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Post by desertwoman on Jul 18, 2019 9:03:24 GMT -5
We've always had them around us- they are part of the wildlife around here- but now one has moved into our private garden space next to the house.
It seems like a young one. Comes every night - late- for the past several nights. Last night was the first time it sprayed.
Ellie is always in at night and though the door is open we have a screen door. They haven't come nose to nose through the screen but maybe the skunk senses she's there and is getting territorial or is feeling threatened.
Does anyone have any experience removing/relocating a skunk humanely? Or know ways to discourage it from hanging out here? Why it would spray last night but not the other nights?
It's a pretty cute critter and I would leave it if it wasn't for the stink it can make.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Jul 18, 2019 9:24:02 GMT -5
When I moved in here the property was not maintained too much. I had skunks coming very early in the mornings. Later I discovered that the soil was overrun with grubs. I had a family of skunks one morning digging up my yard including a mother and 4 babies.
One night I failed to close my back door before going to bed and I believe a skunk walked near my back door and the cat charged the door and sprayed. The odor permeated into the back of the house. (this was the only thing that made sense). It sprayed onto my stoop and back door. The odor carried for 2 houses up and down and across the street.
I spoke to a man who set up a trap and caught a large skunk. I asked the man if he would take the animal to a place away from the area and let him go rather than euthanizing. He said he would(he may have just told me that).
Though I can't say this was the skunk that did the spraying as more came into my yard while I spent probably 2 years getting rid of most grubs from the soil. I dug just to get rid of them not wanting to use chemicals to do it. The man told me of a preparation from Pet Smart than could get rid of the smell. It worked wonderfully.
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 18, 2019 9:27:19 GMT -5
Does anyone have any experience removing/relocating a skunk humanely? Skunks are rare here, and I have never seen one. If one came to the yard, I'd trap and release. In the past I have watched videos on how to trap and safely release a skunk, and I already have traps -- the cheap one's from Tractor Supply -- and much experience in using them. Some internet advice: survivallife.com/deter-skunks/ |
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Post by James on Jul 18, 2019 9:47:47 GMT -5
Shoot, shovel, shut up!
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Post by pondgardener on Jul 18, 2019 10:44:44 GMT -5
Skunks are one of the more likely creatures to have rabies, so definitely keep an eye out for any unusual behavior, like daytime meandering around the yard. Definitely need to get it removed in any case.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Jul 18, 2019 12:04:23 GMT -5
desertwoman , I called several wildlife removal companies when I needed to get the squirrels out of Dad's house. Fortunately I didn't have to worry about spraying, but I learned a lot about how critter removal companies operate. I eventually did find one that was compatible, and I hired that small company, run by a man whose mother ran the office. Very low key, little advertising, definitely not one of the big companies with trucks and lots of equipment.
I had also at one time hired a company to remove something in the attic of my sister's house. I could hear it walking, scampering at night.
The attic company came to the house like an ambulance, two vans dramatically pulling up, making lots of noise, to the point that neighbors came over later and asked if everything was allright. The owner set one trap, covered up areas of potential admission, but did not go up in the attic.
What he set in the trap was cat food; what was caught was a rabbit, which cut its mouth on the open can with lid attached. When I saw that poor frightened and unhappy rabbit, I immediately released it.
The trapper concluded the next day that there was nothing in the attic, left and sent me a bill around $500, which I disputed and paid only a portion.
The squirrel catcher was different, definitely a different breed. When he first came over, the back of his truck was filled with junk, and cages, with mother and baby raccoons, and if I remember correctly, a skunk, which hadn't sprayed (I don't know why). The animals were frightened, but were safe.
This was a catch and release company. He drove them miles and miles away then released the animals.
Costs were: $125 for the first visit, which included setting up traps, walking around the house and on the roof, and inspecting for potential access, and advice on how to close the holes. Weekly monitoring was $125, which included daily checking and rebaiting the traps. Additional animals were $35 each for squirrels of the kind that invaded Dad's house, and lesser costs for different varieties of squirrels. (That's reasonable; I encountered one company that charged $80 per squirrel!)
