How to Get Rid of Skunks Around The Home

As a young child we had a skunk, it had it's stink glands removed, so it couldn't spray and we use to take it for walks on a leash. I was asked to bring the skunk to school for show and tell and everything was fine until I walked into the classroom with little 'Stinky'. All my classmates began screaming and many of the kids jumped up on their desk scaring the poor little skunk beyond anything he had ever seen. My teacher trying to calm down the class yelled at me to pick 'it' up!!! Without his stink gland, that he would normally use for defense, Stinky bit me on the finger and didn't let go. His two sharp pointed teeth hung on to my small index finger as I was escorted down the long hall to the principals office, tears running down my cheeks the entire way. Stinky finally let use in the quiet of the principals office where I waited for my Grandfather to come and take me home. As a Great-grandmother I to this day carry my scar a gift from Stinky. I don't carry any malice towards skunk. They are fun to watch on cartoons and in the movies, but not so cute in real life. Recently I received a call from a friend asking how to get rid of a skunk that had moved under his house. Unlike raccoons, possums and other wild critters, skunks present a stinky problem. Because skunks are carriers of rabies special precautions need to be taken. If you see a skunk acting suspicious, running around during the day ( skunks are nocturnal)or foaming at the mouth call the local animal control agency and let them deal with the problem. Skunks spray when frightened. They lift their bushy tail and anything within a 6 - 16 foot radius is in trouble. Eye contact with the spray will cause eye irritation even temporary blindness. But the smell, oh my gosh, the smell, can be picked up by humans a mile down wind. How to get rid of the smell is another blog. The best solution to getting rid of skunks is to avoid having them take up residence in the first place. This means securing any openings under the house or shed. Skunks can gain entrance in an area opening as small as 4 inches. They also like to burrow so be on the lookout for holes around any buildings. Wood piles can be a problem, so if you burn wood in a fireplace or wood stove , stack it off the grounds. Skunks like to eat grubs. No grubs, no food no skunks. Be sure garbage can lids are secure and no pet food is left outside. My friend's skunk had already moved in so now what? One solution is a spray proof skunk trap. This trap is large enough to allow the skunk entrance, but not enough room to allow the frightened animal to raise its tail to spray. Check out the trap at www.itanimalcontrol.com on how to bail and use the trap. Another option is to use light. Skunks are nocturnal and come out at night. Set up flood lights during the day or after the skunk leaves for the night. Leave the light on night and day for a week. Don't use a motion detector as the skunk may become frightened and spray. Pepper spray also works as a skunk deterrent. Spray the area leading up to the entrance and under the house or building while the skunk is away. Re-apply every few days until the skunk is gone and then re read this article on how to prevent skunks from taking up residence. This is how we deal with skunks ' Around Our Southern Home and Garden'.