How to Keep Skunks Away From Your House and Yard
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If a skunk does take residence on your land, however, they will be less likely to leave on their own accord and may need encouragement if they bother you. Skunks can find homes in overgrown bushes and shrubs, fallen logs, and other building materials. While skunks usually create homes in the form of shallow burrows, these features provide great shelter from the elements. This method should be repeated several times, especially after rain, in order for it to be effective. Skunks sometimes feed on corn, but they tend to only eat the lower ears that they can reach.
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Their famous defensive odour can pose a real hazard for dogs and small children, they wreak havoc on vegetable gardens and poultry, and they can be a rabies carrier as well. Fortunately, skunks are usually fairly easy to get rid of, even if approaching them head-on is not recommended. If you see a skunk burrow on your property, don’t try to remove it yourself. Not only is that a good way to get sprayed, but it’s also disruptive and ineffective. Instead of trying to solve your skunk problem yourself, call in Varment Guard.
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On warmer nights, they might emerge and dig in the yard for food, but the skunk may move along by spring. And since skunks like insects, ensure that you not creating an environment that attracts the latter. Sources of standing water appeal to insects, and insects attract skunks. Call a professional for help with removal, as local rabies laws and regulations may also dictate that only professionals can handle skunks and other wildlife.
Install Underground Fencing Around Porches, Decks, and Sheds
When you eliminate these things, skunks are less likely to continue returning to your house. The two main attractors for skunks are bird feeders and sunflower seeds, as the skunks view these as nutritious food sources. Eliminate skunk smell from clothing by adding a half-cup of baking soda to your regular laundry detergent and washing with hot water. Bright light scares off other nocturnal scavengers like raccoons as well. Additionally, running your sprinklers at night scares away skunks from your yard and as a humane way to get rid of chipmunks and squirrels. Leaving exterior lights on at night or installing motion-activated outdoor lights is an efficient technique to scare off nocturnal skunks.
The RibRave ultrasonic animal repeller is an innovative device that utilizes motion detection to sense when unwanted critters are nearby. It then releases powerful ultrasonic sound waves and flashing LED lights to deter animals from approaching. It’s solar-powered and has a waterproof design, promising consistent protection around the clock, regardless of weather conditions.
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Skunks are especially attracted to strong-smelling and oily foods like sardines or peanut butter. If you have an exceptionally persistent skunk, you may need to resort to trapping it. Building DIY live traps is a quick and easy way to ensure that the unwanted visitor is truly gone.
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With so many methods using items you likely already have in your home, there is little reason to use lethal methods of removal. Here, we have explored how to get rid of skunks from your garden and beneath your property so that you can enjoy your backyard ideas in peace. Skunks are timid animals and are often non-aggressive however they can quickly become a nuisance, especially if they become territorial. Learning how to get rid of skunks humanely is the best way to prevent yourself or your pets from being sprayed. Skunks can be very nice to have around because they dig up and feed on the larvae of cutworms, Japanese beetles, hornworms, and other crop-destroying insect life. However, skunks are not only partial to insects; they will eat leaves, buds, grasses, grains, garbage, fruit or berries within reach, and even small game.
If you have a house cat, take a few clumps of urine from their litter box and place the clusters around your garden beds to deter them from entering with the musky urine smell. What’s more successful at keeping skunks out of the area than predators? There are at least a dozen natural ways to repel skunks so that you don’t harm them and rectify the situation without violence.
Consider installing a bright garden light
The chicken wire prevents the animals from walking directly into your flower beds or digging underneath so that there is no possibility for them to get in. Some of the most extensive damage from skunks is that garden and flower beds are dug up while the animals are searching for a meal. They aren’t the safest option on the list and should not be used if you have pets that go out into the yard. The first indication that a skunk is loitering around your house is that horrendous smell. Other signs to look out for are holes in the lawn and flowerbeds or plants getting toppled over. The one benefit to having them around is that they eat insects like beetles and worms that may harm our plants.
The second these animals show up, the sprinklers go off and soak the animals so that they start running away. Install a few of these around your home so that they know every area of your property is off-limits and they are not welcome. Yes, they’re undeniably cute with their chic black-and-white coat and outrageously fluffy tails. Wear rubber gloves, bathe your pet in this solution as soon as possible, and then follow up with your regular pet shampoo.
Call them over to eat it as soon as you place it outdoors, and then remove those containers as soon as they finish. In addition to their smell, skunks can be a nuisance because of their digging. If skunks are near your home, you may see small, shallow holes in your lawn or garden. In contrast with moles, which dig long, twisty tunnels that appear as raised earth, skunks dig small, conical holes. Skunks forage for food by digging, and they may also nibble on the lower leaves of garden plants or ripening crops like corn, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Sadly, skunks are one species where you can’t rely on a home remedy.
Consider using floodlights in your outdoor lighting ideas to discourage a range of pests including skunks. They can be unpredictable, like all wild mammals, and on rare occasions carry rabies. But generally skunks only spray as a last resort, when cornered by a dog or if their young are threatened. So if your pet got sprayed by a skunk, don’t worry here’s how you can get rid of skunk smell on dog. If you have a persistent skunk or skunks on your hands, a humane trap can safely remove them. A live trap will lure the skunk in and contain them until they can be released.
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