Effective home remedies on how to get rid of Skunks,
Skunks are black and white-furred mammals who are nocturnal omnivores that like to reside in places such as open woodlands and dense shrubs, and while some of them are pretty small, they are generally just as big as a house cat. Before delving into how to get rid of skunks, we will look at a brief description of what they are and how they can access your property.
Their reputation for producing a foul odor when frightened precedes them, and while this odor is mainly known for its powerful stench, it tends to cause quite a discomfort if it gets into areas such as the eyes and the skin. But because they are nocturnal creatures, they are more inclined to exist in solitude, away from human activities, which is why you are likelier to smell a skunk than to see one within your field of vision.
And even in situations where they are seen, skunks tend to be easy-natured creatures that are most likely to benefit humans by feeding on insects, rodents, and other animals, many regards as pests.
However, this does not necessarily stop the black-and-white striped animals from invading your home and taking residence. During winter and fall, when food is scarce, skunks will quickly hurry to the nearest home they can find in search of food and shelter, especially when they are raising young.
How do they enter your property?
They make their way into your home through openings in your walls, and since they are excellent climbers, they are likely to make their way onto your roof and find an accessible area to invade your property. On days when they are bold or desperate, they can come in through open doors and even open windows.
When you start picking up an unpleasant musky smell around your building or under it, it is a sign that they have taken up residence. This should not be entertained because these creatures can cause irreparable damage to your property by tearing apart insulations, chewing on your wires, and digging large-sized holes in your yard foraging for grubs. The worst thing that could happen with their residency is leaving behind a strong awful odor that is often difficult to remove.
Additionally, they can destroy your garden by eating plants because they eat both plants and meat. Extra caution must be taken once you notice them in your property becuase they could carry numerous diseases and parasites. You should contact a wildlife removal company near you to have them get rid of the skunk.
Not only is the foul stench they spray fatal in cases where a person is allergic to it, but skunks can also spread parasites in your home and cause you to contaminate diseases such as salmonella and distemper. In some cases, they also carry rabies and can infect another animal or human through a bite.
Suppose you notice skunks frequently roaming your property or making rustling noises in your attic. In that case, it is best to take the precautions needed to remove them from your before they become comfortable in your home long enough to grow into an infestation.
THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF SKUNK FOUND IN NORTH AMERICA
Although they have many subspecies, there are only four species of skunk in the world, mainly the striped skunk, the hooded skunk, the hog-nosed skunk, and the spotted skunk. However, North America houses only three of these four species.
STRIPED SKUNK (Mephitis Mephitis)
The striped skunk is about the size of a housecat, with its fur primarily black and the top of its head and neck tinged white. This white fur runs down their back in many of them, usually separating into two white stripes. They weigh anywhere from 4 to 10 pounds and are recognized for their magnificent tail, about one-third of their total length.
While they have a keen sense of smell and hearing, the striped skunk is a terrible climber and can only scale wire mesh and fences; it is rare to spot them climbing trees. This is as a result of their long nails.
The striped skunk may appear during daylight hours when they desperately need food or if they are searching for a mate. Otherwise, they are strictly nocturnal. They prefer to burrow in places containing well-drained soil, like wooded hillsides, hayfields, etc. This is to help them feed better as these fields produce the insects they need for food and keep the cold out by warming their dens.
They will also make homes under woodpiles, rock piles, and logs. Additionally, now that they are suffering a loss of habitat due to modernization, striped skunks have been taking up residence beneath houses, in garages, under decks, etc.
Their diet as omnivores consists of mice, grasshoppers, worms, spiders, grubs, fruits, etc. If provoked, the striped skunk will squirt its pungent musk from the two grape-shaped glands on each side of its anus. It will initiate an attack by stomping its front feet, raising its tail with the tip downward, and spreading out. They can fire this awful dose for five consecutive rounds, each spray the size of a teaspoon.
SPOTTED SKUNK (Spilogate Putorius)
The spotted skunk is a small creature weighing between 2 to 4 pounds. They generally sport black fur littered with white spots, as their name suggests, with the underside of its tail white for half its length and the tip an intensive white color.
The spotted skunk is a very mobile creature and, unlike the striped skunk, is an excellent climber. They prefer to seek residence in rocky places or hollow logs in the wild and have no problem being in close association with people, which makes it more likely for them to build their nest in rock fences and even attics.
They are also omnivores and like to feed on mice, scorpions, grasshoppers, turkey eggs, fruits, berries, etc.
While it possesses the same glands that allow it to let loose a barrage of stench, the spotted skunk differs in its spray method. They do a handstand on their forefeet and spray directly over their head in the form of a mist.
