Ways to Get Rid of Skunks

Skunks can cause nuisance to humans by burrowing under the building, feeding on poultry and emitting a foul odor. Apart from these, they can damage vegetable gardens, lawns, beehives, etc. They can be carriers of rabies and can also be infected with Aleutians disease, tularemia and distemper and several parasites like fleas, lice, ticks, tapeworms and flatworms. Hence, it is important to get rid of skunks from your place.

Skunks are nocturnal scavengers and they feed on anything from garbage to insects and poultry. Once they get something to feed from your place, it will encourage them to visit the place more often. So the first and foremost thing is to remove the food source. Another way to get rid of these animals are by modifying your habitat, so as to prevent them from making a shelter in your land. Use of repellents and deterrents can also help you in this task. Finally, you can evict those who have already made a den by fumigation, trapping, etc. Let us go through the various ways to get rid of skunks.

Removal of Food Source
Skunks are omnivores, who can eat insects and larvae, earthworms, small rodents, birds, eggs, berries, roots, leaves, grasses, fungi, and nuts. In settled areas, they act as scavengers and feed on garbage, bees, pet food and animal carcasses. As they are nocturnal, you must avoid keeping pet food outside, at nighttime. For the same reason, garbage should not be kept outside. If that is not possible, then secure it by covering it with a tight lid or by fencing it, as skunks cannot climb tall fences.

You have to clean your vegetable garden and lawn regularly to remove rotting vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries and leaves, which can attract rodents, insects and larvae too. The skunks can feast on the rotting waste as well as the rodents and insects. Pest control programs to ward off insects and rodents is also beneficial. You should minimize the usage of easily accessible water sources and bird feeder spills.

Modify Your Habitat
Your habitat may have many places which can be a possible shelter for skunks. You can enclose open areas with three-foot high wire mesh. The fence should be one foot deep to prevent them from burrowing. Fence the areas which may interest skunks like the garden, compost pit, poultry farm, etc. Fill in the holes and ditches around your home and seal the ones underneath the house, sheds, decks, and other above-ground structures. Avoid keeping lumber and junk materials, as it may provide shelter for the skunks.

Repellents and Deterrents
Even though many commercial repellents are available, very few give consistent results. Clothes or cotton balls soaked in ammonia are found to be effective against skunks. You have to replace the clothes regularly, as ammonia evaporates and the skunks will come back. Even naphthalene balls in large numbers are reported to be useful for this purpose. There are reports that dog and cat repellents are also effective.

Some people use the dog urine, coyote and other predators to get rid of skunks. They are now available in market and the only thing to remember is to reapply it in your surroundings after any rainfall. It is also said that skunks cannot tolerate the smell of citrus fruits. So, you can spread orange or lemon peels in your surroundings. Skunks are very sensitive to light as they are nocturnal animals. Hence, using a motion sensor flood light can frighten the animal and in turn prevent them from entering the premises.

Eviction of Skunks
The above said measures are applicable in preventing skunks from entering your place. If they have already found their shelter in your land, you can evict them by the following methods. One method is to fumigate the burrows of these animals. Gas cartridges are available for this purpose and the fumigation can cause death of skunks due to suffocation or by inhaling of toxic gases. Always use it carefully according to the instructions, to avoid any other hazards. If the law allows you to use traps for skunks, then you can resort to that method. Use traps to catch skunks and take it out of town and leave the skunk in a secluded place. Another method to evict skunks are by placing repellents like ammonia inside their burrows. Eviction of skunks should be done with utmost care, because skunk bite is harmful.

The best thing to do is preventing them from entering your premises. Keep your premises clean and get rid of skunks and their foul smell in a healthy way.