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Skunk Removal
While many people rarely see skunks, they are becoming more and more common occurrences in suburban, and even urban areas, as these critters, have become very well adapted to increasing urbanization. Beyond their powerful, pungent spray, there are many other reasons that living around skunks can present a problem to you, your family, and your home. Continue reading to learn more about skunks and how you can remove them as soon as possible.
Why are skunks attracted to my property?
Like most nuisance wildlife species, skunks are attracted to yards and homes for two big reasons: food and shelter. Skunks love to eat many different types of foods, but they are very big fans of grubs and insects that are commonly found in yards. One reason skunks might be attracted to your property, in particular, is if your yard has an unusually large amount of insects and grubs living in it. This can be due to the soil conditions you have, as well as certain plants you may have around your yard. In addition, urban skunks have also become excellent at finding any trash or other food products that have been left out in the open. Finally, if you have any small animals, such as rabbits or fowl, there is a chance the skunk has been attracted to your property for this reason.
Beyond the supply of food, they are able to find, skunks also are attracted to yards by the amount of shelter and safety they can find. Skunks often decide to dig a den in your yard to create an excellent place to raise any young they may have. If they can, however, skunks will search for any entry points they can find into your home, garage, or other buildings. Once inside, they will try to find a nice, warm, out-of-the-way place to set up a den. This provides skunks with shelter, warmth, and safety from any larger predators that may want to harm skunks.
What damage do skunks cause?
Beyond their ability to spray their foul scent, many people may not know how much damage skunks can cause. Skunks can cause damage in two different areas: health risks and property damage. The most serious of these is the health risks, as skunks have been known to carry many potentially deadly diseases. Leptospirosis, rabies, salmonella, and many other harmful viruses and bacteria are carried by skunks and can be easily transferred to humans, their families, and their pets. The most serious method of disease transmission from skunks is direct human contact, usually in the form of a bite or a scratch. In addition, coming into contact with a skunk’s feces, urine, dried saliva, or hair can also spread diseases to humans. Since some of these transmission methods can be very hard to detect, having skunks around your home and your property can present serious danger to you and your family.
Not only do skunks spread serious illnesses, but they can also create very high amounts of damage to your yard, your home, and your garage. Skunks are gifted with excellent digging abilities, and they often set these abilities to work once they have invaded your yard unless they can find a suitable shelter in a building. One major problem with skunks lies in the fact that they often dig their dens along with the foundations of buildings. This can potentially cause a foundation that becomes weaker over time, as the dirt that was supporting the foundation is no longer there. After a long period of time, this could lead to an eventual structural collapse, which would be very costly to repair. In addition, if a skunk gets into your home, it can dig around, chew up wires and other building materials, and cause general problems that can lead to serious damage. Removing skunks from your home and property should be a top priority in order to avoid the aforementioned problems.
How can I prevent skunks?
The prevention of skunks can require a pretty serious amount of effort, and it could potentially prove to be impossible due to the simple fact that skunks can dig. The most extravagant, and effective, way to keep skunks from coming onto your property would be to install a fence that extends below the ground a few feet, preventing the digging creatures from making it into your yard. Other than installing a fence, lessening the attractiveness of your yard is the next best thing. Keep any pet food and garbage out of the reach of skunks, as this will limit easy food sources. The next best step would be to clean up your yard. Be sure to remove any woodpiles, brush piles, or other messy areas, as these are havens for skunk food. By doing these steps, you can prevent yourself from experiencing all of the damage that skunks are able to cause.
How can I get rid of skunks?
While many people have removed skunks from their property with a simple baited cage trap, many times this just won’t cut it. If it does end up working out well for you, it is a very simple and effective process that will solve the problem. However, the most common problem encountered is that skunks refuse to enter the cage trap. If this happens to you, it might be time to call a professional wildlife removal company. By hiring a wildlife removal company, you will keep yourself, your family, and your pets safe during the removal process.
Why hire Wildlife X Team Nashville?
At Wildlife X Team Nashville, we have years of experience in dealing with a skunk and other nuisance animal problems. We are proud to serve Nashville and the surrounding areas, offering top-notch wildlife removal at the best possible price! Not only do our experts perform humane wildlife removal services, but we also offer attic restoration, decontamination and odor removal, animal damage repair, and many other important services. If you have a skunk problem, call us here at Wildlife X Team Nashville, and we will take care of your problem as soon as possible!
How to Get Skunks Out Of Your Garden
Skunks are scavengers that raid trash cans for leftovers and small animals to feed on. They are omnivorous animals and can eat a wide range of things including rodents, insects, lizards, birds, snakes, berries, grass, nuts, leaves, fungi, etc. These nuisance animals are known for terrorizing neighborhoods after dark in search of delicious plants and animals to snack on.
You can see skunks during the day, however, their activities primarily take place at night. If you don’t see a skunk during the day, they’re most likely hiding in a tiny crawl space beneath a porch, a pile of wood, or a house.
You can prevent damage to your garden, lawn and property if you know how to keep skunks out of your garden and around your house. Here are a few tips for getting skunks out of the garden.
Eliminate food sources to discourage skunks
A solid garden fence is an effective way to keep skunks away from your plants. Skunks are drawn to places with a consistent food source, such as pet food left out, garbage, small animals and a readily available water source. The first sign that a skunk has been visiting your garden is usually the foul, skunk odor. The second sign of skunks is property damage, such as uprooted grasses and footprints. Skunks will uproot plants to eat grubs, insects, and plants. Since these animals are not good climbers, a strong fence will keep them away. A fence for discouraging skunks shouldn’t be more than two feet tall, since they can’t climb. Also, skunks don’t chew through fences as easily as raccoons can, so you can use a wire mesh or hardware cloth to fence your garden.
Treat your garden to insects
You can deter skunks by keeping pests under control. Insects, earthworms, frogs, and small mammals that live in the soil, such as moles, are their main sources of food. If you control pests, you will discourage moles and other small animals that feed on insects, which make up a large portion of a skunk’s diet.
To keep crawling pests at bay, sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the stems of plants. This is a powder derived from fossilized aquatic creatures, it’s effective because it can penetrate the exoskeleton of insects to dehydrate and kill them. Although this powder is harmless for humans and pets, it should not be inhaled. Also, it works best when it’s completely dry, so reapply after rain.
You can also deter insects and pests by spraying liquid soap on your plants. Use a natural soap that doesn’t contain any detergents or chemicals, such as Castile soap. Try 1 tablespoon of pure Castile liquid soap and 1 tablespoon horticultural grade neem oil for 1 gallon of water and test on a small portion of the plant. Apply the solution to your plants in the mornings before sunrise.
Protect your berries with cages
Skunks also enjoy fruits and will scavenge for berries, fungus, and nuts. Place cages and netting around the vegetables and fruits. Fruit cages come in a variety of sizes that you can use to protect your plants. Skunks can also dig into your compost pile, so make sure your compost is securely covered.
Use traps to get rid of skunks
If you have a persistent skunk problem, consider using traps to catch and relocate the animals. You may need the help of a professional for humane skunk removal because skunks will not hesitate to spray when they are cornered. Skunks are usually baited with bacon, berries, cat food, or peanut butter. You can place it in the garden, where skunks frequent, and once you have a catch, cover the trap with a thick cloth to avoid being sprayed, and carefully relocate the skunk.
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