HOG-NOSED SKUNK ( Conepatus Leuconotus)
The hog-nosed skunk is the largest of the North-American skunks and has quite a distinctive appearance. They are covered in black fur with a broad white stripe that starts from the top of their head to the base of their long bushy tail. They are also known for their upturned snout, which they use to dig for food.
Because of their immense dislike for heat, they avoid hot desert areas and like to inhabit places like forests and grasslands. You can usually tell that hog-nosed skunks are around if you notice loose-looking patches of ground. This is due to their rooting and overturning of rocks in their search for nourishment.
They are generally nocturnal like other skunks, but they prefer to feed during the day during cold months. They have no fear of humans and have their spray ready in case they need it to defend themselves from any attack.
Hog-nosed skunks are quite asocial as opposed to other skunks; thus, only one of them can occupy a den at a time and two on rare occasions. They only seek one another during mating season, so the males travel long distances to find a breeding partner.
They are omnivores and feed on insects, plants, small mammals, vegetables, reptiles, etc. While they are generally not aggressive, they occasionally cause problems when they invade gardens and trash cans in search of food and cause damage to properties by digging burrows.
WHAT TYPE OF DISEASES DO SKUNKS CARRY
Although skunks are primarily solitary creatures that like to keep to themselves and only come in close contact with humans when they are at their wit’s end in need of food and shelter, they carry diseases that can be easily spread to both people and pets.
If a skunk feels cornered or threatened, they are likely to bite and scratch as a defense mechanism, and if the skin is broken in this process, there is a high risk of infection due to pathogens from the skunk’s saliva entering the bloodstream.
In most cases, the furred animal indirectly spreads diseases through its urine and feces.
ROUND WORM;
Roundworms are parasites that reside in the intestinal tract of humans. In this case, you can become infected with roundworms if you come in direct contact with skunk feces or swim in an untreated body of water crawling with roundworms from skunks’ urine.
LEPTOSPIROSIS;
This bacterial infection often results in the victim suffering from high fevers, muscle pain, and headaches and may also cause dangerous complications such as kidney failure and meningitis.
When exposed to skunk urine, a human may come in contact with this bacterium. At its early stage, it can be treated with antibiotics.
TULAREMIA;
If you find yourself in a situation where you are bitten or scratched by a skunk, you might have the misfortune of contracting tularemia. It is a rare bacterial infection that spreads throughout the body via the bloodstream and causes complications like sepsis. It can cause discomfort like muscle aches, joint pains, headaches, diarrhea, extreme weakness, etc.
RABIES;
Rabies is the most common and significant threat from a skunk. You usually contract rabies if they manage to bite or scratch you. This does not necessarily mean that all skunks carry rabies, but it has been proven that they play a considerable part in transmitting the disease.
Taking a vaccination shot when bitten by a skunk is crucial to avoid a full-blown infection. This is because once an infection develops from rabies, it is almost always fatal.
DISTEMPER;
This disease primarily affects animals, cats and dogs, to be more specific. It attacks their neurological system and brings them complications such as the hardening of their nose and paw pads, and in most cases, this disease proves to be fatal to these animals.
It is contracted when they come in contact with the urine of an infected skunk. Opting for routine vaccinations helps to prevent the development of such a disease.
WHAT ATTRACTS SKUNKS TO A HOME;
Often the best thing you can do to ensure that you never encounter any disturbance from these elusive creatures is to find a way to deter them from your home, and to do this, you need to find out what attracts them there in the first place.
UNSEALED GARBAGE CANS;
Being the opportunistic feeders that they are, skunks have little to no problem diving into the first unsealed garbage they can find in search of something they can eat. Although skunks have terrible vision, they have a perfect sense of smell and hearing to compensate for it.
So to prevent attracting skunks to your property, ensure your garbage can is sealed tight or kept securely until pick-up day comes around.
OUTDOOR PET FOOD;
Outdoor pet food is easy food for skunks, it is the equivalent of what free food is to humans, and they will make their way into your yard to help themselves to it, even if it happens to be the food they are not typically fond of.
Because they are nocturnal animals, you will hardly likely spot a skunk trying to feed from an outdoor pet food source during the day, mainly because the pet might also be there. In this case, the best thing to do is to clear everything up by sundown. This kills any attraction they might have had for your home.
HEALTHY LAWNS;
The nature of skunks as omnivores allows them to feed on plants and animals, but their preferred food hovers between insects and grubs they find by digging into luxurious soil.
This is quite an unfortunate situation because it implies that the better you take care of your lawn, the healthier it makes the soil, thus making it the perfect spot for skunks to dig out grubs. The healthier the ground, the more nutritious it becomes, making it an ideal home for soil-dwelling insects that skunks love to eat.