At my request I was provided by the insurance carrier with a certificate of liability, adding my name for coverage, if anything happened.
This isn't directed toward skunks, but I wanted to share the fact that some of these companies are not very reliable, some are very expensive, and it sometimes takes some research and a lot of calls to find a good company.
In your situation, I think a trapper would bait a trap with skunk loving food, placing the trap where the skunk had been seen. Once the skunk was caught, the trap would be covered in the event it sprayed, and would be taken by truck and released somewhere in the wilderness.
I don't have insight into your other questions; I'm not really familiar with skunk behavior. But if you do decide to have someone remove the visitor, I would ask how much experience, and about how many skunks the company has caught, and specifically how.
Just guessing, the skunk might have scented Ellie and felt threatened and sprayed; that's just my guess. i do think territory might have been an issue. Or, if It did carry rabies or anything else, its behavior might have been affected.
I do agree with pondgardener ; the skunk needs to find a new home, and soon.
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Post by Mumsey on Jul 18, 2019 14:33:07 GMT -5
We had them frequently in the country, hardly knew they were around except for the stink. One had to have been rabid since it was at our back door at 1 pm when I went out to go to work. wobbling and weaving around. Scared the bejeebers out of me. I opened the door before I saw it. It had to be destroyed. We had dogs sprayed too. It's nasty. We smell them from time to time here in town. That's the only time I ever saw one during the day. At dawn we would see mom with her babies parading behind her.
So behavior is the biggest thing to look for if they out and about during the day.
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 18, 2019 14:46:43 GMT -5
Apparently skunks can be provoked by nothing much. A relative was riding his three wheeler across a field when his cap blew off. He decided to leave it there and pick it up on the way back. When he came back, the cap had been sprayed by a skunk.
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Post by binnylou on Jul 18, 2019 15:37:31 GMT -5
tom 🕊, sounds like it’s time for a new cap...
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 18, 2019 16:12:24 GMT -5
sounds like it’s time for a new cap... Yes, the cap was a total loss. |
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Jul 20, 2019 9:15:24 GMT -5
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Post by desertwoman on Jul 20, 2019 9:39:01 GMT -5
yes- lilolpeapicker, these were helpful comments. For now, at least, the little guy has left the premises on its own so I don't need to do anything. But relocation will be in its future should it come back. I tend to be a 'wait and see', low interventionist type. I like to see how something might work out on its own before I interfere. The rabies comments were especially helpful. I had no idea they were high chance carriers. And the comments about signs/behavioral changes of a rabid skunk are especially helpful. |
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Post by James on Sept 27, 2019 11:44:07 GMT -5
I am a beekeeper. The skunks will come scratch on the front of the hive till the bees come out to fight and then sit there and eat bees. A number 3 foot trap with the chain attached to a ten foot 2x4 works well. When I get a skunk in the trap lead him over to the canal and drown him. The odor goes with the water so no bad smell.
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Post by binnylou on Sept 27, 2019 12:08:35 GMT -5
James, A foot trap is a cruel thing to do to an animal. If you plan to kill the animal, use a live trap and then do the deed. No need to make the animal suffer. What if you catch the neighbor's dog? Or an eagle?
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Post by tom 🕊 on Sept 27, 2019 12:16:17 GMT -5
When I get a skunk in the trap lead him over to the canal and drown him. The odor goes with the water so no bad smell. There used to be a market for skunk musk for use in perfume. I do not know how it was collected and marketed, although long age I saw a jar of skunk glands that were to be sold. I found a website that sells skunk musk to prevent loitering. Just a whiff is supposed to keep people away for days. For $29 one gets "Our skunk spray for sale now includes 2 oz. of Pure Skunk Essence and a spray bottle. Just mix with water, spray & the "hang-out" area is closed!" Skunk musk is also used by hunters and trappers to cover the human scent. |
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