Skunk removal cost?
While it is true that skunks enjoy solitude and are quite beneficial to humans in the sense that they gobble up a lot of animals that humans consider a nuisance, it is still quite relevant to understand when they have crossed the line from becoming the furry animals that get rid of pests to a dangerous animal that is threatening to destroy your home and risk your health.
The strategies needed to stop them from invading your home or becoming an infestation should be recognized and utilized. In situations where they are simply causing minor problems like tipping over your garbage can or digging cone-shaped holes in your lawn, using home remedies can effectively get them to leave your property.
However, in situations where they are threatening you and your home, it is necessary to consult a wildlife removal company, have them scope the issue, and carry out a removal process.
These professionals are well-equipped and have profound knowledge of which route to take to ensure you are rid of skunks and any other issues they might have caused or left behind. With their help, a safe, humane removal that doesn’t involve any health risks is performed, and you will get to have your property safe and secure without engaging in anything that could cause you harm.
They will not only ensure that there isn’t a single skunk dilly-dallying on your property but also get rid of any atrocious odor left behind and close out any lingering openings that might invite them back in.
Since it is evident that skunks aren’t animals you would want to entertain on your property, let’s look at some of the methods that wildlife removal companies use to get rid of skunks and their associated costs.
Top Skunk removal methods
Trapping
Trapping is one of the most common methods professionals employ to do away with skunks. They use either a plastic box trap or a wire trap with a protection layer at the top so that no one gets sprayed during the process. Either one of these traps is placed or situated at the closest or exact spot where there is a suspected skunk activity, with bait put in front of the trigger as an attraction point to ensure that the skunk makes it into the cage before it snaps shut.
This requires utmost patience and observation skills because the trap must be checked every 24 hours until the desired skunk is caught. Following the capture, the skunk is either relocated to an area far away from the once-invaded property, or they will be euthanized.
Exclusion
Professionals apply the exclusion technique before a skunk moves in or after checking whether or not there are skunk residents in a particular area. This is because exclusion is done by sealing all potential entrances or openings skunks might use to enter a property and build a home there.
Experts use hardware mesh material to close off openings that could be found under houses, decks, porches, garages, etc. in cases where there is soil present in these openings, the hardware material is buried about 6ft deep into the soil to ensure that skunks don’t dig their way under.
Employing this method at a time when skunks are yet to build a den is relatively easy. If they have already inhabited the place, professionals will need to be sure that they have vacated the place before putting the method into place, especially in situations where the skunk has young.
If there is indeed the presence of a skunk in an inhabited den, skunk exterminators use the one-way door system whereby there will be a gate in the mesh that will be big enough to allow the skunk to leave but not big enough to allow them to reenter.
This door must be left in place for three days to a week to ensure the skunk has left before it is sealed. This, of course, can prove ineffective in situations where the skunk has young that are yet to be mobile, in which case they would need to be removed by other means.
REPELLANTS;
Skunk removal companies use a variety of repellents to get rid of skunks, and some of these repellents use things like predator urine, ammonia, and chemical sprays.
How they execute this technique is by scoping the property where there is a suspected activity of skunk, and once they determine where the furred animals are situated, these experts soak cotton balls or rags in ammonia or predator urine and place them in the identified areas knowing that the strong, unpleasant odor will deter them from the site.
In the case of chemical sprays, they utilize sprays that contain chemicals. Skunks severely dislike and strew the repellant around the property, even more so in areas where they are recognized to be.
However, while repellants are effective in getting rid of skunks nine times out of ten, in certain situations, the skunk might become accustomed to the odor of the repellant and continue to visit or stay in the area. When this happens, employing the methods mentioned above, like trapping and exclusion, is absolutely necessary to ensure a complete and effective removal of skunks from your property.
Cost of skunk removal based on removal method
Trapping cost
When you decide to contact a professional for skunk removal, to initiate the process, they scope your property for the presence of the black-white furred animals. Once they have a determined location, they place a trap near said location and wait for the skunk to take the bait.
Keeping in mind that they spray when agitated, being meticulous on how to work a trap is quite important here. In cases where the skunk infestation is severe, they would need to set multiple traps around the property.
Depending on the size, location, and amount of effort it takes to ensure that this entire process is carried out thoroughly and effectively, the cost of professionally trapping skunks can run between $200 to $400. This includes relocation once the skunk is found and trapped.
Exclusion cost
Putting aside the fact that the exclusion method is humane and secure, it is relevant to recognize that it is long-lasting in its effectiveness. Not only does the one-way gate ensure that skunks get the most natural, humane exit possible, but the wire mesh, depending on how deep it is buried, will prevent skunks from gaining entry to your home for a considerable time.
From professionals examining the property and determining entry points, some of which might need digging to install the wire mesh or barrier of choice, the exclusion method can cost anywhere from $300 to $600.
The exterminator might charge up to $800 in complex cases. Considering that skunks are associated with numerous health risks and damages, sometimes this might even be a small price to pay to get them off your property before expenses increase exponentially with their residence.