If you spot a cone-shaped hole in your lawn, be aware that your yard has become a hot attraction spot for skunks and find a way to eliminate the insects without ruining the natural balance of the soil.
EASY OPENINGS;
Skunks are animals that love to live in dens and gravitate towards anything that makes building a burrow easy. This is part of the reason why they are constantly occupying burrows that have been previously dug by foxes and groundhogs.
However, skunks with a closer residence to humans are attracted to things in your home, making it easy for them to widen and form a burrow. They can find a residence in places like under a porch, under a deck, under a woodpile, under a log pile, and even under old building materials, you might have had lying around.
These places attract skunks, especially those desperate to build a den and care for their young. In this case, seal any area that might give them even a minuscule opportunity to claim a place in your home, and get rid of any woodpiles and building materials you have lying around.
WATER SOURCES;
Open water sources ranging from swimming pools to leaking faucets serve as a central attraction point for skunks as it promises a place they can always come to when needing something to quench their thirst and ward off heat.
WHERE IN HOMES DO SKUNKS LIKE TO HIDE;
UNDER DECKS/PORCH;
It is no secret that decks and porches have numerous entry points, and because of this, they are one of the most common places to find skunks. They can quickly build a home there, making entries and exits where they wish with little to no difficulty while remaining unspotted because chances are, if you don’t smell them, you wouldn’t think to look under your porch on an ordinary afternoon.
UNDER SHEDS;
The fact that sheds have a low clearance structure that makes it complicated for anyone to have a decent look under it makes It an ideal place for skunks to create a den and have all the privacy in the world.
It is part of why taking residence under sheds is one of their top choices.
GARAGES;
More often than not, the furred creatures are on standby, waiting for you to leave your garage door open so they can take up residence. Since garages are primarily dry and offer protection from predators, they are ideal homes for skunks.
Additionally, in cases where the garage harbors things like pet food and garbage cans, it makes it more of an attraction site. In most cases, it is easy to get them to leave by leaving the garage door open, but in situations where your garage is stocked up on food and warmth, more effort than simply leaving the door open might be needed.
WOODPILES;
Places that frequently use woodpiles and like to stack them together have a high chance of finding a skunk burrowed there.
The woodpile provides a safe, warm, and secure place that a skunk can build a den as they are covered on every side, and the fact that it is generally placed in areas where there is soil makes it an even better place for the skunk to dig a deeper burrow for them and their young.
TALL GRASS;
Places with rich dirt housing tall grass are the perfect hiding spot for skunks. This is because not only will they have plenty of grubs and insects to feed on, but the grass also strikes as a great shield and insulation for their burrow.
They can scurry at night for food, return to their den before daybreak, and never get noticed within the tall grass.
HOME REMEDIES TO GET RID OF SKUNK;
MOTION DETECTING LIGHT;
Skunks hate being sighted by humans, which, coupled with their nocturnal nature, strengthens their hate for anything related to light. They enjoy prancing about the dark since it helps them avoid predators and humans while scavenging for undisturbed food. Thus, a sudden flash of bright light is the perfect way to deter skunks from approaching your yard.
It will expose them to human and predator eyes, which will frighten them bad enough to make them run away and probably never return.
CAYENNE PEPPER;
Because skunks like digging around rich soil and garbage cans in search of food, making the cayenne pepper spray is an excellent solution to stop them from doing just that because once the spicy taste makes its way into their mouth, they give up scavenging quickly.
Boil a chopped jalapeno, onion, and cayenne pepper in a water bowl. Go digging for food or a burrow. This will keep them away with the dosage lasting up to five days at a time.
CITRUS PEELS;
Next time you finish peeling a lemon, orange, or any other citrusy fruit, don’t throw away the peels. It stands to be one of the best remedies that help keep skunks away. This is because the scent these peels emit is highly undesirable to skunks and, thus, drives them away.
Take the peels and scatter them around your porch, garden, yard, and any other place they are likely to frequent and watch them scurry away from your property once they smell it.
PREDATOR URINE;
When skunks get a whiff of fox, coyote, bobcat, or even dog urine, they get frightened and scurry away because they believe they are in immense danger. Soaking cotton balls or rags in predator urine and placing them in areas where you expect skunks to show up or build burrows is an effective deterrent and keeps them away.
ELIMINATE FOOD SOURCES;
Keep your garbage cans sealed tight, your gardens and lawns treated for grubs and feed your pets inside. Skunks are large scavengers, and often when they frequent your home, it is because there is a food source somewhere. The moment you make it unavailable for them to access any food source, you might have to lie around the instant they leave your home.
This includes cleaning up fallen fruits and nuts if you have fruit trees. You might need the help of a wildlife exterminator