Remove Skunk Byself – Humane Wildlife Removal

Can I remove skunks myself?

There are lots of reasons not to let a skunk stay in, under, or near your house including the fact that they spray and smell, they can carry and transmit diseases, they’ll dig up your lawn or backyard, and they’re extremely territorial. Being extremely territorial means that if a skunk is living around your house, it’s possible you could get in a confrontation. Many female skunks take their children to a safe place (sometimes under or around a house) after they’re born. In this case, generally, the kits and their mother will leave their nest after the kits are about six weeks old. So usually you’ll just have to wait it out- but what if the kits or mom don’t leave the nest near your house? Should you get rid of the skunks yourself or have a professional do it?

If a skunk doesn’t leave your house, forcible removal may be the only option left. You can do this yourself by planting a trap under your house while closing off all but one entrance to the skunk’s den. You should set up the trap in this one entrance and then check the trap at least twice a day. Consider using a single door cage trap and placing food in it to incentivize the skunk to go in the trap. Then cover the trap with a blanket so no light comes through and, as a result, the skunk can feel safe. Once the skunk has been trapped, simply remove the cage (leaving the blanket over it) and bring the skunk to a skunk friendly environment or local professional. Another popular trap for dealing with skunks is a one-way door trap. If you close off all the other entrances and put this trap under your house, the skunk can leave its den (the bottom of your house) but the door won’t open to enable its return.

Generally, after about a day of the skunk trying to figure out how to get back into its den, it will give up and leave your house. Just make sure there aren’t any babies stuck and starving in the skunk’s den.

When dealing with skunks be sure to be constantly aware. Although skunks aren’t aggressive, they’re certainly territorial and won’t hesitate to spray and even attack you with their claws and teeth if they feel threatened.

Try to observe their behavior from 10-15 feet away, this should keep you far enough away from the skunk not to make them nervous. If the skunk does happen to get nervous and spray you it won’t be much of a problem because the skunk’s spray won’t be nearly as effective at 15 feet away. If you don’t feel comfortable trapping a skunk yourself, don’t hesitate to call wildlife removal professionals! That’s what they do. They’ll come to your house and help you trap the skunk and then dispose of it humanely.