Repellants cost
Experts use repellants to humanely and organically deter skunks from gardens, flowerbeds, lawns, and any other outdoor area with skunk activity. They make use of organic ingredients such as peppermint oil which makes foliage taste horrible to skunks and chemicals that disagree with the furred animals, like ammonia.
After intensive observation of the home, these pro wear their gear, load their spreader with repellant and spray the product in a circular motion in affected areas.
Depending on the size of your property that is being sprayed, professional repellants cost between $250 to $550, with an average cost of $450. There will be a need for reapplication if there is still skunk activity after fourteen days or if there happens to be consistent rainfall.
Factors that can affect the cost of Skunk removal
The amount of money one can spend on the removal of skunks can vary depending on how large your property is, how many entries points it’s littered with, how accessible certain locations are, and what sort of cleanups might take place afterward.
Number of Skunks;
If you have the misfortune of discovering a den of skunks in spring or early summer, the cost of removing them will go up a notch because, during these times, skunks are likely to start raising a litter of four to six kits.
Even if that doesn’t happen to be the case, up to 15 skunks are likely to share a den during the cold months, and this affects the cost of removal because, for each skunk they remove, professionals will charge $75 – $150. Thus the more extensive the number of skunks in a den, the bigger the cost of removal.
Location
It is already a recognized fact that skunks adore burrowing; it is how they find homes and build them. This is attributed to their love for relatively dark and quiet places due to their nature as nocturnal animals. This pushes them to make dens in areas like unused garages, under decks, under porches, under houses, etc.
The cost of skunk removal can differ severely due to this. If experts have to reach into tight, complex areas like crawl spaces to remove skunks, the price can rack up to a whopping $600, while removing them from easy-to-access locations will cost a lot less.
Emergency removal
Sometimes there are cases where you may encounter a rabid skunk at your home, which will call for immediate emergency skunk removal. And because this emergency removal might be outside of regular business hours, it will likely cost more since the company may request an extra fee on top of the standard fee paid for removal services.
This extra fee can cost anywhere between $75 and $100 extra.
Repairs
This is highly dependent on the level of damage caused by the skunks. In severe cases of skunk infestations, the property can experience structural damage, and at times when the furred animals make it inside the home, they destroy wires and insulations.
Repairing these damages can cost up to $700 depending on how bad the damage is, what type of materials need to be bought, and the labor that would be paid to fix it.
Skunk smell cleaning;
The atrocious scent from a skunk spray is one of the biggest issues feared by homeowners because the smell is hard to remove and tends to linger about even in situations where the skunk did not directly spray into a home.
While sometimes the problem can be solved by using household ingredients like white vinegar, some pest control companies offer cleaning as part of their skunk removal services. This is beyond appreciated in most cases since they undoubtedly know how best to eliminate the scent effectively.
However, choosing to hire the company’s cleaning services after the removal process will cost you more than the average bill of simply removing the skunks without the additional cleaning services.
Dead skunk removal
While this poses an easier task of removing the skunk because there is no trapping or exclusion involved, removing a dead skunk still costs something because of how bad the smell might be depending on the decomposition process and the knowledge that there are certain diseases that humans can contract if they come in direct contact with a dead skunk.
Essentially, because of this, removing a dead skunk costs from $150 to $200, with location and duration of removal put into consideration.
How to prevent skunks from invading your property?
It is understandable that, in some places, seeing a skunk on your property is not unusual. However, it is always good to take preventative measures to ensure that your property will at least be less desirable to skunks. In the long run, this will save you from spending large sums of money to remove these furred animals professionally.
Fence them out
Building tall stone fences or installing wire fences that are at the very least 2ft into the ground is a great preventative measure as it deters skunks from not only climbing over into your property but having the chance to dig under it as well. Thus gaining them no entrance.
Use home made remedies for skunk removal
Going the extra mile to be cautious is always rewarding. In this case, using ingredients you can find lying around the kitchen in your home is a wonderful way to start. Items like peppermint oil, jalapeno, onions, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and citrus peels can be used as repellants and sprayed around the home regularly to permanently keep skunks away since they hate the smell of these items.
Secure garbage cans
Skunks are opportunistic feeders, and your garbage can is easy food. Having open garbage cans around your property is an indirect invitation for skunks to invade your home. Thus, ensuring they are sealed tight will force the black-white-furred animals to avoid your home and look elsewhere for their next meal.
Mow your Lawn
Tall grass houses various insects that skunk just love to feed on. Regularly cutting this grass short will make your lawn less appealing for these insects and drive them away. A lawn that does not house insects and grubs is one that skunks won’t want to visit, thus saving you any problems or costs you might have encountered otherwise.
Make your yard less tempting to skunks
If you happen to have trees that harbor fruits and nuts in your yard, make sure that there are no hanging branches that are easily accessible, and put away all fallen fruits and nuts from the ground as fast as you can. Skunks are omnivores, and this will only act as an attraction point for them since it is the food they can easily access with little to no trouble.
