or a family.
Let us help! Give us a call for guidance or access to our Do It Yourself videos.
SKUNK IN TRAP
If you have mistakenly trapped a skunk in a cage trap, please see this video, HERE, as an example of how to safely release the animal without getting sprayed.
SKUNKS DIGGING UP LAWN
If your lawn is being torn up, it's likely the work of raccoons or skunks looking for grubs. This usually occurs in late-summer-early-fall when food is scarce.
The long-term answer is to get rid of the grubs. They're not good for the lawn and attract meso-predators like the raccoon, skunk and opossum.
We recommend treating the lawn with beneficial nematodes, specifically NemaSeek, and if you want extra protection, NemAttack. Both of these products can be purchased online at Arbico Organics.
Give us a call to discuss the options or for access to our Do It Yourself video.
