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However, in the absence of insects, they’ll eat roughage, small critters such as mice, rats, moles, lizards, frogs, snakes, and birds. They are also known to raid your garbage or outdoor pet food bowls. While they get rid of some of the bad pests, the damage they do digging around is a lot worse.
The Best Rat Cages for Your Pet Rodents
Spotting animal droppings of a similar size and shape are a good indicator that a skunk or similarly-sized critter is nearby. As most skunk pet owners will tell you, a skunk can climb stairs with some minor effort (and enough incentive), but have trouble with anything higher. Just be warned, they may not be able to go up, but they’re pros at going down, so extend those fences at least a foot below ground level. Just to be safe, you should never approach a wild skunk if it can be avoided. However, there have been documented cases of 15 feet and a few even reaching 20 feet.
Skunk Repellents vs. Skunk Traps
Keeping your yard and garden clear of food sources and den options can help prevent skunk infestations. Clean up any pet food in your yard, remove bird feeders, and ensure all garbage is tightly secured in cans with tight lids. However, take care with the use of repellents that use such substances as pepper oil and capsaicin, which can be irritating to humans and pets. If using a skunk repellent that’s listed as safe for dogs, always check the label before using it. People will go to extreme lengths to avoid getting sprayed by a skunk—even those who bill themselves as wildlife-control professionals.
How to Keep Skunks Out of the Garden
Symptoms of rabies include aggressiveness, being active during the day, and seizures. The skunk is one of four wild animals (besides raccoons, bats, and foxes) considered to be primary carriers of the rabies virus. Skunks have also been known to carry the bacterial disease leptospirosis.
Keeping skunks away may be a challenge, but your hard work will pay off. There are dozens of natural ways to keep skunks away, and none of them will cost you an arm and a leg. Seal the back end of the trap with the other 15×15-inch piece of plywood. Alternatively, use a transparent window or wire mesh to seal the back so you can see inside. To make the homemade skunk trap, cut the concrete form tube to two feet long.
How to keep raccoons and possums away from your house - Popular Science
How to keep raccoons and possums away from your house.
Posted: Thu, 21 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMT [source]
How to Get Rid of Maggots Naturally
Skunks are at particular risk of inhumane killing methods, including treatment as horrific as drowning. As long as humane methods of deterrence and eviction are possible, there are ways to avoid being sprayed by skunks without causing extreme suffering. If you find 3- to 4-inch deep holes throughout your garden and lawn, there is a good possibility you have skunks on the hunt for grubs. These nocturnal animals are most active at night and will dig in soft soil.
How to Repel Skunks from Your Yard
In the case that they are used, they must be treated with extreme care due to the consequences for people, and animals who may inadvertently come into contact with them. If a skunk is using the den, either harassment or eviction using a one-way door system is recommended. When evicting skunks, be sure that dependent young are not present. When in doubt, assume they are and use the door only after they start following their mother to forage.
Any suspected skunk den should first be checked to determine if it has residents. This may be done by loosely filling the hole (or holes) with soil, leaves, straw, crumpled paper or similar material. If a skunk is present, the animal will easily push their way out overnight and reopen the hole. Skunks may also dig for grubs in the yard when wet soil conditions push insects close to the surface—their presence may be a sign of an overwatered lawn.
Clean Up Your Yard
There are also numerous preventative measures to take so that the skunks won’t soon come back to your property. Skunks particularly hate the smell of ammonia, mothballs, predator urine, citrus, and certain essential oils. Every day, more and more wildlife habitats are lost to the spread of development.
There are also electric repellents that can scare them away with ultrasonic frequencies. These animals are generally passive and will do their best to avoid you, though they are known to carry rabies. This is why it's important not to approach skunks, especially if they are displaying strange behavior, particularly aggressiveness. If you have a dog, you definitely want to try to keep skunks away from your yard and garden.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s actually relatively difficult to get a skunk to spray you. In most circumstances, if you stay out of their way, they’ll stay out of your way. Of course, this does not work when the skunks are already under the house or deck, so try to draw the skunks out using the previous methods before securing your property. When stationed in the Air Force in OK & TX a few years the natives called them Polecats.
With the exception of the eastern spotted skunk, skunks are very poor climbers. Enclose your yard in a fence that extends at least three feet above ground and one foot or more below ground. Make sure there are no objects outside the fence a skunk can use as steps to reach the top of the fence. There are two things you can do to keep skunks away from your property.
The string should be plenty long so you can stand well back from the trap to avoid getting sprayed when releasing the skunk. Tie the piece of string attached to the bait platform to a nail or holding pin. If you grow fruit and nut trees, make sure to regularly tidy up underneath the trees to prevent skunks from foraging. Secure bird feeders so they can’t be tipped over, and frequently remove any fallen birdseed. The Bob Vila team distills need-to-know information into project tutorials, maintenance guides, tool 101s, and more. These home and garden experts then thoroughly research, vet, and recommend products that support homeowners, renters, DIYers, and professionals in their to-do lists.
Skunks, easily identifiable by their characteristic black and white striping, are infamous for producing a foul odor when frightened. Although a skunk’s spray is known mostly for its robust smell, it can also cause intense discomfort if it gets into a person or animal’s eyes. However, you are more likely to smell a skunk than you are to see one. The unmistakable scent is another identifier when checking for skunks. If you find tracks, yard erosion, and that pungent odor, you can safely assume that skunks are the culprit. Having a skunk problem can cause some pretty major inconveniences.
Find out if your state permits owning one and any specific regulations. Note than most states don’t permit the transport of skunks across state lines. This old remedy does not chemically neutralize the odor, says Mengak. What’s actually happening is that the nose blocks out the skunk odor, called “olfactory fatigue,” and tricks the nose into smelling the tomato juice instead of the skunk odor.
Situations in which skunks have nested in the crawl space or beneath the deck may require traps to relocate them from the area. With its pleasing smell and all-natural ingredients, this peppermint essential oil is one of the best and safest means of driving away skunks and other unwanted animals. The 4-ounce bottle comes with a dropper and thorough instructions for how to dilute it. Simply mix it with the recommended amount of water, add it to a spray bottle, and then spray the perimeter of the home. To use, simply sprinkle the granules around the perimeter of the home and then lightly water.
