Get Rid of Skunks

While skunks are generally harmless creatures, it's best not to get to close to them. You risk getting a dose of their noxious spray, or worse, a bite from a skunk carrying rabies. Skunks are omnivores that can live off of human waste, so they often take up residence in yards and under decks. Learn how to make your property less enticing to skunks who need a home and get rid of skunks that have already moved in.

Steps

Removing Sources of Skunk Food and Shelter

  1. Remove nuts, berries, and other natural food sources. Skunks are scavengers, so they'll eat anything nutritious they can find. If you have trees that produce nuts, berries, crabapples, or other fruits, clean them up by raking your yard as often as necessary.
    • Other vegetation, like piles of grass clippings, should also be discarded, since it may contain seeds or other sources of food for skunks.
    • If you have a garden, harvest ripe fruit and vegetables as soon as you can, to prevent a hungry skunk from feasting on them.
    • Use a tray under your bird feeder to catch most of the seeds, and clean up stray seeds dropped by birds often.
  2. Protect your waste. Similarly to raccoons and other stray animals, skunks can survive on garbage alone. It's important to keep your trash cans properly sealed. Sometimes regular garbage cans simply won't do. To defend against scavenging animals, you can buy locking garbage cans at a fairly cheap price at your local home improvement store.
    • If possible, store your trash bins in a shed or in your garage at night, so their smell doesn't attract skunks.
    • Use an enclosed compost bin, since skunks like to eat old fruit and vegetable peels, eggshells, and other items that you may be composting.
  3. Close off hiding places. Skunks like to make their homes under decks, porches, and in other sheltered areas. Close off spaces that may be appealing to skunks using rocks, fencing, or plywood.
    • Log piles and piles of lumber or building materials can serve as shelters for skunks. Store the materials in a shed or bin to prevent skunks from moving in.
    • Large bushes are also good shelters for skunks. If you see skunks hanging out in bushes or low vegetation, you might want to trim back the branches so it's not quite as appealing.

Employing Skunk Deterrents

  1. Install lights in your yard. Skunks are nocturnal, and they shy away from bright lights. If you light your yard at night it will be a lot less appealing to skunks. However, you risk attracting insects that like bright light, such as crickets and moths.
    • Since the lights will be shining all night long, consider using solar lighting or energy-saving lighting to avoid paying high electrical bills.
    • You could also install a motion sensor that gets tripped when a skunk or another creature comes close. In this case, the skunk will have to enter your property for the light to work as a deterrent.
  2. Use chemicals that repel skunks. There are a few different chemicals known to be offensive to skunks. If you place them around the edges of your yard and in areas where you suspect skunks like to spend time, the skunks will start avoiding those areas. Chemical repellents have to be reapplied every few days, especially after a heavy rain.
    • Fox and dog urine deters skunks, since foxes and dogs are skunks' natural predators. If you can figure out how to collect dog urine, that's fine to use. You can also buy products containing fox or dog urine at hardware stores. Spray it around the perimeter of your yard.
    • Pepper sprays, also sold to repel squirrels and other wild creatures, are effective skunk repellents. Spray them on trees and other areas where you've seen skunks.
    • Ammonia also deters skunks. Soak old rags in ammonia and place them under your deck or porch to keep skunks from coming in.
    • Citrus peels have natural repellent qualities. Scatter orange or lemon peels around your property and under your deck or porch.
  3. Install motion-activated sprinklers. These automatically turn on when an animal wanders too close, and are a safe and natural way to keep skunks away from your property. Place them strategically close to areas where you suspect skunks might want to shelter.

Removing Skunks from Your Property

  1. Set a trap. Spring-loaded skunk traps lure the skunk inside with bait, then close the door behind them so they can't escape. The skunk is then carried away from your property and set free in the woods or another open, wild area.
    • Bait the skunk trap with peanut butter, canned sardines, cat food, or another strong-smelling food. Set it near the skunk's den or its route of access to your property.
    • Traps designed for raccoons, feral cats and other wild animals also work well for skunks.
    • When you releasing the skunk in the woods, wear heavy clothes and gloves, and make sure your face is positioned well away from the door where the skunk will exit the trap. Most of the time, skunks leave traps calmly, but you should take precautions just in case you get sprayed.
  2. Make a garbage can and ramp trap. Get a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} metal garbage can and a long stick of wood.
    • Just before dark, place the garbage can upright where you want to trap the skunk. Have it against something strong, such as a wall, so that the skunk cannot tip it over. Bait it with cat food.
    • Get a long, sturdy piece of wood (it must be thick and heavy enough to hold skunk, maybe a 2 x 4). Use it as a ramp to allow the skunk to get from the ground to inside the garbage can.
    • The skunk will not be able to get out of the garbage can. If handled carefully, it will hopefully not spray.
    • After the skunk is inside, put lid on the garbage can. Put it in your truck and carry the skunk away to a wooded area. Release by tying (or clamping) a twenty foot or longer cord to the lid handle. This will allow you to take off the lid and letting the skunk make its own way back into nature without danger of getting sprayed.
  3. Call Animal Control. If you'd rather leave the skunk handling to an expert, have the animal control center in your region dispatch someone to take care of removal. He or she will have the tools and knowledge to trap and release the skunk.



Tips

  • When releasing a trapped skunk, be patient. It may take a few minutes for the skunk to come to its senses and leave the trap.
  • Check local laws before trapping and relocating a skunk. This practice may not be permitted in your area.
  • If possible, avoid trapping skunks during their breeding season in the spring and summer. You may end up trapping an adult female skunk who has a den full of baby skunks who will then starve to death.

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Sources and Citations

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