How to Keep Skunks Away from Your Property
Any pest, animal, or critter has the potential to cause problems to you, your property, gardens, or even to livestock you might have. Skunks have the ability to turn that nuisance volume up to eleven, thanks to the foul-smelling musk that is the natural defense mechanism of the skunk. Usually shy, the skunk can become accustomed to humans around and this can create huge problems for family members and pets, that run the risk of being sprayed and having to deal with the foul odor; this odor is not easy to remove but spreads on surfaces easily so it could find its way into your home.
Aside from the obvious stink, skunks can carry plenty of other threats from disease, including rabies, leptospirosis, as well as canine hepatitis and intestinal roundworm. These bacteria and viruses are zoonotic and can be transferred to humans. The nature of these diseases is that people don’t need direct contact with the skunk, just exposure to where the skunk has been.
While skunks are typically not aggressive, they are still a wild animal and they can become violent when unwell or protecting their young. For these reasons, it is best to deal with skunks as soon as you see them, rather than wait for them to become problematic..
What attracts skunks to your home
Skunks are similar to many garden critters, they will take advantage of an easy source of food or shelter, often provided by the yards and gardens of people. When animals discover an easy meal or prime den location, they will quickly lay claim to this area. Easy to take survival opportunities are gifts that will not be passed by many wild animals, and skunks are no different.
Food that is put in the trash, when the garbage is not locked away or pet food that is left outside will attract skunks to your property and they will quickly learn that you offer free and easy meals. This learned behavior will keep the skunk around your property, looking for free meals. What becomes worse is that skunks may decide that your yard or garden is the perfect nesting or den place as it has access to food and safe shelter.
Telltale signs include burrows under sheds, outhouses, decking, and your porch. Once these appear, there is a problem skunk living around your home. As discussed earlier, close proximity with skunks can create a myriad of issues and the problem needs to be resolved as soon as it appears.
What changes can help keep skunks away
Despite the problems that can be caused by skunks, there are simple steps that you can take that will make keeping them away easier. One of the biggest changes to make is removing access to those free meals. If there is no easy food around your property, then skunks are much less likely to be attracted to stick around.
Ensure that there is no pet food accessible outside and that garbage is locked away, either in a locking bin or inside a shed or container designed to keep critters away.
By removing the scent of food as much as possible, skunks, as well as other critters, are less likely to see your property as a valuable place to stick around. If you are growing your own produce, such as fruit or vegetables, then make sure that these are protected and skunks cannot access your fruit and vegetables. Using chicken wire and raised beds is an excellent way of doing this and prevents not only your hard work from being eaten by unwelcome guests, but food that cannot be accessed is not worth staying around for.
If you have fruit trees in your yard this becomes slightly harder. You can either remain vigilant and collect and dispose of fallen fruit to stop the smell and easy meal attracting skunks, or install catch nets to prevent the fruit from falling to the ground and waiting for critters.
If you are planning a trip to select new plants for your garden, you might be interested in prickly varieties that will also work to deter skunks from your property.
Barriers to block access
Fences are a great way to block access to your property. They work not just on skunks but also on many other animals that can become pests. Skunks are very poor climbers so any fence that is over five feet is going to be effective at keeping skunks out; however, skunks are prolific burrowers so any fence that you install must be dug at least 12 inches into the ground.
An effective trick is to bury chicken wire under where the fence is installed as this will help keep the fence nearly
impossible to burrow under to gain access to your property. If you have a fence already in place, go around and make sure that there are no holes or gaps that will invite skunks through.
Trap and relocate
If you’ve done the previous steps and you are still encountering skunks, it may be time to be less passive and take a direct approach. Either purchase traps or contact your local wildlife removal experts to come and set traps around your property. These traps can be set around the places where skunks are frequenting or even at the entrance of dens. These pathways can be identified and this will help to place the traps in the most effective place, in conjunction with good bait, such as sardines, cat food, or peanut butter, you should soon have those skunks trapped.
Once you have successfully trapped the skunk you can either choose to relocate it yourself in a suitable environment, that isn’t close to other people’s homes, or you can contact your local wildlife removal team to collect the skunk and do this on your behalf.
Precautions and things to be aware of
Skunks are famous for their natural defense of spraying a foul musk, this is an oily liquid that will soak into places and is extremely hard to remove and clean, often the scent lingering for a long time after. While this is the thing that is immediately recalled by many, it is not the biggest problem. Skunks are wild animals and will defend themselves when required; this can mean biting and scratching which can transmit harmful and nasty bacteria to wounds. Skunks also transmit leptospirosis so if you come into contact with their feces then make sure to wear protective equipment when dealing with the skunk, or where the skunk has been.
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